the paper bead tutorial! LOTS O' PHOTOS!!!
| ok, so i have had so many comments and emails about this, i decided to get my act together and do a tutorial. this post was the original one that got the ball rolling, and has loads of pictures, and some other basic tutorials. so check that out. PAPER BEADS...WHY? this is why i love this project so much...i am cheap. i look at most things and think, "i could make that better and for way less money. and i could add this or try this or do this..." so, as you all know, i am really into crocheting with wire and beads and i realized that beads are really really expensive. nice ones, anyway. and while i may be cheap, i hate cheapo stuff. i saw some paper beads on etsy a while ago. i don't remember who made them, but they were just paper and glue not sealed or anything. i researched how to make them online, and had seen the idea before. the victorian women would make paper beads out of wallpaper scraps and then would string them to make curtains to separate rooms. it is odd that such uptight people were so very crafty. they did loads of neat stuff. anyway, at this point, i realized that you can use any kind of paper, i think that thinner paper is easier to work with, like origami papers or pages from books, but you can use whatever you like. you can even take plain paper and stamp them or draw on them or paint or whatever you want. papers with really small details work well because you can see it in the beads, but in a lot of cases, it looks like a pattern...for example, these beads:  the one on the left is origami paper, the one on the right is floral patterned thin paper, japanese i think. the more coats of glue, varnish, UTEE or whatever coating on them, the more glassy and glossy they look. if you aren't using them in a context that they may get wet, you could just leave them dry. totally up to you. i am a nerd for shiny. a crow. i think i am a crow. ok. so. paper. any kind you like. WHAT NOW? cut the paper into strips. in some of the other tutorials, you can see different shapes to cut them into to make different shaped beads. i use a triangular strip, long and skinny, but you can make it shorter, experiment. i have a rotary paper cutter and that is the easiest way, i think, of cutting the paper. i initially used a heavy duty utility knife and the cutting matte and ruler, but scissors or whatever will work just fine. you could probably even use quilling strips. try to make the cuts as smooth as possible. for a different look, tear the paper and roll it lengthwise for a long skinny bead. GET YOUR GLUE ON: the directions i found use white glue or decoupage glue...i think it just makes a total mess. i used a UHU glue stick, and later a UHU glue pen because it has a narrow tip, and it worked great. use a good bit so it is sticky enough to stay rolled up. you could use a toothpick with paste or glue, also. i rolled my beads onto a piece of wire, as you can see from the pic. you want to roll from the wide side, as tightly as you can, ending with the teeny skinny side and make sure that that end is glued down well. i put about a dozen beads per foot long piece of wire. they will come off pretty easily. i tried using wooden skewers coated in vaseline, but the beads stuck to that. no good. so that is it. you could leave them at that point as is,  this is what they look like unsealed... or seal them with mod podge, as many coats as you want. or you could paint the beads, add sparkle or ink or whatever you like. at that point,  i antique some of my beads, jacquard has really great sparkly pigments that can be put right onto the bead, or, in my favorite way, added to UTEE which is thick embossing powder and then the bead can be rolled in it and heated or heat the utee in a pot and dip your beads in. the more coats of this you put on, the thicker. this stuff is amazing. use different finishes to make the beads look like metal, gems, or pearls, even... these are a bit lumpy and bumpy, but you get the idea. head over to my flickr bead set to see some of the other ones, and new things will be added all the time. once you are done, you can sand the edges a bit, or sand the whole thing for another look altogether. the options are endless. make small beads that are more plain, or big ones to use as pendents, and make them into any shape. if you wanted to just layer them, you can cut out a form and go from there, or decoupage over something and drill a hole later. so many options! oooh, and photos! you can make a photo bead or pendant. i am going to! don't be afraid to try different things. this is inexpensive and fun. anyone can do it, and it is a great project for little kids. for those of us that save every little scrap, this is perfect. i am planning to try yarn and fabric, but keep an open mind and have no fear! a couple of tips: use either a non-stick cookie sheet or some waxed paper so you don't get glue and paper and gunk all over your table or whatever you are using. also, if you use the utee, it can burn you, so be careful with it. baby wipes are a great thing to have handy so you can get the glue and smutz off of your fingers in between beads, as well as cooling off your fingers if your drip hot stuff. roll a really long bead and after it is dry, cut it into several smaller beads with a utility knife. make sure to let me know what you make so i can check them out. i think a flickr paper bead group might be in order, eh? go crazy with it! n. ***edit...i used the melting pot today and burned the hell out of myself, so please be careful if you choose to use this method, as opposed to a paint on sealant or mod podge. i am going to do some with the mod podge and will post finished pics. and more bead pics coming soon! |
posted by natasha @ 2:05 PM
26 Comments:
Yay! Thank you so much for posting this! When I have some free time on my hands, I'm totally going to try this out. And I think it'd be something hubby would like to play around with, too, because he likes messy glue stuffs!
kat, let me know if there is anything that doesn't seem clear. i am new at these and worry that i say either way too much about one thing or not enough about another.
Woot! Another nerd for shiny!!!
These beads are so beautiful. They truly look like expensive glass beads, only bigger and chunkier and altogether more exciting. Thank you for the tutorial!
