I love pretty paper. But I'm not going to actually buy it. People send me it all the time in the form of cards. Seriously, have you ever looked at all four sides (or sometimes more) of a card? Often the inside and backs of cards have the best usable pieces for new things like this project. I also like to make my own repieced cards and tags.
A new way to use paper? I found the idea for rolled beads and thought that would be a great thing to try. Here's how to do it:
Pick paper pieces with desired colors and cut them into triangles that look like this:
The wide side should be the width you want your final beads.
Roll them starting with the wide side (think crescent rolls) over plastic straws. Use a little white glue to hold them in place (don't worry - it dries clear and helps them be a tad waterproof so your bracelet/necklace doesn't fall apart in the rain). Now...this is a little tricky depending on the thickness of the paper you choose (cardstock will crinkle). You might have to repress the pointed ends down to encourage them to stick. If using bendy straws, don't wrap beads over the bendy part. But keep wrapping beads along straws until you have as many as you want/need. Once dry, I snip the individual beads apart and string them on elastic cordage.
