I know this is crazy…but really. Studs were the death of me when making earrings. I am not sure how other makers feel, what their strengths and weaknesses are, but for me? It’s definitely studs. Making studs is not my weakness, but it was the hardest for me to make. And the most time consuming for me. As for weakness and strength, we will save that for another day. 

Let me tell you why I despised making studs. I still kind of do, but I am slowly learning to appreciate them as I am getting a hold of the making process. Plus, they are simple and fun. You could also do a lot of things with studs. In fact, I still need to experience more. 

When I first launched my Facebook page and went live to sell my products for the first time, I had a lot of inquiry for studs. Every time I made studs in the past, the metal posts would always come off after a few wears. I didn’t understand what I was doing wrong. I felt like I did everything right. I even followed YouTube channels (i.e Fern&Mitch Handmade) on how to properly make studs with polymer clay.

Every method was either a failure or not what I liked. So, I didn’t put out any studs. I believe a lot of customers were somewhat disappointed. I was too. I want my customers to feel valued and to be heard; therefore, I did more test trials and finally figured it out. And now, I am glad to say I can sell studs for those who want studs. 

Here is a tip if you struggle like I did: you can glue your post to your baked clay. Put a generous amount of Sculpey Bake and Bond on and bake for 30 min. My issue was not putting enough of the bake and bond per test trial (and I guess not paying close attention to the tutorials). So do not be stingy with it.

All it really takes is perseverance and the drive to do better. Even now, I am still hitting curve balls, but I am not stopping. I hope you continue to grow and thrive too. 

Thank you for being here. Take care!