How to Make A Recycled Magazine Bead Bracelet

September 13th, 2009 in jewelry making

elise_famili, member

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Hey there!

I was really in need of some new jewelry, and didn't want to throw away lots of money to get some, so I did what all great jewellers do, and made some!

I got this idea when I read an article in the newspaper about paper maicheing with thin strips made from old magazines.

Here's what you'll need to make this cool bracelet:

1 magazine page (I find that the brighter the page, the better the beads are. However, if you want a certain color theme, like blue, use a picture of an ocean or something. I like pages that are glossy because the beads tend to look nicer, so my go-to magazine for this project is National Geographic, because they have stunning colors!)

A wooden skewer

Some scissors

A pen

A rule

Some tacky glue

Varnish or clear nail polish

Elastic string

Glass beads (optional)

1.) Using your ruler and pen, you want to create thin triangular strips. I find that the base should be around 2 cm, and that the triangle's height should go all the way up to the top of the page. Draw out a triangle following those guidelines.

2.) Taking your triangle, find the side that you want to show on your bead. Flip it over, so that the opposite side is facing up. Starting at the base of the triangle, begin to roll the triangle onto the skewer. Continue to roll until the whole triangle is now rolled up. This is your bead.

3.) On the very tip of the triangle, apply a dot of glue to hold the tip in place. Apply pressure with your fingers for a couple of seconds.

4.) Coat with varnish or clear nail polish. I think that this is an important step because it helps keep your beads waterproof.

5.) Make all of the beads that you can out of the page (I usually get 8 or 9 out of a single page). Sometimes it's easier to cut all the triangles out, and then roll all of them up, but some people prefer to cut each triangle out individually, roll it up, and then cut out another triangle. Find a method that works for you!

6.) Cut a piece of elastic string that is long enough to wrap around your wrist, with a little extra room at the ends for tieing. Knot one end of the string.

7.) Apply a glass bead (if using) to the string. I really like how glass beads look with paper beads, plus, sometimes the hole of the paper bead is too big for the knot, and can actually 'swallow' it. To prevent that from happening, just put a glass bead in front of the paper bead that is bigger than the hole of the paper one.

8.) Create a pattern with your beads, and show off your new look!

Side Notes

a.) I find that simple text pages can create really cool bracelets when paired with colorful glass beads in between them.

b.) Try the same thing with black and white photos from magazines

c.) The possibilities really are endlesss! You can make earrings, chokers, necklaces, anklets...the list goes on!

d.) Try this method with newspaper strips. You can get some really cool designs!