Oh -- and what size of a melting pot do you use? I mean, are you talking tablespoons of melted goo, or teaspoons, or a cupful, or what?
Thanks again!
normanack, thanks again. as for the melting pot, i actually bought the one that is meant for melting wax or this stuff, there is a line that you can fill it to in there. my melting pot holds about 1/2 inch of it, you could use an electric skillet or whatever you have, but please be careful, i have some NASTY burns. i got the big bottles of embossing powder and just got the clear and added my own sparkle or whatever. got whatever brand is cheapest, i think it is all the same.
greenie...and i have the burns to show for it! how embarrassing!
hey, you have a lovely blog too natasha! thanks for visiting mine... love the beads too! made some long ago and forgot all about them. will try again now that you have so thoughtfully reminded me!
xo
s
Oh my god....you are so awesome! Thanks for the bead pics & tips...I am totally going to do this. I made paper beads a bunch of years ago but it never occured to me to encase these things....my mind is exploding with excitement!! Thanks so much....will keep in touch about this. I make jewelry & I think this technique is so Unique & amazing! I will send you a link to my jewelry website once I incorporate some of these creations....crafty girls rock.
-Julia kellogg
susan, thanks so much for popping by! i am so flattered!
i am not sure if i have done you a favor telling you about them or cursed you. i cannot stop making them or thinking about how to improve the process and outcome. hmf.
aw julia! you are so sweet! i am excited to see your work. i am trying to figure out some other hardener i could use on them that wouldn't be so hard to work with and dangerous. i agree that for people that use beads a lot, you can make really unique ones for practically nothing, and you can use anything. we do rock!
ooh julia! your work is so pretty! this would work great for you. also, you can really make things look like different metals, stones, pearls, so it would look incredible. we like the same sorts of stones too.
modge podge? what is that? I love these BTW, they are great.
miss dot, thanks! mod podge is a decoupage adhesive.
Natasha- these beads are wonderful. I just bought a melting pot and I didn't realize that I had the option of using it to coat the paper beads. I've always liked the look of paper beads, but I wanted them to be more versitile and stand up to elements better.
Thanks!
snootzie, thanks so much! you really can use any sealer you like, depending on the effect you want. you can use varnish or polyeurothane. i have been constantly trying to figure out new and easier ways to seal them. at the moment, i have been experimenting with epoxy resins. pop in and see!
I made some beads...they are cool! I will take pics tonight & post them tomorrow. I used a hotplate pancake type grill that I got from a thrift store. I turned it to 300degrees & it worked like a charm. I kept the utee right at the edge where the side of the pan goes up so I could push the bead into the utee & coat it there. For the beads, I used some textures from Oilily catalogs---some of the best colors & textures a girl could hope for are printed in those pages. I cut a pic of a furry child's jacket in half to make the front of a matching pair of earrings, for example. Thanks again for the inspiration. -Julia
julia, you will be the first person to show me pics, so i am so excited to see them! ooooh. i can't wait. did you have problems with the ends being lumpy?
These beads are great! Diamond Glaze or Glossy Effects work for sealing them. The new Glossy Effects will even give an antique look to them! Thanks for the great tutorial-I saw this somewhere a couple of years ago and forgot about it! I have made some the same way with metal strips (some I crimp first and stamp or color with sharpies)some I leave plain and others I wrap with wire and glass beads. These I don't cover with any sealer. Lots of possiblilities!
Shauna
I know this is an old tutorial but I have to say it's my fav so far. I have just NOW discovered the online crafting blog world and I am gorging on the sites and getting lost in all the links. I too totally am cheap when crafting and I despaired of working with my hands without spending $100's of dollars on all the stuff needed.
Well, I've started making jewelry with shrinky dinks (perfecto for my small apartment) and now your paper beads will be the perfect accessory. And I discovered Steiner dolls. I am in craft heaven right now and no one should expect me to leave my apartment all this weekend. (after I get back from the craft store that is!) Thank you, Thank you!!
shauna, thanks for popping by! your beads sound gorgeous!
and renee, i am so glad it helped out! i am excited to see what you make!
Awesome tutorial definately have to try this one out!
I have also put a link from my blog http:// crafttutorials.wordpress.com to this I hope that's ok.
Thanks Eve
These are so nice. I made a few using colors in my living room decor and then strung them on the pull cords of my blinds. It looks so nice. Also I rolled them on straws and then just cut the straw leaving it on the inside part of the bead.
You just saved my life. I lost my lesson plans from years ago on how to make paper beads. I'm scheduled to teach this to 1-15 year olds in two weeks for a summer fun thing.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Connie
Hi Natasha,
Firstly, thanks for this really awesome article.
Just wanted to know- what material would you suggest for coating the paper beads? I have used acrylic colours used for glass painting, and it has come quite nice. Any suggested alternatives?
Thanks, awaiting your reply!!
Love this tutorial, I teach beading workshops aqnd this well go down a treat, thank you for sharing it with us.
thanks so much everyone! as for sealing the beads, i have used utee (embossing powder) i have used acrylic paint, i have used clear varnish and i also tried a wood hardener which worked okay, but i never finished them up yet. have fun!
natasha
victoria, you are so welcome!
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