Paper beads are made by winding a strip of paper around a solid core, like a toothpick or thin knitting needle, or around a drinking straw, usually the bar kind. You can use regular drinking straws and even the big, super size drink straws if you like, but the resulting beads has a large hole, suitable for stringing on a leather thong or large macrame string.
Cut the paper in strips with the width of the bead you want. If you are using straws as the center, cut a section the same width as the paper strip. Some people like to anchor the interior layers to themselves or the straw center, but I have not found that necessary. Wind the paper on the straw or roller, and use a glue stick to anchor the outer end. Remove the beads from the roller. Set aside. Repeat. You can then paint, carve, or otherwise modify the paper beads, and/or use a clear coat spray finish to get a shine on the surface.
Paper of normal weight can be used to make really nice beads. Originally limited to colored magazine and catalog pages, now there are many papers available to make really interesting paper beads. Origami paper and wrapping paper can be used to make paper beads. Like the magazine paper, wrapping paper is a little light-weight for this purpose, but the waxed, colorful surface makes the extra care required worth the effort to use this paper when making paper beads.
White-heart beads are one of the most loved of the African trade beads. You can make your own white heart beads by using a strip of white copier or printer paper as the first strip, and then add a colored strip on top. The white will show on the edges, just like a white heart trade bead.
Quilling paper is a great way to make really uniform beads, as long as your only want beads in the sizes quilling paper comes in. Better yet, the thinner quilling paper is ready-made solid color stripes for beads made from other papers, like white stripes on a wrapping paper bead.
The advent of scrap-booking has brought a whole new world of papers that can be used to make paper beads. These beads are made from scrap-booking papers. Added to plastic beads, the resulting necklace is light-weight paper bead jewelry.
Approximately half of the beads below are made from business envelopes with patterned interiors. Watch your bills and other business mail for envelopes with interesting privacy printed insides, and see what you can make from them.
Heavier papers, like some scrap-booking papers and construction paper can be used to make paper beads, as long as you encourage it to curl by pulling it along a scissor blade first. This will impart a curling tendency you can use to encourage the paper strip into a bead form.
You may find paper beads for sale from time to time. They are often a money-making effort by under-privileged groups who recycle paper that would otherwise be thrown away. If you do not want to make your own paper beads, consider buying African paper beads and beads from these groups to support their efforts to become self sustaining.
As you travel through life, look for paper that can be turned into beads, and now you know how to make paper beads from them. The resulting jewelry can be colorful or made to match any outfit, or be the jewelry you wear when you are feeling young and carefree.
The photos in this post are by the author.
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