Tuesday's Toolin Around is a SHAPE UP!

What a day, what a day!
I hope you enjoy this fun, easy project as much as I do.
We're SHAPE'n UP some beads!

Admittedly, I’m a bead junkie… the shinier the better,

BUT, I want my beads to be quilt friendly
and I’m afraid that those big, round, beautiful beads just won’t work.
WHY? Well, I like my quilts to lay flat on the wall,
and a large ‘round’ bead requires space --
space that leaves a bump in what would be a flat space.

Oh, but
big, beautiful and flat on one side can save the day!
Lucky for us, too, that there are loads out there to choose from,
and, even more fun to make.

We start with a package of air-dry clay; a plastic knife; a few rubber stamps; a some small plastic straws/or skewers, and we are off!

cut off some of the air-dry clay;
make sure to bag it back up in a plastic bag

cut small pieces and roll them into balls

now  push the clay into the rubber stamp to pick up the design
and wiggle the straw or skewer through the soon to be bead in your desired location
lastly, just set them to dry
(overnight is best, but baking at 250 degrees can speed up the drying)

once dry you can paint them with acrylic paints or leave them plain

painting the while on straws to hold them upright is helpful