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This is what you should have.  The stamp design has been etched into the clay quite deeply.

I have previously marked my clay log into half inch increments and I have sliced them with my tissue blade.  Notice how the blade that I used has left me with a smooth cut between beads and the shape of the beads has been left intact.

This is a needle tool.  This is what I use to make the hole in the center of each bead.  These beads are weighty and bulky so I chose to use a tool that would give me a slightly larger hole to accommodate a heavier cord to string my resulting necklace.

Poke it through your bead with a twisting motion like a drill.  The clay is very dence and you will get a better hole if you twist the needle tool into the bead so that the clay is not pulled out the other end.  Remove the bead from the needle tool and gather up all your beads.

Your beads are now ready to be baked.  You will want your beads to remain as round and full of the stamped design as possible so to prevent shiny spots from forming on the bottom of your beads you will need some polyester batting to cushion your beads while baking.  You can get it at a fabric store.  It is used to stuff pillows.

I am using a pyrex casserole to bake my beads in.  You can also use a ceramic tile to bake your clay on.  I have layed my polyester batting in my casserole dish and I have placed my beads on the polyester batting seperating the beads so they don't touch each other.  If they touch each other they will concequently get baked together and you will have to cut them to separate them.

I have preheated my oven according to the clay manufacturer's instructions.  Since ovens vary in temperature, I place an oven thermometer in my oven to gauge the heat.  Adjust your oven to reflect the difference.  It is important that you do not bake your clay at a higher temperature than the manufacturer of your clay recomends.  An oven that is too hot can inevitably burn your clay and can emit toxic fumes.