In the picture of the three blue beads, the bead on the bottom is actually the glass bead after which I modeled this technique. The two blue beads on the top are the resulting polymer clay beads.


In the process of making these you will learn how to marbelize clay of different colors to make a base bead color. Then you will learn how to make a multi-colored layered snake. Next you will learn how to manipulate the clay into a very simple cane, and how to use pieces of the cane to shape the confetti beads.


Bonus techniques include two ways to roll and shape beads, plus a way to make a sheet of the caned clay to make a cabochon that will coordinate with your beads. This tutorial is great for a novice clayer as it requires no pasta machine and very few tools, and it is very forgiving in that there is not much precision required for any of the steps.


My favorite thing about this technique is that I can use it to replicate certain glass bead looks for a low cost AND a very light-weight piece of finished jewelry.


As you can see, I have made these beads using a wide range of colors. The key is to make sure that you have dark, medium and light colors so there will be contrast. Also notice that some of mine have a color that really provides some punch, while others are more subdued. It's up to you so have fun experimenting!