Bread-Clay Beads

There's no finer jewelry for summer than a string of colorful beads. When you make the beads yourself, they're sure to look especially pretty. A mixture of white bread, glue, and a few drops of lemon juice makes a perfect clay that can be colored with acrylic or tempera paint mixed right in. We used mini cutters and drinking straws to cut out some beads and shaped others with our fingers. Since the beads are air-dried, not baked, there's no oven heat to contend with on hot days. String finished beads with beading wire, waxed twine, or dental floss.