Paper beads are one of those crafts that look far harder than they are. A strip of paper, a straw and a dab of glue, and you have a bead. Maggy Woodley of Red Ted Art makes hers from old magazines, and once you know the trick you can turn a stack of glossy pages into bracelets and necklaces in an afternoon.
How to make paper beads: the short version
- Cut long, thin triangles from magazine pages or paper.
- Lay the wide end against a straw or toothpick.
- Roll the strip tightly all the way to the point.
- Glue the tip down, let it dry, and slide the bead off.
- String your beads into a bracelet or necklace.
Choosing paper
Magazines are the classic choice. The pages are thin enough to roll tight, and the printed colours turn into stripes once the strip wraps over itself. Look for pages with big patches of one colour if you want pink beads, blue beads and so on. Busy pages with text make speckled beads, which look great mixed together.
Plain coloured paper works too, as Maggy shows in the video. Wrapping paper, old maps and newspaper are all fair game. Thick card is hard to roll and tends to split.
How the strip shapes the bead
This is the part worth remembering. The wide end of the triangle sets how long your bead is from end to end. The length of the strip sets how fat it gets in the middle. A short wide strip gives you a slim tube. A long strip with a narrow base gives a chunky oval bead with a bump in the centre.
For a first batch, try a triangle about 1 inch wide at the base and 10 to 11 inches long, cut down the long side of a magazine page. Then play with the sizes once you see how they come out.
Straw or toothpick?
A straw makes a bead with a big hole, which is easy to thread and easy for small hands to hold. A toothpick makes a smaller hole and a neater bead, so it suits older kids and adults. If a young child finds it hard, glue the strip to the straw and let the straw become part of the bead. Snip it to length after.
Ways to use your beads
- Bracelets. Thread them on stretch cord for an easy beaded bracelet.
- Necklaces. Mix paper beads with a few wooden or glass ones between them.
- Frames. Glue rows of beads around a plain photo frame.
- Gifts. A bag of handmade beads and a length of cord makes a sweet present for a crafty grandchild.
If you like rolling paper, paper quilling uses the same skill with thinner strips. For a bigger recycled paper project, try paper mache, and for knotted cords to string your beads on, see string bracelets.
Common mistakes
- Loose beads. Keep the strip tight and straight as you roll.
- A bead stuck to the straw. Keep glue on the paper, not the straw.
- Lopsided beads. The tip of the triangle should sit in the middle of the wide end. If it drifts to one side, the bead leans.
For shiny, tougher beads, brush on a coat of clear glue or varnish once they are dry.
