You can use different materials to make these beads as fancy as you'd like.  We used some glossy paper that I had on hand.  Think about using scrapbook paper rolled up and finished with a clear lacquer and then mixed with glass beads for a funky bracelet or bookmark.  Maybe I should try that...

Supplies:

junk mail (magazine paper, brochures, etc...)
toothpicks (we couldn't find ours so we used matches)
Elmer's glue
scissors
string

1. Pick out your paper. We used  paper cut from one of those playground brochures.

2. Get your stick.

3. Cut your paper into triangles. The longer the triangles, the thicker the bead. Experiment with the size you like best. Then, starting with the largest side, start rolling them (right side down) onto the stick.

4. When you get to the end, put some glue along the tip and then keep rolling. You want to have a little excess so you can roll it across the rest of the bead. Your fingers will get a little messy---that's what crafting is all about! Using Mod Podge would be a better option if you're making beads for more than just play.

5.  Here are some of our finished beads. You can then string them onto string, yarn, or beading cord. We just used some old crochet thread I had lying around (turquoise/silver...oooh la la). The girls loved them!

Well, hello there, readers! It's a pleasure to see you on this fiiiine summer day. I'm really excited to be a Guest Blogger here for Christy and I hope you're excited, too!

First off, allow me to introduce myself. I'm Jessica from Frosted Treats. I specialize in all sorts of crafts -- from scrapping, to sewing, to sculpting, and beyond. I'm from the great state of New Jersey and I blog about and (attempt to) sell my creations to support my crafting habit.

While I have been a sorta-crafter most of my life, my jump to becoming a craft-blogger started about a year ago when I got hooked on sculpting with Polymer Clay (PC). I spotted some ADORABLE mini cupcake charm necklaces and I had to know how to make them for myself! I got to work searching for tips, tricks, techniques and tutorials on how to make all sorts of goodies and here I am today.

Sculpting with PC requires patience, persistence, and a steady hand. Today I'll be walking you through a project that's a great way to get started on your PC hobby (addiction). Let's take a look at a cute lil strawberry charm.

Let's gather our supplies. Polymer clay comes in many brands, all of which have their ups and downs. I use Sculpey III as it's inexpensive and it comes in a multitude of colors.

I have Red Hot Red (583) and Leaf Green (322) for this project. PC normally costs about $1-3 per brick, depending on the brand. Sculpey is the least expensive. I also gathered a thick needle, an eye pin, a tooth pick, and a paint brush with a rounded bottom. Make sure your work surface is clean and flat. I use a plate of glass salvaged from an old cabinet for my work surface. Also, make sure your hands are CLEAN. I keep baby wipes on hand for a quick clean between colors. Clean your hands and tools whenever you switch from one color to another.

Also, I invested in some Translucent Liquid Sculpey (TLS).

This will be the most expensive part of your PC habit. It runs about $7-8 and can be found in most stores that carry PC. It's an invaluable tool, trust me. This stuff is what keeps your pieces together so that you won't have to smush them all together and have your colors mix. A dab'll do ya, so this bottle lasts.

Now that we have our tools, let's get busy!

Shape your red piece into a sort of bullet shape. Blunt, rounded bottom with a wider top that's flat-ish. A strawberry shape.

Take your needle and make little indents to be your "seed" designs. I usually put my marks in a sort-of "checker board" pattern and space them out around the whole berry. Set your berry down and grab the green.

Now take your green and cut it into 4 equal-ish portions. The leaves don't need to be completely uniform.

Take one green portion and shape it into a little pellet.

Flatten your piece between your fingers.

Pinch the ends a bit to give it a nice leafy-shape.

Grab your needle again and scour in some leaf marks. Make one long stroke down the middle and then some marks fanning out. Go through this process again for all of your leaves. Set them aside for now.

Take your paint brush bottom and poke an indent into the top of your berry. Round it out and make it look nice and natural. Your leaves will be sprouting out from this indent.

Using your toothpick, drip a bit of your TLS into this indent.

Dab some TLS on the backs of your leaves, also.

