Polymer Clay - Pumpkin Bead

Polymer clay – any brand – orange & green (or colors of your choice)
Liquid polymer clay
Clay knife, or plastic knife
Toothpick or bamboo skewer
Sculpting tool or plastic knife
Eye pins or wire (optional)
Oven for baking – it is recommended to use a clay - only oven (toaster oven). You can also enclose your project inside two baking pans; clamp closed & bake in regular oven. Remove once cooled.

Condition a small amount of each color of clay until soft and pliable by rolling and squeezing in your hands. You will need more orange. Test to see if it cracks when you bend it – that means it needs more conditioning!

Roll out an even log of each color & divide it in half with your knife. Keep dividing it until you have the size you desire. This is the best way to get evenly sized pieces.

Roll the orange clay into a ball & flatten slightly.

Roll one end of the green piece to get a cone shape.

Use your knife or carving tool to make indentations is each orange piece – looks more like a pumpkin now, doesn’t it?

Use your bamboo skewer or toothpick to make a hole in the top of your orange pumpkin – not all the way through!

Place a drop of liquid clay into the hole – a little goes a long way!!! This will adhere during the baking process – it’s not “glue”.

Insert the skinny end of the green clay cones into the hole & bend to resemble a stem. Texture it if desired for realism. Add vines, etc of you like.

Poke a hole or insert eye pin/wire for hanging. NOTE: if using wire – after baking, remove & place a drop or Crazy Glue and reinsert. Clay will not adhere to the metal!

Bake according to the manufacturer’s directions & let cool.

Glaze if desired. I use varathane – found in most hardware stores. For small projects, use the clay manufacturer’s glaze. The bottles are smaller & more affordable!

CREATE something lovely with your beads or set them out as tiny decorations. Great for dollhouses too!