Paper Beads- Part 3!!!

I know I have been really bad about the blogging this week. 
Life happens. Work, kids, community group, practice for 
Good Friday and Easter services. But I am feeling in the 
mood for some paper bead making. As stated previously it 
is very relaxing for me. AND I bought a Easter dress for
the first time in years and I thought, I need to make
some accessories to go with.



My dress is white with blue flowers. So I picked a blue 
polka dotted paper. It will not look like polka dots
once I cut, roll and make the beads. It will just look
like white and blue beads. Maybe I will make a necklace
and earrings too. I haven't decided yet. So Here we go.

I really like a smaller bead and so today I decided to
actually make a bracelet out of one of the smaller beads
that I have made. I just used a ruler today instead of 
a template. Small triangles are what I will used today.
Because I know about how many beads I will need to make
a bracelet for myself I just made 10 triangles.
I also decided to make some earrings. I have a plan to
do a blog about how to make earrings. So I will just
show the earrings in the pics. But I also made 2 beads 
for the earrings.


I rolled the beads on my roller as shown in my paper beads
part 2. Then I coated them with 2 coats of regular Mod Podge
and 1 coat of out door water proof Mod Podge. I allowed 

about 15 minutes of drying time between each coat.




Once everything is dry it is time to string your beads. I use
stretchy cord and because the glass beads I will be stringing
between each paper bead are bigger, I will use a thicker 
stretch cord. I cut about 12-14" of cord and I put a piece
of tape on the end to hold the beads while I am stringing 
them. I alternate stringing a glass bead and a paper bead 
until I reach the desired length.

Then I cut the tape part off 
and I use a square knot to tie the bracelet off. This part 
can be a little tricky trying to get the beads as close as 
possible in the knot without the beads getting crossed. 
Once you get the knot tied it is good to knot it a few times 
for good measure. Then cut the little ends and pull the 
little ends left into a bead to hide the knot.

I was very pleased at how these turned out. I love how you 
can turn paper into an accessory and it is so fun.

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!!

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!!