Crafting at Home + Creative Recycling: PAPER BEADS

Not only is there a huge range of paper products with which these beads can be made, there are lots of different shapes and sizes that are possible! See the photos and descriptions below for different experimental bead variations created in learning and practicing this process. Check out the tips box for other ideas!

*all beads shown on toothpicks for scale*

Bead #1 (oblong):
recycled food box / glue stick / no varnish
[5½" x 1" isosceles triangle]

Bead #2 (oblong):
recycled food box / super glue / diluted liquid glue varnish
[5½" x 1" isosceles triangle]

Bead #3 (oblong):
recycled food box / super glue / clear nail polish
[5½" x 1" isosceles triangle]

Bead #4 (oblong):
recycled food box / super glue / no varnish
[5½" x 1" isosceles triangle]

Bead #5 (oblong):
recycled food box / glue stick / gloss varnish
[5½" x 1" isosceles triangle]

Bead #6 (teardrop):
recycled food box / super glue / no varnish
[5½" x ½" right triangle]

Bead #7 (oblong):
scrap paper / super glue / no varnish
[11" x 1" isosceles triangle]

Bead #8 (oblong):
scrap paper / glue stick / clear nail polish
[11" x 1" isosceles triangle]

Bead #9 (oblong):
scrap paper / super glue / no varnish
[11" x 1" isosceles triangle]

Bead #10 (oblong):
scrap paper / glue stick / gloss varnish
[11" x 1" isosceles triangle]

Bead #11 (cone):
scrap paper / glue stick / no varnish
[11" x ½" right triangle]

Bead #12 (oblong):
scrap paper / glue stick / gloss varnish
[11" x ½" isosceles triangle]

Bead #13 (cone):
scrap paper / glue stick / no varnish
[11" x ¼" right triangle]

Bead #14 (sphere):
recycled food box / super glue / diluted liquid glue varnish
[5½" x ½" isosceles triangle]

Bead #15 (sphere):
scrap paper / glue stick / no varnish
[11" x ¼" isosceles triangle]

Bead #16 (doughnut):
recycled food box / super glue / no varnish
[5½" x ¼" isosceles triangle]

Bead #17 (oblong):
scrap paper / glue stick / diluted liquid glue varnish
[11" x 1" isosceles triangle]

Bead #18 (oblong):
scrap paper / glue stick / clear nail polish
[11" x ½" isosceles triangle]

Bead #19 (oblong):
scrap paper / glue stick / diluted liquid glue varnish
[11" x ½" isosceles triangle]

Bead #20 (doughnut):
recycled food box / super glue / gloss varnish
[5½" x ¼" isosceles triangle]

Bead #21 (doughnut):
recycled food box / super glue / clear nail polish
[5½" x ¼" isosceles triangle]

Bead #22 (doughnut):
recycled food box / super glue / diluted liquid glue varnish
[5½" x ¼" isosceles triangle]

Bead #23 (cone):
recycled food box / super glue / no varnish
[5½" x ¼" right triangle]

Bead #24 (sphere):
recycled food box / super glue / gloss varnish
[5½" x ½" isosceles triangle]

Bead #25 (sphere):
recycled food box / super glue / clear nail polish
[5½" x ½" isosceles triangle]

Bead #26 (sphere):
recycled food box / super glue / no varnish
[5½" x ½" isosceles triangle]

Bead #27 (teardrop):
recycled food box / glue stick / no varnish
[11" x ½" right triangle]

Bead #28 (oblong):
wrapping paper / glue stick / diluted liquid glue varnish
[9" x 1" isosceles triangle]

Bead #29 (oblong):
wrapping paper / glue stick / no varnish
[9" x 1" isosceles triangle]

Bead #30 (cone):
wrapping paper / glue stick / diluted liquid glue varnish
[9" x ½" right triangle]

Bead #31 (teardrop):
wrapping paper / glue stick / no varnish
[9" x ½" right triangle]

Bead #32 (oblong):
wrapping paper / glue stick / no varnish
[9" x ½" isosceles triangle]

Bead #33 (oblong):
wrapping paper / glue stick / clear nail polish
[9" x ½" isosceles triangle]

Bead #34 (teardrop):
wrapping paper / glue stick / no varnish
[12" x ½" right triangle]

Bead #35 (teardrop):
wrapping paper / glue stick / clear nail polish
[12" x ½" right triangle]

Bead #36 (teardrop):
wrapping paper / glue stick / no varnish
[20" x 1" right triangle]

Bead #37 (cone):
wrapping paper / glue stick / clear nail polish
[20" x 1" right triangle]

