Like Blue Caterpillar
The round blue paper beads that almost look like blue marbles are strung with opalescent 11/0 seed beads attached to a three loop finding. When I open it and lay it flat it reminds me of a blue caterpillar which I think can only be found on children books.
These chunky round beads are about 14 mm in size.
It is a very simple ladder stitch, as you can see the strand of white seed beads are woven through the blue beads.
For a simpler design, you could just string it on elastic with silver spacers in between.
Crocheted Cuff
My other passion aside from paper beads is crochet, and I am always looking for ways to incorporate crochet into my paper bead creations or vice versa. I love the lacy look of wire crochet and when I saw the black wire in 28 gauge I thought they would look like black lace when crocheted. I made the Black Lace With Paper Beads cuff with bright colored paper beads and the Scrunched Up Cuff with magazine color extra small round paper beads.
This almost remind me of a hair scrunchie because it can expand to fit over your hand and you can scrunch it up to hug your wrist. No clasp necessary which I like.
The Black Lace Cuff is more of an open design and looks so pretty on your wrist. This does not have a clasp because it can easily be adjusted to your wrist.
Paper Beads definitely takes this bracelets from ordinary to extraordinary!
Graduated Size Beads
How do you make three different size (small, medium, large) beads from the same magazine page? I find that rolling two triangle strips together with the paper bead metal roller, makes a bigger rounder bead. Stacking three strips of the same size and length will make a bigger bead. I am very happy with how these beads came out after dipping them in Vibrance three times.
First, cut triangle strips, preferable from a glossy magazine, with dimension: 1/4 inch at the base, about 17 inches long or the whole length of two pages of an open magazine section.
Smallest bead as shown above is made from one strip, medium bead from two strips, and big bead from three strips of magazine triangle rolled together as one.
I chose a magazine page that has a pattern of black, green and yellow to go with these India glass beads.
I strung it on .8mm elastic and made a bracelet.
The pattern on these beads remind me of turtles and I just love turtles and what they represent: longevity, endurance and patience.
I would like to take a little survey on what you do with your paper beads. Make jewelry with it? Just give it away as gifts to friends or sell it? Do you wear your paper beads jewelry? Have you made so much and you just don’t know what to do with it? I will be giving away my little paper bead bracelet when I will have at least 20 comments or emails.
Paper Bead Trade Idea #2
In case you’re wondering, Idea # 1 was yesterday’s post, Come Into My Garden Bracelet where we used buttons to add to our paper beads. The paper bead tube is the most common paper bead shape and versatile in the sense that it can be used for home decorating; curtains, vases, purses, etc., but can also be easily transformed into pretty jewelry. I love mixing paper beads with crystals and even gem stones and why not? Here’s our Idea #2 using 3/4 inch tube paper beads and cloisonne beads.
What you need for this project is: .8mm elastic, 3/4 inch paper bead tubes, 6/0 seed beads and cloisonne bead or any type of focal bead.
I cut about 10 inches of elastic and make sure to put a bead stopper at the end or string from a spool and make sure that the paper bead with the largest hole will be closest to the knot you will tie at the end, so that it’s easy for that bead to accommodate the knot.
You will then tie a square knot, right over left and left over right.
It looks beautiful even among real jewelry……It kind of remind me of Victorian ladies rolling paper beads.
Paper Bead Trade Idea # 3 will be the ring and earring set made out from zentangle paper beads.
Upcoming posts: Paper Strings and Philippine Outreach Program for Kids
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