Bangles

bangels

Cover plastic cup (mouth should be wide enough to just fit your hand inside, this creates the template for the bangle) with plastic wrap so that you can remove it easily and have a smooth inner edge.

Pinch off a large chunk of clay. Do this in a base color such as black or white. This will get covered up eventually.Roll the clay into a snake about the diameter of a dime. Make sure it’s long enough to wrap around the widest part of the cup without breaking. If not, add some more clay, and roll again.

Flatten the strip into a thick band (1/4 inch thick) around the cup. This should make the band about an inch wide.Make a polymer bead. Take a few different colors, and roll them into small snakes. Pile them on top of each other in a pattern (blue, green, blue or green, blue, green) with each word representing a snake of color. Then roll them all together gently so you don’t smush the snake, but you also make sure the clay sticks together.

Cut through the snake with a dull knife. You should find a brightly colored, patterned bead. Cut several beads from the snake (the number you will need depends on the size of the bead), and then press them onto the clay band around the cup. If there are little gaps, that’s OK, but fill the band up as well as you can with beads.Place another sheet of plastic wrap over the outside of the bangle, and roll the cup gently along the countertop until the beads have flattened a little and are all pressed together. Gently remove the plastic wrap and the cup. Bake your creation per the instructions of the polymer clay (depends on the brand). Once it cools, you’ve created a hot bracelet.