Paper Beads Part 1

   IT WAS APPROXIMATELY 6 MONTHS AGO THAT I RECEIVED MY PAPER BEADS KIT IN THE MAIL THAT I HAD ORDERED FROM KLUTZ.COM. YES THE PACKAGING STATES FOR AGES 8 AND UP. I WOULD BE THE AND UP. I AM IN LOVE WITH KLUTZ. SO MUCH THAT I HAVE JUST DECIDED AT SOME POINT I WILL DO A BLOG ABOUT THEM. FOR NOW BACK TO THE PAPER BEADS. THE KIT WAS LOADED WITH 22 DIFFERENT COLORS AND DESIGNS!! I WAS LIKE A KID IN A CANDY SHOP!!

     ONE THING YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ME AND ALWAYS KEEP THIS IN MIND, IS I JUST CAN'T SEEM TO FOLLOW A RECIPE, PATTERN, INSTRUCTIONS, ETC TO THE LETTER. I HAVE TO MAKE IT MY OWN AND AS SOON AS I SAW THIS BOOK MY MIND STARTED RACING. I HAVE ENOUGH PAPER OF MY OWN TO CHOKE A HORSE AND I WAS PSYCHED!! WHILE I DID USE THE MAJORITY OF THE PAPER THAT CAME IN THE KIT (FOR CHRISTMAS GIFTS), I IMMEDIATELY STARTED MAKING MY OWN BEADS OUT OF MY OWN PAPER. THE KIT INSTRUCTIONS WERE BASIC SO OF COURSE I HAD TO BUMP IT UP A NOTCH.   

ONCE I GOT CREATING IT BECAME QUITE ADDICTIVE FOR ME. I WAS TALKING TO A SALES ASSOCIATE AT THE CRAFT STORE AND SHE FELT IT WAS TOO TIME CONSUMING THE AMOUNT OF WORK IT TOOK. BUT I FIND IT TO CALM ME AND BE QUITE ENJOYABLE. 

    WHEN I SAY BUMP IT UP I MEAN PRETTY MUCH EVERY ASPECT. FIRST, I STARTED TO RESEARCH EVERY WATER BASED SEALER TO FIND THE BEST ONE. IT BECAME IMMEDIATELY APPARENT THAT THE KIT CAME WITH SOMETHING SIMILAR TO MOD PODGE. SO I BOUGHT A HUGE BOTTLE OF MOD PODGE BUT THE KIND THAT WOULD MAKE MY BEADS GLOSSY. BUT THEN MULTIPLE PEOPLE BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION THAT MY BEADS WERE NOT WATER PROOF!! SO I DID SOME MORE RESEARCH AND LOW AND BEHOLD MOD PODGE MAKES A WATERPROOF SEALER!! 
   THE KLUTZ KIT CAME WITH LARGER GLASS BEADS TO USE IN YOUR BRACELETS AND NECKLACES. WHILE I DO HAVE THE SAME EXACT SIZE BEADS AND I LOVE TO USE THE LARGER BEADS BECAUSE IT MAKES THE BRACELET COME TOGETHER FASTER, I DECIDED TO GET OUT THE SEED BEADS. I FOUND BOTH PRODUCE A GREAT LOOK.
    THE KLUTZ KIT CAME WITH A FAIRLY LARGE SIZE OF STRETCHY CORD BUT YOUR LOCAL CRAFT STORE WILL HAVE SO MANY KINDS AND GAUGES OF STRETCH CORD YOU WILL HAVE A HARD TIME DECIDING. I WENT WITH A LARGER GAUGE FOR THE BIGGER GLASS BEADS AND A SMALLER GAUGE FOR THE SEED BEADS. 

    THEN IT OCCURRED TO ME THAT I COULD MAKE EARRINGS!! LIKE I SAID WHEN I GET GOING, I GO. SO I BOUGHT EARRING HOOPS THAT ATTACH TO HEADPINS. (YOU NEED JEWELRY MAKING TOOLS TO MAKE THE EARRINGS. I WILL COVER THIS IN ANOTHER POST). AND AFTER WATCHING A FEW YOU TUBE VIDEOS AND A LOT OF PRACTICE I WAS ABLE TO CREATE SOME CUTE EARRINGS!

  COULD I STOP WITH BRACELETS AND EARRINGS? OF COURSE NOT. SO I DECIDED TO CREATE SOME RINGS AS WELL AND THEY ARE THE EASIEST AND FASTEST TO MAKE! SO MANY OPTIONS!!

IN MY FUTURE BLOGS I WILL GUIDE YOU THROUGH THE PROCESS OF MAKING PAPER BEADS AND ALL THE SUPPLIES AND TOOLS YOU WILL NEED. THE SKIES THE LIMIT WITH THIS FUN AND EASY CRAFT!!