Using nothing more than a strip of discarded paper, a toothpick, and some glue, Carol spins a lovely decorative paper bead. One of Carol's secrets is to use junk mail for this project. Since a lot of throwaway mail is produced on paper that has been varnished, it is expensive to recycle and a lot of drop-off sites will not accept this type of paper. Because of their coated surface, however, beads made from junk mail are very strong and fairly waterproof.
Steps: - Along the top edge of the paper, and starting 1-inch from the left side, place dots 1-inch apart.
- Do the same on the bottom edge of the paper, but this time, draw the first dot 1/2-inch in from the left side.
- Draw vertical lines between these dots to create long triangular strips, and cut them out.
- Starting with the wide end of a strip, roll it tightly around a toothpick. Dab glue on the last 1/2-inch of the paper (the pointed end) to hold the coil in place.
- Remove the toothpick.
- Apply glaze over the bead (optional).
Tips: - To make beads with a larger circumference, use longer strips of paper.
- Change the width of the strips to make wider or narrower beads.
- You can also use magazine covers and other slick papers to make beads. Even materials with some printing will do, since only the last inch or so of the bead is visible.
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