Air dry clay designs

So, in case you didn't know my big dream is to get my own kiln one day and work in pottery/ceramics. I absolutely love ceramic beads and pendants. That's the main reason I started working in polymer clay...it was the closest thing to pottery I could find. It's fairly easy to re-create the look of ceramic with polymer clay. Sometimes I think p/c may be easier to work with than clay. However, the earthy feel of working in clay can never be replaced. On my quest to work with earthen clay I have delved into the world of air dry clay (which is simply clay that doesn't have to be fired in a kiln). I really love working with the a/d clay as anything that can be created with fired clay can be done with a/d clay. Only problem is that it is not near as stable and strong as kiln fired clay. It's great for making beads and pendants as long as you make sure and seal it with a varnish or sealer. My next project is to take some of my pieces to a ceramic studio and have them fired (this gets a bit pricey when you only have a small amount to fire so I'm waiting until I get a large batch ready before I take them in).