DIY Beaded Necklace

Did y'all catch Christine's beautiful clay bead DIY earlier this month? I finally got around to making my own beaded necklace and I'm completely stoked about how it turned out! I just wanted bright, round beads on a leather cord. The design is simple enough but also colorful, so it's the perfect accessory for any neutral summer outfit begging for a splash of color.

And I am so sold on Sculpey's Premo Accents Clay! It's perfect, and they have a great color selection.

The instructions for this DIY are almost identical to Christine's, but a little repetition never hurt anyone.

What you'll need:

Sculpey's Premo Accents clay in 3-4 colors

Greek leather cord, 3 feet (the thinner the better)

Baking sheet

Awl, or something to pierce the beads

 

What to do:

1. Use a quarter of the clay in each color to make large round beads. Use half of a quarter section to make slightly smaller beads. 

2. Knead and play with the clay to soften it up, then start rolling into a ball.

3. Continue rolling until the piece is nice and round.

4. Gently pierce an even hole through the bead. Insert your leather cord through the bead to make sure it will fit. 

5. To make the fastening bead (in bright yellow in my example), use 1/16th of the clay (or half of the amount you used for the smaller beads), and roll into a ball. Pierce a slightly wider hole in the fastening bead and make sure both ends of the leather cord will fit. 

6. Bake all the beads at 275 degrees for 30 minutes per 1/4 inch thickness of the beads. I baked all of mine for 90 minutes and they turned out great. 

7. Let them cool, and then string on the leather cord.