How to Make Cornstarch Dough Jewelry

Cornstarch dough is nice and smooth, perfect for making beads and pendants for jewelry. The dough is simple to make and shape into any form you want. It gives you the flexibility to design anything your imagination can create. With this dough, you're not limited to the colors, shapes and designs of store-bought beads. First make the dough and form the beads. Then paint them and string them into jewelry.

Things You'll Need

• 1 cup cornstarch 2 cups baking soda 1 1/4 cups water Tempera or acrylic paint Clear acrylic sealer Cord (gimp, leather, waxed linen, cotton or satin)

Instructions

Making the Cornstarch Dough

1. Combine 1 cup of cornstarch, 2 cups of baking soda and 1 1/4 cups of water in a pot.

2. 

   Stir the mixture over low heat and keep stirring until the mixture is the consistency of mashed potatoes. Don't let it burn.

3. Remove the pot from the heat and let it cool slightly. Gather the mixture together with a spoon in a rough sphere.

4. Turn the ball of dough out onto a floured surface. When it has cooled enough to handle, knead until smooth.

Creating Your Beads and Pendants

1. Using your homemade cornstarch dough, shape the dough into beads. Make a hole through each bead with a toothpick. Twist the toothpick around to ensure there will be enough room for your cord to pass through. Hold the bead up to the light and look through the hole to make sure it's a nice, clean hole.

2. Roll out some dough to make your pendant. Use a knife or your fingers to cut out a special shape. You can make hearts, animals, stars or whatever you like. You'll need a hole through the pendant, so use the same toothpick technique described above.

3. Allow the dough to dry. It may take several days. Once it has dried, you can leave the beads their natural color or paint them with tempera or acrylic paints. Be creative. One pretty technique is to swirl two colors together on a single bead.

4. Allow the paint to dry. Coat the beads and pendant with a clear acrylic sealer. The sealer will keep the paint from chipping and give it a nice sheen.

5. String your beads onto your choice of cord. Consider laying your beads out how you want them before you begin stringing. This can save you time in the long run. The pendant should go in the middle, with an equal number of beads on each side. Tie a knot in the ends of the strings or attach jewelry clasps to the ends.