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Beadwork and Jewelry Making
How To Make Paper Beads
Bead making is a timeless art that is easy and fun, but best of
all, anyone can try it. One of the easiest ways to make beads is
to cut, roll, and glue colorful paper. Not only do the beads come
out beautiful, the craft is perfect for using up junk mail or old
magazines.
Materials:
Paper
Scissors
Toothpick
Glue
Materials Information:
Paper
You can use almost any kind of paper to make your beads, but
thicker paper works best. If you want to use a thin or tissue-like
paper, think about using a couple sheets glued together to add
some body. Glossy magazine pages always look fantastic, but you
can also use two different colors of construction paper to create
an interesting bead.
Single, solid colored papers make very boring beads. The more
detail, pattern, and differences in your paper triangle, the more
interesting and patterned your bead will be. When you use two
pieces of paper in different colors, you get a neat spiral effect,
as many of the “step-by-step” pictures show.
Toothpick
You use the toothpick to help you roll the bead into shape and to
help keep a hole open for threading. Toothpicks are perfect for
this task. However, depending on the size hole you need, you can
use anything from a needle to a chopstick to wind the paper
around.
Glue
The glue you use doesn’t need to be fancy or expensive, basic
white glue works, just so long as it dries clear. Any glue that
has a color, or will dry and look cloudy shouldn’t be used. A
little glue will always drip from the sides of the bead, and is
invisible as long as the glue dries clear.
After the bead is rolled, glued, and dried, it’s also smart to use
a thin, even layer of glue to help seal and protect the bead. The
glue seal will help keep the bead waterproof as well as make it
harder to squish. If you want a seal that’s a little nicer or
stronger, you can also use any varnishes, glosses, or sealers made
for general craft purposes.
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Instructions
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