My first attempt at polymer clay beads

I had lots of painted clay left over after cutting out the stars in the post below.
I think I cut out some 20 stars, amazing how much clay is left over between the pieces.A friend, left me some metallic purple polymer clay to do what I wished with. I added it to the left over black painted clay, and rolled it out. Decided to cut up the clay to mix up the purple and black more, then rolled it out again. Rolled bits of clay into small black beads for an upcoming project. Pierced holes with a bamboo skewer and baked per package instructions. Had a difficult time having the beads keep their round shape while piercing a hole through them. Any hints? Remember, I'm a newbie at playing with polymer clay!