Polymer Clay Central has announced their April 2007 Challenge theme: Textured Beads. Here's some sites to help you on your way:

Info on Texture & Beads

• Polymer Clay Web's Texturizers and Stamps has info on how to texture -- and it includes a nice list of texture ideas.
• Also check out Sarajane Helm's Textured Beads primer. I especially like the info on making and using two-part molds.
• As always, Glass Attic is an exhaustive (sometimes literally!) source of info on clay-related topics. Check out the Beads page for some texture ideas.
• While I haven't read it yet, the newly released Making Polymer Clay Beads book by Carol Blackburn looks to be a great source of inspiration. Check out Leigh Ross's review here.

Related Tutorials

• Silastone's Bubble Beads Tutorial creates gorgeous beads. She smoothed her beads out, but you could try leaving them un-smoothed if you wanted a different look with a little more texture. While you're at Silastone's blog, check out her tutorials on bumpy beads, evergreen Kissing Balls, and polymer clay raku. Lots of texture ideas!
• Sculpey's Fiorato Pendant Bead tutorial shows how to use tinted TLS on a baked polymer clay bead base to achieve a fiorato bead.
• While this isn't exactly the season for the Glow in the Dark Ghost Necklace, I like Sculpey's instructions on creating a textured tube bead.
• Polymer Clay Central offers this tutorial for textured Hollow Tube Beads. This technique is a little different -- it involves texturing the flat sheet, then making it into a bead. And the tube caps give it a nice finish.
• Finally, don't forget that many faux techniques include interesting texture ideas. Try Joann's tutorial on Making Faux Turquoise and Coral beads.

Mail your entries in by April 15, 2007, for a chance to win one of three prizes. Good luck!