Bead #38 (oblong):
* WRAPPING PAPER EXAMPLE WITH STEP IMAGES *
wrapping paper / glue stick / no varnish
[9" x 1" isosceles triangle]

Bead #39 (teardrop):
wrapping paper / glue stick / no varnish
[9" x ½" right triangle]

Bead #40 (oblong):
wrapping paper / glue stick / no varnish
[9" x ½" isosceles triangle]

Bead #41 (sphere):
* FOOD BOX EXAMPLE WITH STEP IMAGES *
recycled food box / super glue / clear nail polish
[7" x ½" isosceles triangle]

Bead #42 (oblong):
* 1" OBLONG BEADS TEMPLATE *
scrap paper / glue stick / diluted liquid glue varnish
[11" x 1" isosceles triangle]

Bead #43 (oblong):
* ½" OBLONG BEADS TEMPLATE *
scrap paper / glue stick / diluted liquid glue varnish
[11" x ½" isosceles triangle]

Bead #44 (sphere):
* ¼" OBLONG BEADS TEMPLATE *
scrap paper / glue stick / diluted liquid glue varnish
[11" x ¼" isosceles triangle]

Bead #45 (cone):
* 1" CONE-SHAPED OR TEARDROP BEADS TEMPLATE *
scrap paper / glue stick / diluted liquid glue varnish
[11" x 1" right triangle]

Bead #46 (teardrop):
* ½" CONE-SHAPED OR TEARDROP BEADS TEMPLATE *
scrap paper / glue stick / diluted liquid glue varnish
[11" x ½" right triangle]

Bead #47 (cone):
* ¼" CONE-SHAPED OR TEARDROP BEADS TEMPLATE *
scrap paper / glue stick / diluted liquid glue varnish
[11" x ¼" right triangle]

Bead #48 (tube):
* 1" TUBE-SHAPED BEADS TEMPLATE *
scrap paper / glue stick / diluted liquid glue varnish
[11" x 1" rectangle]

Bead #49 (tube):
* ½" TUBE-SHAPED BEADS TEMPLATE *
scrap paper / glue stick / diluted liquid glue varnish
[11" x ½" rectangle]

Bead #50 (tube):
* ¼" TUBE-SHAPED BEADS TEMPLATE *
scrap paper / glue stick / diluted liquid glue varnish
[11" x ¼" rectangle]

Wrapping paper lends itself extremely well to making paper beads. It is easy to cut longer lengths (which leads to thicker beads); many papers have a 1" grid marked out on the back; it comes in a huge range of colors and patterns (some of them even metallic, as shown below); and you can typically make multiple beads out of just scrap pieces that might otherwise be tossed!

Start by selecting a nice wrapping paper. Thicker paper is easier to work with but any paper will do. Cut a section the length you want to use for your set of beads. This can be just about any length, but the beads shown here were made with 9" strips.

Mark off the top and bottom of your paper for the width of your beads. They can be any size from around ¼" - 1". The beads shown here are 1" wide. If your wrapping paper has grid lines on the back, use them to your advantage! Unless you are making tubular beads, you will need to stagger your top and bottom marks in order to create triangles (see next step).

The beads shown here are an oblong shape. For these, you will need long isosceles triangles. The top and bottom marks should be staggered by half their width. Since these are 1" long, the bottom marks are shifted by ½". Connect the marks with a straightedge and pencil to create the triangular strips.

Cut apart the triangles. You will be left with half-width right triangles from the sides; you can discard these or save them to make matching cone-shaped or teardrop beads.

On the back of the 1" side of the triangle, put about ¼" of glue up to the edge. Place a toothpick right below this glue line.

Fold the paper over the toothpick onto itself, making sure to line the edge up as straight as you can. This will make it easier to roll the bead evenly.

Crease the paper against the toothpick with your fingernail and slide the strip along the toothpick as the glue dries to prevent it from sticking. This will form the channel inside the bead.

Add more glue along the paper. When starting out, you may want to add just a little bit at a time. As you practice the technique, you can add a few inches at once.

Roll the paper tightly around the toothpick, sticking it to itself with the glue as you go. 

Be sure to keep checking the sides of the roll to make sure it is nice and tight on both ends. If it starts to loosen up, unroll as much as you need to in order to fix the gap.

Keep adding more glue in sections along the full length of the triangle strip. With the paper strip proportions used here, you should only see a sliver of each layer below the ones on top of it.

When making an oblong bead, be sure to keep the triangle strip centered on itself as you roll.