Start placing your leaves on your berry, but be careful not to smush them down too much and distort your markings. The TLS will act as glue once the clay is baked.

Here's my berry! Now to turn it into something you could hang from a necklace or bracelet.

Cut your eye pin down so that it's small enough to fit into your berry without poking through the sides.

I usually bend the end of my eye pin at a 45* angle so that it won't pull out of the berry while it's in use.

Stick your eye pin into the top of your berry and push it all the way down.

Another way I keep my pins from pulling out is to dab a little TLS around where the pin meets the berry. This will turn clear when it's baked and will again act as glue.

And there you have it! Take a look at the packaging of the PC to see how long to bake your piece for. Normally its 275* for 15mins/per 1/4 inch of thickness. Be sure not to over bake your piece, it will burn and discolor!

I hope you've enjoyed this tutorial! I hope this little project will help you dive into the fun of sculpting with Polymer Clay! Please post photos of your creations, I'd love to see them!

I shamelessly stole this idea from Crafterella. She made some to use as tags on her etsy shop items and I loved them! I asked her how to make them and if I could share the tutorial with all of you.

I decided to make these charms to put on some friendship bracelets I'm planning on handing out at BlogHer. Will you be there? Do you want a bracelet? I'm hoping to have about 100 to give away. We'll see how long my hands hold up.

Supplies:

• Shrinky dink plastic
• inkjet printer
• paper punches

The first thing I did was put my logo in a word processing document and made it the size I wanted (just over 1 1/2"). I repeated the design as many times as I could over the page.

You'll also want your picture to be reversed. I did this by going into the tools section and choosing "rotate". One of the choices is flip horizontally. That's what you want to do.

Before you print, change the properties on your printer. You want to use the "draft" option. It uses less ink and will prevent smudging.

Be sure to print on the "fuzzy" side of the plastic.

Next you'll want to punch out your circles. I used a 1 3/4" circle punch. Then I used a 1/16th" punch for the small hole on top.

Follow the instructions on the shrinky dink package for baking. Mine went into a 325 degree oven for about 90 seconds.

Here you can see a before and after. They shrink up rather nicely and ended up being about the size of a thumbnail.

I really love the way they turned out and I can't wait to pass out the bracelets at BlogHer!

Hope to see you there!

I was inspired to make a pendant using hodgepodge hardware from Stampin' UP after seeing such great pendants popping up all over the place. I didn't really know what I was doing and I was winging it. Considering my lack of plan, I think it turned out really well.

Supplies used:

2 pieces oval hodgepodge hardware in silver
2 brads from the hodgepodge hardware were also used to hold it together while it dried
small scrap of double sided designer paper
chipboard heart
classic ink (color rose red)
crystal effects
marker

The great thing about this kind of pendant is that they should really be designed to be one of a kind. So, think of these instructions as a guide to help you create a pendant that is perfect for you!

The first thing you'll want to do is cut your paper to fit inside the hardware. You can embellish it however you please. This would be really cute as an initial pendant, too. I chose a chipboard heart. I used my stamp ink to color it red and then adhered it to the paper using crystal effects.

At this time, I sandwiched the paper in between the hardware and began filling the oval (with the chipboard heart) with crystal effects. If you do this slowly, it will pool and make a glassy smooth finish. To hold the pieces of hardware together, I put two brads in the holes.

Set it aside to dry.

The next day I worked on the reverse side. This can be a truly reversible pendant and that is why I chose double sided paper. I only had to use one small scrap to make this. I took a marker and wrote the word "Love" on the back. I then did the same thing with the crystal effects as the other side and filled in the oval. I set that aside to dry.

This is a fun project to let your creativity run wild. Turn your hardware the other way and add beads to the bottom to have a dangling pendant. Use the square hardware for a completely different look. Instead of adding a chain, use your beading skills and make your own necklace to match.

Inspired to make your own? Share pictures of your finished project here.

In a video tutorial that should have taken less than a minute, I spend five minutes going on and on about friendship bracelets. Sometimes I can't help myself. Just like I can't help myself from making more and more of these bracelets. Warning: addicting!

Share your finished friendship bracelet pictures at my flickr group.