Paper Bead Making

Cheerio box beads

Making Paper Beads from music manuscript and cereal box

Last Night I splashed out buying gold and silver wire and gemstones online a real treat to play with when they arrive in post.

I intend to make gold and silver tree of life pendants with birth gemstones. I bought a new hammer and  pliers coated to protect wire.It feels like xmas and I will spend too many hours playing with them when they arrive.

In contrast today after work and chores I have been making beads out of paper. Big colourful beads from cheerios cereal box,and slim beads from an  old  music manuscript. Soon I can have fun  letting my imagination run and create some necklaces earrings and bracelet.

The fun is mixing the beads with other beads with endless variations.I do not have a theme this time so I am not sure what they will end up as.  I will post some photos when I am finished.

It is easy to make paper beads but time consuming and they need endless coats of varnish.There are lots of tutorials on line. However you basically cut long triangles  from the paper (marking every inch or 1/2 inch) and roll on a cocktail stick, fixing the ends with glue stick prior to varnishing.My husband came up with the idea of using the potato to hold the beads while they dry. Whilst I am always buying tools  I use household objects where I can.I us a small bottle as a mandrel for wire work and love the potato hedgehog too.