Roll the paper all the way to the end of the strip. Glue the tip down well, as it may peel up a bit on some papers. Leave to dry on the toothpick, sticking it into a holder of some sort to keep it upright. Styrofoam, an egg carton, clay, or a small cardboard box will all work.

Once the glue is dry, your bead is done! If desired, it can be varnished with any number of options from diluted liquid glue to clear nail polish to gloss varnish. Just be sure to test on a scrap of the paper you have chosen to determine if it will damage the colors or any special finishes.

Repeat the process with the rest of the triangles cut out in the early steps, up to as many as needed for your chosen project or just to have on hand!

General:

• Many other sources with instructions for rolled paper beads do not start with the ¼" fold-over section. It was determined in the course of practicing these variations that including this step reduces the likelihood of the bead sticking to the toothpick and also helps with alignment when rolling the paper strip.
• Roughly speaking, a scrap paper strip will need to be twice as long as a food box strip to achieve the same final bead dimensions. However, the paper thickness is key to this approximation. If you have specific end dimensions in mind, you may need to experiment with your chosen paper to achieve the desired start length for your paper strips (and therefore end width of your finished beads).
• If you have access to a paper cutter, use it! Whether triangles or rectangles, all of the bead shapes described on this page use straight lines to form the strips so this will save you a chunk of time.
• If you don't have access to colored paper, experiment with scrap paper (including junk mail)! Draw on paper strips before rolling or use markers or paint to color beads when done. Try doing two steps in one - use colored nail polish as the color and the varnish!
• Once the technique has been practiced, the beads much easier to make in batches. That is, mark out and cut a bunch of strips at once; glue them over their toothpicks; roll each one; varnish all at once. If you have a specific end project in mind, make a few more than the needed quantity of beads so there are extras in case something happens to one or a couple along the way.
• Not only can you use an egg carton to hold onto the toothpicks of drying beads, it's a great no-purchase option to store your finished beads!

Paper Selection:

• Any paper will do for this craft! However, the thinner the paper, the longer the starting strip will need to be to get a decently thick finished bead.
• Colored papers are nice, but don't expect to know how a pattern will turn out until you try it. Only tiny bits of the paper will show on each layer so color or pattern variation may not turn out as anticipated.
• If using a recycled food box, avoid sections that have perforations or creases in the cardboard.
• Consider both sides of any available paper. The back side of any given food box may look perfectly nice for your project - see Bead #24 in the variations box.

Glue Choice:

• A relatively quick-drying glue is best for this craft, BUT hot glue is not recommended because it dries thicker. This prevents the paper layers from being nice and tight.
• Gel-type super glue works quite well on beads made from recycled food boxes but NOT on regular paper or wrapping paper. It is extremely difficult to roll evenly when used on paper - see Bead #9 in the variations. 
• If using super glue, it will likely get on your fingers! See Loctite's recommendations for tips on removal (cooking oil before hand washing works pretty well).
• If using a glue stick on cardboard, be patient. Ensure that the initial fold-over around the toothpick has dried fully before attempting to roll the strip. This glue on the smooth finish of the printed side of the cardboard can get slippery.
• Be wary of glue sticking to the toothpick. Even when the rolling is complete, check that the bead slides freely.

Paper Rolling:

• The most important aspect of the rolling process for solidity is to keep the paper layers tight. Check throughout and if they start to come apart, unroll if possible and make them tighter.
• The other important part of rolling is to maintain the proper alignment, as this is what determines the bead's final shape. (See the category Bead Shape below.)

Bead Shape:

• OBLONG: This bead shape is made with an isosceles triangle paper strip and should maintain center alignment while it is being rolled. 
• SPHERE: Making a spherical bead can be tricky to get the dimensions right, depending on your paper's thickness. Like an oblong bead, it is made with an isosceles triangle paper strip and should maintain center alignment. If using scrap paper, the strips should generally be ¼" wide and 11" long. If using a recycled food box, they should be roughly ½" wide and 5½" long (or these same proportions in other widths).
• DOUGHNUT: This shape of bead should generally be made from a recycled food box as the strips would need to be very long and narrow from thinner paper (this is more difficult to cut and handle). Again, it uses an isosceles triangle strip rolled on the center line with a start width narrower than the proportions of a spherical bead.
• CONE: A cone-shaped bead is made from a right triangle paper strip. It should be aligned from start to end on the edge which is perpendicular to the start fold. Keep a fingernail held against this edge to keep it flat.
• TEARDROP: This shape of bead starts out the same as a cone-shaped bead (and also uses a right triangle strip). However, as the one end starts to thicken, the alignment of the triangle should drift slightly back toward the center, creating a rounder thick end that tapers to one side.
• TUBE: This is the most basic shape of bead. It starts with a simple rectangular paper strip and maintains center alignment. The edges should be flush on both sides.
• OTHER: Explore the links at the top of this page for other ideas or experiment with some of your own!

