homemade beads

whoa so i saw this website (dont knwo whether i go tthe link here or from searching) and it has directions on making beads from paper as a way of recycling...so i have just started doing that for my hemp and it is pretty cool...they get jsut as hard as other beads......i will post a link and maybe some pics here later. peace.

 

this is the first one i have painted....i need to learn to make it smoother.

 

Cool idea, do you have the link still?

 

is that via pva glu and strips of paper? then you cover the strips in pva roll them around a pen or a pin or something and slide them off to dry?

 

are they water proof? and what do you put on them?

 

You take long strips of paper and elmers glue or something (i use mod podge now, it is a glue and a sealant) and roll it real tight around something (pen ink cartridge or knitting needle)...I use the knitting needle....and you let it dry and then you can paint it or do whatever with it.....I dont know about being water proof I just started, but I am sure there are thing you can do to make it water proof such as sealant and what not....... http://www.thebeadsite.com/CHI-HOM.html

 

I love doing paper beads. I'm gonna try and attach a pic of one of my necklaces so you can check it out. I love the varied look of the beads when you make them with magazine ads. Sorry, I think this is kind of a big pic!

 

LL, VERY VERY cool! Are all those beads one's that you made?

 

So is the color just the color of the ads and what not or did you actually find a funky way to paint them? I am new to it so just curious.

 

Thank you colorfulhippie. No, I also used glass beads, I like to alternate them with the paper beads.

And to brandonveg: the colors on the beads are from the ads, all I did was put a clear coat of nail polish over the beads when they were done. I think it's so much fun to look through magazines for new bead ideas--I'll pull out pages that I think will make for neat beads and go from there. It's funny how sometimes the ones you think will make the prettiest beads actually look awful and some of the ones you wouldn't think would make neat beads actually come out awesome! It's always a mystery!

Sometime though, I do actually buy special papers for making my beads, so that I can get fairly consistently colored beads for certain projects. Either way though, it is a lot of fun to make paper beads.

 

I have actually thought about making my own paper...i learned how to recycle paper on my own and i thought it would be cool to just add wierd dyes in with the paper pulp......havent tried it yet, but i am very curious to see how it turns out.

 

Hmm...that sounds neat. One of my sisters makes her own papers. She puts all kinds of strange things into them too--like coffee grounds and other odd things. I think she put hair in one time as well. I haven't made my own paper. Although I think it's got to be a messy and possibly stinky process (I've heard paper pulp really smells), it must be very satisfying to use your finished paper. Good luck with that.

 

i was loopy on a sleeping pill last nigt, so i read this post and decided to have a go at it. it was so much fun! i love how you can just use a single page and make tons of varied lengths, sizes, & thicknesses of beads. (did any of that just make sense? ha!) i got an old phone book to make some beads from the yellow pages today---i NEED to borrow a digital camera so i can show off my crafty crafts

 

lol

 

Keen! You need to do that so we can see what they look like. That sounds like fun, and an interesting way to use the growing pile of outdated phone books I have. A fellow forums member--Kitty Fabulous--who is the one that got me onto paper bead making in the first place, actually used newspaper to make beads and she made a necklace with them and also used fresh water pearls. I love her creative brain. She actually has some really cool artwork of hers (unfortunately not of her paper bead stuff) in her gallery.

 

That sound sawesome...I'm gonna try making some now! Would it work with curling ribbon or would that be too light?

 

Thanks to this post I now have furthered my plan for flight. I'm a first time travler, art is to be my currancy although I didn't have a simple plan for a quick craft to take up NOW I DO!


Thanks for being you and for sharing

 

awww cool.....i love the positive feedback.....as far as the ribbon goes...you could try, but i dont see that working....yall post pictures if you have um.

 

I have been making beads like crazy the last few days, glue evrywhere! lol But I have been thinking of answeres to this question and adding the twist of my own to how to make them water proof cheaply, well the answer is in another craft I tried a few times, fabric glue and paint! these are all washable "waterproof" they are as cheap as Elmers and will dry to a shine most of them. for now I am going to try acrylic varnish sealer, because I have some, but soon will be buying Aleen ok to wash it craft glue "Michael's Craft stores"



gone nuts over beads

 

Oh no! This thread was so neat, and now it's gotten quiet! Doesn't anyone else have any pictures they can post of their beads? I'm still dying to see the yellow pages beads. Anyone?