DOUGH BEAD JEWELRY

Materials Needed

Salt dough (flour, salt, water) Poster paint Paint brushes Palette Scissors Strings Drinking straws Plastic beads (optional) Paper clips or pipe cleaner (optional) Wood varnish (optional)

Safety Guidelines

• Always let your child use child-safe scissors.
• Varnishing should only done by an adult and should be done outdoors.
• Watch out for this sign . It means you need an adult's help for the particular step.

Steps

	1.	Prepare uncolored salt dough.
	2.	Shape the dough into round, cube, star, heart or other shapes. You can also make abstract or random shapes.
	3.	Use the tip of a paint brush or pencil to make a hole through the center of each shape.
	4.	If you want to turn the bead into a pendant, make a link by inserting a paper clip or a pipe cleaner inside the dough bead.
	5.	Let the dough beads dry overnight.
	6.	Once the beads are dry, paint them as you please. You can use solid colors or you can make stripes, dots or abstract patterns.
	7.	Let the paint dry thoroughly. If you want your salt dough beads to last for a long time, ask an adult to varnish them for you.
	8.	Cut strings long enough to make your desired jewelry. Make a knot on one end of the string.
	9.	String the painted dough beads with drinking straw pieces and plastic beads.
	10.	If you're using an elastic string like this one, you can tie the ends together before wearing the jewelry.
	11.	Wear your dough bead jewelry.
	12.	Try experimenting with different styles of jewelry. Remember the pendant we made in Step 4? Use it to make a really pretty necklace.

More Ideas

These colorful dough beads can be used in other craft projects as well. String them together to make this beaded wind chime. Click here for the beaded wind chimes craft.