Being the crafter that I am, I will try just about anything. I just love making things. But there are some things that I am just not very good at. Like beads made from polymer clay.
Some artist are VERY talented when it comes to working with polymer clay. But NOT me. I have seen some really beautiful beads made from polymer clay. So I thought that I would give it a try, how hard can it be. I wanted to make my own beautiful beads for my jewelry designs.
I went out and bought a couple of books, tools, pasta machine, and polymer clay. I went through the books and decided on what I would try first. So I went through the steps and made my first beads. That's when I found out it was a lot harder then you think. My first set of beads came out looking like a wad of already chewed gum. Not very pretty.
![Polymer Clay Faux Amber Polymer Clay Faux Amber](https://mixedkreations.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/100_0051-300x226.jpg)
Polymer Clay Faux Amber
I love leaves, so not to give up I bought a package of leaf molds, set of three. Thought surely I can't mess those up. Well they came out pretty good. But the sanding is really hard on my hands, and one leaf at a time will take forever. I read that you could run polymer clay through your tumbler with river rocks or sandpaper and they would come out smooth. Well that didn't work.
![Polymer Clay Ivy Leaves Polymer Clay Ivy Leaves](https://mixedkreations.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/100_0057-300x186.jpg)
Polymer Clay Ivy Leaves
I've tried sanding under water with different grits of sandpaper, but I still don't get the beautiful, smooth, glossy beads that I see made by other artist. It gets very frustrating, so I stop, and don't try again for a few months.
The leaves are still sitting in a bowl waiting to be sanded one leaf at a time )-; I have made one more attempt since then. I made jack-o-lantern earrings, and I must say I think they turned out pretty cute. I just ran them through my tumbler then put a clear coat sealer over them for some shine. But their far from the beautiful beads that I want to make.
![Polymer Clay Jack-O-Lantern Polymer Clay Jack-O-Lantern](https://mixedkreations.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/100_0059-300x162.jpg)
Polymer Clay Jack-O-Lantern
If anyone has any tips that you would like to share on sanding, polishing (to get that beautiful glossy shine) , etc. It will be Greatly Appreciated.
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