A hobby of mine.

[janiejoey]

Making jewelry has been a hobby of mine, it seems forever. Not selling, just wanted to share. I'm already getting ready for this years Christmas gifts. LOL

Beads I put together from mood stones and various other beads. These are sets of earrings and necklaces.

Other beads I put together to make sets.

The pictures just don't them justice at all.

These are my favorites. They are made from magazines, and made into paper beads. I love making them and putting them together. Can also make them (by finding the correct pages of the magazines) same color schemes. The available designs are endless and up to ones imagination.

The pictures don't do it justice at all, they are so much better in real life. You don't even know they are paper, not even when you look up close. All one can tell is that they are very unique looking beads.

They are also waterproof, but not to the extent to wear them in water. LOL They are really nice to wear when dancing, dinner, plays...when you want something no one else has and is very unique.

Janie

 

[handels]

It's just gorgeous, Janie! The gals on your xmas list are very lucky! How did you learn to make beads of paper? Is there a word for that technique? I was just thinking that I don't have enough hobbies

Thanks for sharing your creations with us. It's all so beautiful!!!

 

[caseysmomgo]

Janie, these are gorgeous! I've also been thinking I don't have enough hobbies and would love to try jewelry, since I'm a jewelry junkie.

I'm intrigued by the paper beads, as I've never seen this before and they look amazing! I love unique things, and it would be exciting to be able to create new designs, just by finding different magazine pages... Are there any books available showing how to do this?

Thanks for sharing!

 

[janiejoey]

Oh, I can see when I give you the site where I learned how to make paper beads, that you will be very busy in deed.

Paper Beads | Jewelry Made From Recycled Paper Beads

There are tutorials to follow on cutting paper, and to put together some pieces. It's a great site.


Thank you for the complements. Hope once you make a couple pieces of jewelry, that you will take a picture for me to see.

Enjoy! It's a fascinating way to make beads.

Janie

 

[BeethovenRocks]

They are lovely! Boy, would I love to be a friend on your Christmas list
How long does it take you on average to make a piece?
A family friend of ours who's originally from Nicaragua makes jewelry as well (and is also really great at flower arranging). She'll also allow you to choose your own beads and put them together in really original styles.

Wishing you a productive year ahead

 

[kathryn]

Janie: Very pretty! I like the color choices.
Paper beads are something I'd like to try, but haven't yet (I'm slowly making my way through different jewelry-making techniques).
I think it would be a great way to turn junk mail into something useful.
I'd love to see a better picture of that bracelet in the last photo (on the left). It's hard to see the details. (I think the textured background, like the white 'lambskin'-like material you've photographed on, might make it hard for the camera to focus. Also, do you have a 'close-up' setting on your camera? One of my cameras has a flower symbol to represent close-ups, and I've found that works best for my jewelry photos...though I'm sure I could do better!)

 

[janiejoey]

Kathryn,

Thank you for the compliment. You can see a tutorial on it here: Paper Beads | Jewelry Made From Recycled Paper Beads Look for the "Tutorial" word on the right hand column. Once you see the video, you won't need to see another photo. Let me know if you still do though, and I will put up a better picture of the bracelet. Just PM me.

It's easy to make them once you see how to do it for yourself. Very unique and classy. Another one that is unique is the Sea Anenomi ring. (The last photo on the upper right) Gorgeous! The person who instructs on the video is Janis Mae. Look for her, she's the best.

Janie

 

[kathryn]

I bit: I ordered the bead-making kit from that site (thanks for the info, Janie).

Now, to prepare, I should go through the two grocery-bags-full of paper I have ready to recycle and save out what might be useful.

Janie: What kind of paper makes good (pretty) beads: magazines (I'd think ads would be a good source, as they pay mucho dinero to come up with color schemes that are eye-catching and will help sell things)? book pages (I'm thinking of 'recycling' some of my old French novels that way)?

 

[zippity]

Very very pretty!!!!! Thanks for the photos!

 

[janiejoey]

Kathryn,

Here are some of the things I use to make beads with:

round toothpicks, they work really well
bead makers (some make rather big holes, but hey it's a different effect)
pens that you get from a hardware store (they look like bobby pins in a way) and can make 1/4 " to 1" beads. Very nifty.
Part of a large paper clip will work on some paper, but not all of them, use the ones with a coating on them, take the length you need and cut the rest off.

Paper I use: Also I sometimes cut and paste to make the bead to my liking. You'll see what I mean once you start making them.
Magazines of all types:
Muscle (you get nice black beads)
Nursery magazines for the garden (this is where you cut and paste the most).
Books are an absolute must
Paper from craft store (they tend to be thicker and don't need to be as long as the magazines paper
Walk around the Mall and ask for their packages that are made from paper. I know, I'm eccentric, what can I say?
Cat and Dog food bags (beautiful)
Ribbon
Silk
Fabric that has been fused
Sheet Music paper is wonderful in a tube style bead (I use an off color, it looks better, then decorate the ends with embossing powder) I sometimes use watered down calligraphy ink to stain the pages. Comes in a verity of colors. It's magic.
Using only words from magazines are amazing, especially put together with certain swarovski beads, you will be amazed once they are put together how beautiful they are.
comics from newspaper, or books
brown paper bags
maps are a must
Use water color, acrylics, nail polish to get even more effects with your beads.
Let your imagination sore!

I've seen some of your beautiful jewelry and would love to see what you come up with on these paper beads.

Enjoy and have the best time with these creative beads.

Janie