Recycled Handmade Beads

I have been wanting to try making paper beads for a couple of years, and since I was home at a decent hour today and it is Earth Day, I decided that this is the perfect opportunity! Below are the steps to make your own beads. They are pretty simple to make, but BEWARE - can be very time consuming! The whole process from making the beads to creating a necklace took about 3.5 hours. However, it's so much fun to create designs on the beads and see the finished product that it is well worth your labor. :)

Step 1: Cut 1" by 7" strips of paper from a brown paper grocery bag.

Step 2: Fold the edges in to the desired width for your bead. (Note: I recommend gluing the edges down to make it easier and less frustrating to roll the paper).

Step 3: Wrap paper around a knitting needle, paint brush, or any thin, sturdy object. Lay it on the table to roll bead as tight as possible. Put glue on the last 1/2" of the paper strip and finish rolling. Hold for 30-60 seconds to let glue set (I used Elmer's glue) and slide paintbrush or needle out from bead

Step 5: Use a permanent marker to color in the end of the beads and to create designs.

Step 6 (Optional): I painted a layer of Modpodge over the beads to help protect them and make them more sturdy.

Step 7: Make a necklace or bracelet! Go to my Etsy site to see the finished product!