How to Make Craft Beads
Create craft beads from things around and outside the house. Collect newspapers, magazines, homemade papers and even freshly fallen rose petals. Craft your own beads to make jewelry for yourself and gifts for friends and family. These projects call for little supplies, and no special skills are required. With a bit of imagination, you will make paper beads and rose petal beads that smell garden-fresh.
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Things You'll Need
- Handmade paper, newspaper or magazines Scissors Wax paper Elmer's glue Small paintbrush Clear nail polish Silk cord Three or four roses or two handfuls of fresh rose petals Food processor Rose oil Fine-mesh sieve Sewing pin Corkboard Beading wire or satin cord
Instructions
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Cut choice paper into long, thin triangles and rectangles. The average length should be 8 to 10 inches. Put a small amount of glue onto wax paper. Start at the bottom of the triangle and roll paper around the end of a small paintbrush. Make sure to keep any color of the paper facing out. Keep paper taut but don't let it rip.
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Spread a thin layer of glue onto paper after wrapping it around once. Continue to wrap the paper tightly. At each turn, daub a little glue and press it along the paper. At the end, daub another bit of glue and press it at the end. Hold in place for 10 seconds. Gently, ease the paper bead off the paintbrush. Set all paper beads on wax paper to dry. When dry, apply a coat of clear polish to seal the paper. String the beads onto a silk cord.
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Gather fragrant rose petals from a garden or purchase roses, and carefully pluck off the petals. There should be enough petals for two handfuls. Place the petals into a food processor. Adding a drop of water at a time, pulse the petals until a fine paste is formed. With a spatula, begin to scrape out the rose petal paste. Take small amounts of the paste and press it against the sieve to eliminate any excess water or moisture.
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Place the paste in a small bowl or on wax paper. Daub fingertips with rose oil. Pinch off a bit of the pulp. Work the pulp in your fingers like clay. If it appears too wet, press a paper towel onto the pulp a few times. Compress it into a ball about the size of a nickel. Gently poke a hole through the ball with a needle or pin.
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Continue until all the pulp is used. Keep the pin in the bead and push onto a piece of cork board or string on fishing nylon without letting them touch. Let the beads dry two or three days. When dry, ease off the pin or nylon. Polish with an eyeglass cloth and varnish with clear nail polish. String the rose petal beads on beading wire or satin cord. Retain the rose fragrance by storing in an airtight container.
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Tips & Warnings
While beads dry, occasionally move a pin through them so the hole doesn't close up. Find rose petals with the strongest fragrance. Rose petal beads shrink to about half their original size and will turn a burgundy color.
Do not use rose petals that have been chemically treated.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit SuzArt iStockphoto
