Paper choices when making paper beads

When deciding on what papers to use for making your paper beads consider the following  factors. If you use a paper that is very delicate it is more likely to tear while you are rolling the paper bead. If the paper is a heavier thicker paper it may be harder to roll leaving you with a paper bead that is not wound tightly  or uneven when finished. You will also want to consider the finish if there is one on the paper. You want to make sure that any paper you use will bond  to its self  with the glue that you will be using . You also want to make sure that the glaze and paints that you will be using will not just run off of the finished paper bead once they are applied.

The following types of paper all work well when making paper beads. Try one or try them all find what Types of paper works best for you.

Junk Mail : This would be all of the unwanted items filling your mail boxes as well as old mail that is no longer needed. Much better to make paper beads out of these items that just throwing them away.

Magazines :  This is a great way to recycle all of the magazines piling up around the house. Paper beads made from magazine pages can end up giving you great color combinations that you might not have thought up on your own. You can also separate them  by colors giving you a lot to choose from when working on a project.

Printer Paper : This is any easy way to make paper beads that will all be the same color as this paper comes in a variety of colors. Using printer paper also makes it easy for people that like to use templates  as they can be printed right onto the paper.

Note book paper :  A great way to recycle all of those note books all filled with scribbles and notes that are no longer needed. This lined paper is the perfect weight to make  all types of paper beads and they can be decorated any way you so choose.

Handmade Paper :  You can either make your own Paper Making DIY

, or you can head a local art store where they are more than likely to have a large assortment of art papers to choose from.  These papers will add a lot of texture to your beads that you will not get from any other types of papers.

Brown Paper Bags:  Brown paper bags can give you a heavier bead that when colored and stained can end up looking like wooden beads, and more earthy types of beads.

Wrapping Papers : Using wrapping papers gives you a lot of choices in color and pattern for your paper beads.  This is a very good paper to choose but one downfall of using these is that the chance of the colors bleeding are higher so make sure to make a few test paper beads first to make sure that the glaze you are using to cover them will not ruin them.

Construction Paper :  A thicker heavier paper giving you a more bulkier bead it also has a chance to bleed and color your fingers while making paper beads with it.

Specialty Papers :  These are the finer types of papers  such as rice papers and Japanese chiyogami papers.  

IBDCraftyLady Paper Bead Project