Fimo beads and bits!!

[craftycarrie]

Hi there,

I'm very new to jewellery making and my mind's awash with ideas for cobining my makes with cards and making my own beads.

I buy a certain craft magazine (not sure weather I'm allowed to mention the name but initials are CB!) and they had in the past two issues, fimo bead features.

There was one with a charm bracelet made up of the cutest sparkly muffin/bun fimo beads and the other was fruit!

I'm thinking of having a go as I'd love to do a range of quirky fruit and veg themed sets and progress to other themes whenI'm more confident using fimo.

Does anybody already do this who could offer tips about what tools I'd need and the best colours to buy! I've searched google and there's so many different types. I don't want to go buying everything to find out I can't use it or could make do with finding tools to use already in the house, like kitchen utensils!!

Hope you can help!!

[LC's Beads]

Hi Carrie

I started out using an old rolling pin, old baking sheet and some cheap clay tools.

Now I have a pasta machine, a bead roller (used very little), some proper polymer clay blades and now use two baking sheets - one as a workboard and one for the cooking.

I use a mixture of fimo and sculpey. You only need a few basic colours and then mix. If you look here http://www.polymerclayexpress.com/fimo.html you will see some mixing charts.

It takes a bit of practice but is great fun and very addictive!

[shiner]

My first polymer clay work area was a ceramic tile which can go straight into the oven so you dont have to try to move fiddly bits before they are baked, for my rolling pin I had a short length of 38mm waste pipe and modeling tools were a selection of thin dowel cut into shapes 1 went through a pencil sharpener others were cut across or shaved down to form an edge, and I still use the old dinner knife I got so used to it it is now a part of my tool kit

[RenataHarris]

I like the sound of cupcake ones, i think everyone does fruit

Will try make some fimo pieces tonight as i need to relax just for a couple of hours!! Gonna experiment by rolling two colours together to make patterns

[Recycled Bag Lady]

Don't do clay or beads myself (unless you count playdough!) but found this on Youtube (although you've probably seen it!) :)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=o7W0GPa4DPg

[Rudi]

AAaaa fimo is great stuff!
Ive been using it for years, only just started making decent necklaces and pendants.
Its just fun to play around with to begin with.
You learn as you go, but its pretty simple to use. The one thing i find hard is timing the cooking! Some colours burn quicker and it depends on the thickness of the fimo.
I just use a food tray, a small rolling pin, and stanley knife, bread knife and cocktail sticks!!
Seems to work ok!!
Oh and i occassionaly use cookie cutters, metal ones.
Rudi:D

[shiner]

it took me ages to work a good skinner blend untill I found that fimo classic is much better for blending than the softer grades just have to work it a bit to get it warmed up.

[silvermaid]

I've just bought my first blocks to try it out.
There is a new clay magazine which has tools and clay with each edition.
http://www.create-it-with-clay.com/index.html
It will be for sale in the shops but I never get there before they are sold out so I have subscribed to it. - you also get extra freebies, and at £3.99 I thought it was reasonable.

Melanie

[MuranoSilver]

Thanks for the Create it with Clay mag tip - I just subscribed :)