If you have been making jewelry for awhile, you probably have a place (or two) where you enjoy working on your art. I have a few places to make jewelry that are designated for certain types of jewelry making.

For example, I do beading and wire work in my studio (which is a spare bedroom), and I do soldering or metal fabrication out in my garage. Polymer clay is also a medium that requires some thought when you need to create a place to work on it since you should use the tools just for this clay and also will need to fire it as well.

Tools
Many of the tools and supplies you will need can be found in your kitchen such as a cutting board, knife, and rolling pin. However, remember that if you use a utensil for clay you can no longer use it for food. So, make sure you keep your clay equipment separate from your food equipment. (For more details about the supplies you need to start working with polymer clay, refer to Get Started: Polymer Clay.)

Space
You’ll need an area to work in so you can roll out your clay. Once you get really into polymer clay, you’ll probably want to invest in a pasta machine. However, in the beginning you can put the clay between two pieces of wax paper and roll it flat with a rolling pin. So far, I’ve found the kitchen counter works best for me when rolling out the clay. However, be careful not to place food on the same counter area as your clay. A bathroom is another option since it has clean counter space.

Once you roll out your clay, you need a surface to cut, shape, and form your clay. I use a cutting board and craft knife that I bought at the dollar store.

Baking
After you have assembled your clay creation, you will need to bake it in an oven. Purchasing a small toaster oven that you will use exclusively for polymer clay is a good option, and they are pretty inexpensive these days. You may even be able to find out at a thrift store.

Finally, if you want to put some sort of protective coating on your clay to protect it, such as lacquer, you’ll want to have some ventilation in the room. You’ll also want to make sure you have a place the pieces can safely dry without being disturbed.

Though the variety of jewelry projects abound, your clay setup with basically be the same.