Paper bead class and tutorial

You guessed it...another first is my jewelry making adventure.  The owner of the store that displays some of my jewelry (Art Market in Edgerton WI) asked me if I wanted to teach a class on any craft I wish.  I thought for several weeks and came up with paper beads.

I was a little anxious the day before but not too bad.  Growing up I was soooo painfully shy.  I would have panic attacks when called on in elementary school.  I got a little bit better as I got older but even in college I put off speech class until my very last semester and shook like a leaf in front of the class.  Since then I have done a lot of group counseling sessions, most recently a cognitive intervention group for men on probation and parole for the WI Department of Corrections.  I also teach a class on renting for my clients who are staying at the women's homeless shelter.  So I've come a very long way in my ability to speak in front of others.  I would still consider myself a introvert but I no longer have anxiety attacks when I am expected to speak with people I don't know.  I'm still not terribly comfortable giving actual speeches at a podium in front of others.  I prefer to be interactive with people who are participating in a class or group.  

This was the first time I've taught a crafting class though so I had to be a little nervous.  I over purchased supplies and checked and re-checked that I had everything I needed.  I had difficulty sleeping but I didn't have dreams about arriving at the class with no clothes on which was good.

11 people showed up which was 3 more than had registered.  This was a perfect size, any larger and there would not have been room to move.

I feel it went incredibly well.  The only real problem was that the fumes from the nail polish got to be a little overwhelming.  Everyone seemed to really enjoy the class and everyone was able to create some really pretty beads.

I wore this necklace while I was teaching and it is now available for purchase at www.etsy.com/listing/127652987

Below are the pieces of jewelry I made using my paper beads and they are now being displayed at Art Market. www.facebook.com/pages/Art-Market-Edgerton

These beads are made from magazine pages and are sealed with clear nail polish.

These beads are made from book pages and are sealed with pink glitter nail polish.

This matching necklace and earring set are both new designs for me and I used book pages to make the beads and they are sealed with pink sparkly nail polish.

Make Your Own Paper Beads!!!

Paper beads are super easy to make and you probably already have all of the necessary materials.

You need:

Paper, magazine pages or book pages etc
Glue sticks
Exacto knife or scissors
Cutting mat or cardboard to protect your table
Round tooth picks
Nail Polish
Styrofoam

Step One:  Cut your paper into strips.  You can cut straight across or make triangles using cuts similar to a backgammon board. Or just experiment in different designs.

Step Two: Fold the first 1 cm or so of paper over toothpick.

Step Three:  Start rolling the paper onto the toothpick making sure that the paper is very tight against the toothpick and also straight

Step Four:  Add about an inch of glue onto the paper and roll until there is about an inch left then add more glue.

At this point the bead should be rolled tight and glued well enough so that it does not unravel.  The bead should feel hard.  If it can be squished that means the paper was not rolled tight enough.

Step Five:  Push the bead up towards the tip of the toothpick.  This ensures that any glue that got between the paper an bead does not have a chance to set your bead in place forever.  The bead is also then less likely to get stuck to the toothpick after applying nail polish.

Step Six:  Use nail polish to seal the bead.  Paint a thin layer onto the bead by brushing with the grain.  One coat is good enough but you can add more coats for more shine.  The nail polish will make the beads water resistant but not water proof.

Step Seven:  Stick the toothpick into the Styrofoam so the bead can dry.

Easy peasy.  Experiment and have fun.