Saturday, April 2, 2011

Paper Beads - Part 2

  Two weeks ago I gave a brief introduction to paper beads and am extremely sorry I did not get this out last week. I had a major allergic reaction from the walls being open at our hospital and I lost my voice for 4 days!! But back to life and today's topic Paper Beads and how this craft has endless possibilities. Once you purchase a few items the skies the limit and you will find yourself loosing all track of time.

List of items needed to get started:
- Paper- the smaller the design on the paper often the better.
              But this all depends on what you are wanting to do.
              It is fun to see what you can get from different styles.
- Some type of sealer- I use regular Mod Podge Gloss-Lustre for a  
              few coats and then the last coat I use Mod Podge Outdoor
              to make it water proof.
- Paper Roller- there are a lot of options out there for rollers. Mine
              came with my kit from Klutz and you can order
              replacement rollers there. I recently found a wonderful
              crafter named  Jenny and she has come up with a                              
              beautiful selection of handmade rollers I will talk
              more about her rollers when I get to that part of the instructions!!
- Various Sizes of  Paint brushes
-  Tooth Picks
-  Ruler
-  Pencil
-  Small piece of styrofoam or foam board - this will be to put your          
              beads on their tooth picks to dry.  
- Old Wet Wash Cloth- I have a wash cloth that is specifically for
              when I make paper beads. Your fingers will get mod podge
               on them and it is nice to have something near by to clean
               your fingers.







Let's Begin!!
First you will need some Templates. You can use a card stock to draw out pieces that you will use to trace. There are templates on the web that I have found. Or you can use a ruler and draw out your lines. I often do both. The size and shape of your beads all depends on you and what you like.









I have found there are a few styles I like. First is a little bead and it comes from a strip of paper that is 1/4" wide and approx. 5-7" long. This style is easiest to make with a ruler and you don't have to do a 1/4" you can make it as wide as you want. I also have a bead that is 1/2".










The next shape I am very found of is a long triangular piece. I have a template for this one, as shown above, but once again you can use a ruler as well. You can make any number of different triangle sizes! With my triangle beads I roll the strip right down the center and this is wonderful for showing different colors and designs on the paper. I have also rolled the strip down the side which makes a more cone like shape! I love this one for earrings!










I have not done a circular bead but I have seen them. There are also hour glass shaped templates I have found on the web!


Once you have chosen what type of shape you would like and have cut out your papers you will need your roller!
The roller: The roller is a tool that has a metal pin piece that you slide the paper between to roll it. I recently found a wonderful artist named Jenn and she decided to come up with her own rollers and OH MY!! They are unbelievably beautiful!! She has several color patterns to choose from and truth be told I like her roller design so much better than my little Klutz roller. Her metal pin design is longer allowing for a wider bead and her handle is longer giving you more to hold onto. The only problem with her Roller? Deciding which one you want!! I LOVE them all!!



   Visit Jenn's Blog at justjenndesignz.blogspot.com
Or you can type paper roller into the Ebay
search engine. BUT you will get a much
better deal at her blog site. She
includes instructions for making paper
beads with your purchase.                            
                            




Rolling Your Bead
Now you choose the paper bead you want to make and you slide the paper into the roller.

You will slide the paper as close to the edge as you can get and then you start rolling. If you are doing a triangular piece as shown in the pic, you decide are you going to roll right down the center or make it cone shaped and then
you roll the edge all to one side. If you are rolling a straight edge such as the 1/4" or 1/2" the goal is to roll as evenly as possible making the edge as straight and even as possible. This will take some practice but you will
get better at it the more you make them.

                               Time to glue!! Some instructions I have read say to glue the entire strip as you go. I like to glue the last inch or so because it allows you to adjust your bead if it is not even. This is really your preference. You are going to Mod Podge the bead with several coats so it will be secure.

At this point I like to hold the end in place for a few seconds to allow it to start to adhere and make a seal.

Now you will slide your bead off the roller and use a toothpick to open up the middle of your bead.
The roller makes the paper fold in the middle the toothpick makes it hollow in the middle.

Almost done!! Last you will evenly coat the bead with the Mod Podge Luster. I bought a pack of a variety
of size paint brushes and I like to use a brush that matches the size of my bead.


Now you are ready to put your toothpick in styrofoam or a foam board for drying. I like to do 2 coats of
the Mod Podge Luster and then One coat of the Mod Podge Out Door to make it waterproof.
The packaging suggests allowing 15-20 minutes of drying time between each coat and the Out Door will
take a little longer to dry.


Note if you are doing an 1/4" or 1/2" bead you need to coat the ends with at least one coat.

There you have it!! If you really get into making these fun beads, you will develop a process and you can
really crank them out. I made a huge basket full of earrings and bracelets for Christmas Gifts. What I love most about this craft is you can recycle and reuse your old scrapbook paper OR you can get out a white sheet of paper and make your own design. 
Let's get rolling!!!! I want to see your beads. I want to hear your ideas!!

1 comment:

Kelli Young said...

Loved your posting! The pictures were a nice touch in helping to understand the steps. Makes me want to see if I can try my own hand at these beautiful bracelets...not that I don't enjoy wearing the ones you made me!
Kelli