Rolled Paper Beads From Gift Wrapping Paper

 More and more people are becoming more sensitive to the impact of irresponsible garbage disposal on the earth. We have the choice to LIVE GREEN.

Try looking around your home today and you'll be surprised to discover tons of papers you might have accumulated through the years.Let's do some clean up and a little organizing starting with the tiniest like receipts, envelopes to the bigger ones such as calendars and even cartoons and boxes. Each of these have a role to play in your  attempt to live eco-friendly so don't throw them just yet.

With your tons of paper, I'm sure you'll find one or two gift wrappers.We all love receiving gifts, we would be extra thrilled if these come in lovely packages. Savor the gift...Save the wrap!!!. Transform these into beautiful beads. Make leisure- earth friendly jewelries and save yourself from spending a fortune or better yet,sell them for an added income.

paper beads and decoupage craft

These paper beads were cut from a wrapper with Medieval Design with Gothic Prints that originally looked like this.

You may cut the paper into 4 with at least 12 inches in length. It is easier to cut especially if you don't have a metric ruler. I opted to use the whole paper cutting crosswise. I wanted a fuller bead for this project.

Mark  the back side with a pen or pencil at 20mm increments across the top and bottom edges. Using the pen mark as guide, position the ruler at the bottom and angle it very slightly to the top. Cut all the way using a sharp paper cutter. Instead of having a rectangle, you now have an isosceles trapezoid.

For each bead, begin rolling a strip around your bamboo roller, metal roller or  toothpick at the wider end. Continue rolling until you reach about one to two inches before the edge. Apply glue then finish rolling to the tip.

If the paper is glossy, you may not need to seal it but I still recommend a thin coat of acrylic sealer or plain glue. Let dry before coating with lacquer or gloss. I use three to four coats in my beads for shine and  durability.

These Medieval Print Beads are available in my Etsy Shop. Thank you.
paper beads and decoupage crafts