5/14/2019

Simple Directions Of How To Make Paper Beads

By Barbara Hall


Crafting has been a favorite way for people to pass time for as long as history has been recorded. Beading is a timeless craft that can be done using products made of a variety of materials such as crystal, glass, plastic, metal, and stone. Learning how to make paper beads makes doing this type of craft more fun and personalized.

This is not only a really easy craft to do, but it enables one to get a lot of different looks which can be combined in a variety of projects. Cutting papers a certain way can create oval, tubular, or round items in many sizes and thicknesses. Following some simple instructions to build these items, one can construct projects such as earrings, necklaces, bracelets, curtains, purses, and many more.

Gather up scrapbooking sheets, colored papers, magazines, newspapers, or like items in order to create the strips needed to build the different types of bead. To get tubular results use a rectangle, a right triangle for teardrops, and isosceles triangles for rounded ones. Understand that a wider bead will require longer strips and the shape's base will determine the bead's height.

Using a wooden skewer, dowel, or toothpick to determine the diameter of the hole in the bead's center, wrap the wide end of a strip around it until it is completely spiraled. Be careful to wrap the strips as tightly as possible so that they will not come unwound once removed from the pole. A symmetrical look is achieved by keeping the length of the papers centered while wrapping, and allowing it to go askew will render a more freeform shape.

Once tightly and completely wound, add a little tacky glue to the end of each strip and secure it firmly. Leave the bead on the stick and insert it into a block of Styrofoam or florist foam while the adhesive dries. When it has set, one may proceed to the step of adding desired embellishments.

After the glue on the end has dried, it is okay to use markers or paint on the pieces if desired. Wire, thread, or puff paints may be used to create texture, and sparkle may be added with glitter. Before sealing the piece, it is important that the adhesive utilized for the embellishments has completely dried.

There are several mediums that may be used to seal the pieces and render them more durable such as Modge Podge, clear drying glue, Diamond Glaze, marine varnish, clear nail polish, and a water-based wood hardener. The easiest way to do this for most options is to load the baubles onto a piece of wire and fully immerse them into the solution. The piece needs to be completely coated with the medium and left to dry before the next coat is applied.

The multiple layers of sealant will allow the pieces to be durable for a longer length of time. Their range of use is limited only by one's imagination, as they are perfect for something as simple as a string necklace to a project as complex as a handbag. Creatively experimenting with varied combinations of shape and mediums is the only way for someone to determine at best suits their personal tastes.




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