Paper Beads: Cheap, Easy, Eco-Friendly Crafts

Nowadays there are so many people looking for ways to recycle and reuse their waste. I think this is great, and I completely support it, and I have been practicing this habit for a long time now. I love to find awesome ways to reuse things that are lying around my home, and there are many fun craft projects that use things we would normally throw out.

If you are like me, magazines, junk mail and other assorted random papers start pile up around your house quicker than you realize. This article will discuss how to make several different beads out of paper. These projects are fun and easy for both children and adults, and they are inexpensive as well.

Paper beads come in a variety of shapes and sizes. I will first discuss the easiest way to make paper beads, and the tools for all of these beads. For these awesome projects you will only need paper, scissors, glue and a knitting needle or strong piece of wire. Gather together all of these items, and make sure to find all sorts of recyclable papers such as magazines, old mail, newspapers and papers from packaging.

The easiest bead to make is a cylindrical bead, and all you will need to do for this bead is cut a long rectangular strip from your favorite paper. Next spread a thing layer of glue along the length of one side of the paper. Now take your wire and wrap one end of the paper tightly around the wire. Simply wrap the paper until it is completely wound in a tight coil. Hold for a few seconds so the glue can dry, and you have created your first paper bead!

Another pretty bead you can make is the cone shaped bead. This is created by using the same shaped piece of paper as before, but this time you must trim the rectangle from the top left corner to the bottom right corner. This angle will give you a cone shaped bead. Just glue and wrap the paper tightly around and it will make a pretty cone shape. When creating this bead remember to start wrapping from the larger side.

An oval shaped bead is a lot of fun to make as well, and it requires a similar process as the last bead. For this bead you will trim the paper from the top left corner of the rectangle to the middle of the right side. You will repeat the same on the bottom of the rectangle. This will leave you with a point in the middle. Starting with the wider side of the rectangle, wrap the paper and glue it; remember to make sure the point ends up in the middle of the bead.

These beads are cheap, easy and fun to make; they save on waste, and they are a lovely addition to anyone's jewelry collection.