Paper Beads Tutorial

Paper beads are actually very easy to make. You can make them from any kind of paper, cardstock, patterned paper, even construction paper. If you are going to use them on a scrapbook page, you will want to be sure that your paper is acid free. For the card yesterday, I used a paper bead as the butterfly's body.

1. Measure the width that you need for your project. For the butterfly's body, I needed a bead that was 1" long. For this bead, I used Midnight Muse cardstock. Cut out a triangle with the width being the distance that you need, in this case 1."

2. If you are working with cardstock, you will need to work it a bit to get the cardstock more pliable. If you are using a lighter weight paper, this may not be necessary. Simply work it back and forth in your fingers, rolling it gently until the paper will roll easily.

3. Roll the paper, starting with the wide end, around a toothpick. If you want larger beads, you can roll it around a pencil or a straw. I had my second graders do this to make "spirit" necklaces every year. Make a couple of rolls with the cardstock.

4. Pour a liquid glue, such as a school glue, down the center of the triangle to near the tip. Continue rolling until you have rolled it completely. Hold it together for 30 seconds or so until it sticks.

5. When it is dry, slide it off of the toothpick. Make more beads if you need them for your project.

6. For a nice shiny coating, like I have here, cover it with SU! Crystal Effects(#101055). This will give it a firm coating as well as a shiny look.

If you have your  project ready, you can go ahead and place it onto the butterfly (or whatever project you are doing) while the Crystal Effects is still wet. It will then stick to your project without needing any additional adhesive. Be sure that you give the bead plenty of time to dry(overnight) before you put anything on top of it or inside anything. If it is not dry, it will stick to whatever it touches.

Paper beads can be used on many projects. It makes a great butterfly body, can be used to dangle from a border or make a necklace. Use your imagination! I'm sure you can find many other ways to use these.