Kiffa Beads
Kiffa beads are named after the city of Kiffa in Mauritania, Africa. The beads are covered with complex red, yellow, blue, and white designs made from powdered glass.
Materials:
Sculpey polymer clay
bamboo skewers
aluminum foil
acrylic paint
string
Video Link:
Directions:
Put aluminum foil down on a table and make sure to keep your clay on it. (Sculpey can mess up tables.)
Roll the clay to make several different shapes and sizes of beads. Kiffa beads can be round, ovals, logs, teardrops or triangles, or even pyramids. Make your beads thinner than half an inch!
Use a skewer to poke a hole all the way through each bead. Leave the beads on the skewer.
Put the aluminum foil on a baking sheet, and put the skewer of beads on top of the foil. Bake the beads for 15-25 minutes at 275° F. (Thicker beads need more time.) Let the beads cool.
Leave one bead on the skewer to make it easier to paint. Use the tip of another skewer to paint tiny lines and designs on your bead. While that bead dries, paint another bead.
When all your beads are dry, put them on a string to hang on the wall or to wear as a necklace.
