Paper Bead Jewelry Making Project

Colorful paper or magazine pages

Ruler and pencil for marking strips

Scissors

Toothpicks or thin dowels for rolling

White glue

Clear nail polish or Mod Podge for sealing

Elastic cord or string for stringing

Cut long triangular strips from colorful paper. Mark a 1-inch base on one edge and a point on the opposite edge. Connect with a line and cut. Each triangle becomes one bead.

Place a toothpick at the wide end of a triangle and begin rolling the paper tightly around it.

Keep rolling evenly, making sure the paper wraps around the center. The tighter the roll, the firmer the bead.

When you reach the pointed tip, apply a small dot of white glue to secure it. Press and hold for a moment.

Slide the bead off the toothpick carefully and set it aside to dry.

Once dry, brush each bead with clear nail polish or Mod Podge. This seals the paper, adds a shine, and makes the beads water-resistant.

String the finished beads onto elastic cord with any spacer beads you have. Tie the ends to complete a bracelet or necklace.

Magazine pages make the most colorful beads because the printed images create unexpected patterns when rolled up.

The shape of the triangle determines the bead shape. Wide triangles make fat, round beads. Narrow triangles make long, tube-like beads.

This is excellent for in-hand rotation skills. The rolling motion requires fingers to rotate the toothpick while the other hand feeds the paper.

A full bracelet needs about 10 to 15 beads. Set a goal and work toward it over one or two sessions.

These make wonderful handmade gifts. Kids feel enormous pride giving jewelry they made entirely themselves.