Monday, May 13, 2019

Easy Instructions On 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.

There are a great number of projects that can be done with this really fun and easy craft. Depending on how the papers are cut, the pieces will become tubular, round, or oval, in numerous thicknesses and sizes. Crafters may find themselves constructing things such as curtains, purses, bracelets, earrings, necklaces, and more by following basic instructions.

To get started, gather up newspapers, magazines, colored papers, scrapbooking sheets, or anything of the like and cut it into strips the appropriate size and shape for the desired type of bead. An isosceles triangle will end up round shaped, a right triangle will be a teardrop, and rectangular becomes tubular. Keep in mind that the base of the shape determines its height and the longer the strip, the wider the bead.

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 pieces gain more durability with each layer of sealant that is applied. Whether the creator wishes to attempt something incredibly complex like a purse, or go with a project less taxing such as a necklace, the range of things these items might be used for is as vast as one's imagination. In order to really understand what satisfies one's personal tastes, they will need to experiment using various combinations of shape, embellishments and mediums.




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