How to Make Beads Out of Greeting Cards

It is a shame to throw away all those greeting cards with their attractive artwork. Now you can use them to make beads that you can add to a children's craft box, use in scrapbooking projects or make jewelry with.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Greeting Cards White Glue Spray Sealer Scissors Sturdy Paper Ruler Pencil Nail

1. On your sturdy paper, use your ruler and pencil to draw a triangle that is 1 inch wide and 3 inches long. Cut it out to make a template for your beads.

2. Trace around your template on the greeting cards. You should be able to make several beads from each card. Keep in mind that the beads will not resemble the artwork on the cards, so an unattractive card can make attractive beads.
   
   After tracing your template, use your scissors to cut out your triangles from the greeting cards.

3. Starting with the flat end of a triangle, wrap the card paper around the nail, being careful to keep the point centered. Place a small dot of white glue on the point of the triangle and glue it down. Carefully slide the bead off the nail and set it aside to dry. Repeat for the remainder of your paper strips.

4. Once the white glue is dry, you can spray the beads with a sealer to make them waterproof. You can also just brush them with more white glue. This will make them more sturdy but not waterproof. Once the sealer is dry, they are ready to use in your jewelry-making and craft projects.

Tips & Warnings

• Experiment with different-shaped paper strips to make different styles of beads. If you like, you can paint the beads before sealing them to make them all the same color.
• Make sure to use spray sealers only outside to avoid breathing toxic fumes.

Resources

• Things to make with your new greeting card beads