Craft Time with Bread Clay Beads and Elmer’s #CBias

Ok, the girls are home from school and keeping them busy is a challenge. My 8 year old insists that we have daily craft time but they get bored doing the same ol’ thing day after day. So, I went on the hunt for something unique and fun. Of course, the first place I headed to was Pinterest and began my search. But, since I wanted to use Elmer’s products, I needed to make a more specific search and headed to Google.

Crafts Made with Glue

I searched through countless pages of images looking for something that would keep the girls’ attention and be fun to put together. I did a search for crafts made with glue and happened upon Martha Stewarts’ site. I glanced over the first few ideas and then found the perfect craft to do with the girls. Bread Clay Beads. Since the girls both like jewelry I thought this would be perfect! I opened a new window and began perusing Amazon looking for the products I would need to make the beads.

I absolutely love shopping online because I can search for exactly what I need… then comparison shop from the comfort of my home. Therefore, I started my search for Elmer’s Craft Bond and Paper Glue and found so many great choices. I had to get the craft glue for the beads but also found some other goodies.

The Elmer’s Squeeze ‘N Brush  brushes looked like so much fun. I had to figure out a way to work them into our beads as well. The directions for the beads included adding drops of paint to add color to the beads. Perfect! I grabbed a 5 pack of the brushes… with glitter.. to add some sparkle to our beads.

Made sure to add some Artistic Wire {which the girls did not even end up using} to the cart and was ready to check out. Using my Prime Membership I was able to expedite the shipping to 2 days for free and then just sit back and wait for Elmer’s products to arrive at my door!

Bread Clay Beads

Once we had all of our needed craft supplies it was time to sit and craft! The girls were super excited and ready to make some cool jewelry.

Supplies

• 3 slices of white bread
• 3 tbsp Elmer’s Craft Bond and Paper Glue
• Drops of Elmer’s Squeeze ‘N Brush paint for color
• Wire, dental floss, yarn, etc for stringing the beads

1. Remove crusts from bread and tear into small pieces.
2. Add glue and mix with your hands into a workable ball.
3. Separate into smaller batches and add drops of Elmer’s Squeeze ‘N Brush for color.
4. Shape beads by hand or by using other supplies on hand.
5. Let beads dry for 1 ½ to 2 hours and then make holes. Depending on size of beads, use wire or straws to form and mold holes. Let them dry overnight and then begin beading the next day.

The girls enjoyed their craft time and liked the creativity they were able to express individually. The beads were super easy to make and I think they will not mind doing this one again. They were no “Martha Stewart” finish but the kids had fun so that was all that mattered. Plus, ordering the Elmer’s supplies was simple and it is always a quick trip to the store for another loaf of bread! Make sure to check out the Google+ albums for more pictures from our craft time!

Disclosure: I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This content has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™. #CBias #SocialFabric