‘There’s No Mistakes’ Making Custom Beads And Charms
Laurie Lynne, owner of Laurie Lynne’s Jewelry and Creative Girl Studios, taught the C.H. Booth Library’s “Make Clay Beads and Charms” class in the Meeting Room on March 25.
The program was available for grades six through twelve and gave students the opportunity to learn the basics of creating customized beads and charms from polymer clay.
Ms Lynne has been designing her own jewelry since she was a teenager going to craft shows, and she went to school to study pottery. Today, she offers her services through workshop programs for children and adults.
During “Make Clay Beads and Charms,” she supplied the young adults in attendance with a wide assortment of nontoxic colored clay that ranged from calm earth tones to bright hues with sparkles.
For their first project, each student selected three colors and rolled them individually into spheres, then snakes.
Ms Lynne walked them through a series of steps to help the colors twist together smoothly in a fun design.
She encouraged the participants throughout the class, saying, “There’s no mistakes. You can have your own style and be different.”
For those seeking guidance, Ms Lynne taught tips and tricks for how to get the desired result, like using a small drill bit piece to create the hole for a necklace.
“I can pretty much fix anything… unless you throw it out the window,” she assured.
While everyone crafted their pieces, Ms Lynne educated the class about the difference between a bead — a ball-shaped piece of jewelry — and a charm — a flattened bead that hangs like a pendant — as well as the history of Persian glass beads.
Students were able to take home their finished beads, charms, and rings that were baked in the Meeting Room’s oven. They were also given baggies to take home the remaining projects and instructions on how to finish baking them at home.
For more information about Laurie Lynne’s businesses, Creative Girl Studios and Laurie Lynne Jewelry, visit [naviga:u]creativegirlstudios.com[/naviga:u] and [naviga:u]laurielynnesjewelry.com[/naviga:u] or call 203-676-3659.