Varnish Options:

• Be sure to test your varnish selection before applying to beads! Clear nail polish in particular may damage the paper's color or finish - particularly, it may yellow whiter papers or break down metallic finishes.
• Clear nail polish gave the glossiest finish of the three varnishes tested here (specifically older, thicker polish). 
• For diluted liquid glue varnish, don't add too much water as the beads will soak up a lot of the moisture and the ends of the paper may start to peel up (this also happened on one of the beads with commercial gloss varnish). Multiple ratios were tried here, but 3 parts white school glue to 1 part water seemed to work well.
• Multiple coats of varnish are certainly an option. Experiment to determine your preferred finish!
• Even if the bead slides freely on the toothpick after the glue has dried, be vigilant while varnish is drying! A good bead can be ruined if the varnish seals it to the toothpick. In order to prevent messing up the finish, a separate toothpick may be used around the edges of the bead's core; nudge the drying bead along its holder toothpick periodically so it doesn't stick. 

Recycled food boxes are quite useful to make larger beads. Since they are thicker, you do not need such long strips to get a decent sized bead and you can get quite a few beads out of one small box. They are also less likely to be damaged by various varnishes. Since they are less delicate to handle both throughout the process and when finished, they may be a better option if younger children want to participate in the bead-making.

Select a box you like the colors of (or use any box if you just want the brown of the inside), but remember that you will only see slivers of the colors and any images in any given layer of your beads. The box does not need to be huge as it is much easier to achieve a larger bead with cardboard than with thinner papers. The beads shown here are roughly spherical, created from triangular strips measuring only 7" x ½".

First, open the box along its seams. Mark off a section that is the length you will need for your bead strips. Again, the beads shown here are made with strips that are 7" long.

Mark off the width on the top and bottom of your cardboard section. Again, these triangles are ½" wide. They should be staggered by half their width to make isosceles triangles (the ones shown here are shifted by ¼" on the bottom). Connect your marks with a straightedge to form the triangles.

Cut out the triangles. You will have half-width right triangles left on the sides; discard these or keep them to create matching cone-shaped beads.

Form the ½" side of the triangle around a toothpick to take on the shape, leaving a strip on the end about ¼" wide. Apply a bit of super glue (or other glue - see note) to the end.

NOTE: Gel-type super glue works well for cardboard boxes because it does not slide around like the glue from a glue stick. However, you will almost definitely end up with super glue on your fingers should you choose to use this method, so stick with a glue stick if you are working with kids or if you want to keep your hands cleaner!

Fold the glued section down onto the triangle strip and hold to seal, forming the bead's inside channel.

Insert the toothpick into the channel and slide the cardboard along it a few times, ensuring that the toothpick does not stick to any residual glue.

Begin to wrap the strip tightly around the toothpick to start forming the proper shape.

Unwind the cardboard and apply a few inches of glue. You may want to start with just a little bit while practicing the technique.

Roll the paper strip tightly around itself, adhering with the glue. For this shape bead (more or less spherical), be sure to keep the triangle as centered as possible as you wind it.

Wind the bead all the way to the tip of the triangle, keeping it tight and centered the whole length.

It's done! You can leave as-is or varnish with a coating of your choice. See further steps below for one version.

Repeat the process with as many triangle strips as needed for your chosen project or just to have on-hand. It's easier to have the whole set ready before varnishing.

If you are using super glue, the beads should already be dry by the time you are done rolling them. If you are using a glue stick, leave them on their toothpicks to dry.

If you are going to varnish your beads, they will need to remain on their toothpicks and have some sort of holder set up. A foam block is super easy because it is ready to go but if you don't have access to one, a cardboard box with holes poked through is a simple alternative.

Paint on your choice of varnish. Try to keep it clean around the toothpicks, as dried varnish can seal the beads to the sticks just as easily as the glue used to roll them up. You can use diluted liquid craft glue, a purchased gloss varnish, or even clear nail polish as shown here. (In fact, nail polish that has gotten a bit old and is too thick to be used easily on nails is perfect for this!)

Leave the beads to dry. Depending on the thickness of your varnish and the ambient temperature/humidity, this may take 30 minutes or so.

Using the Template Files:

The instructions and photos on this page were intentionally created without using a template so those who may not have access to a printer might still follow along. If you are able to print, you can use any of the templates posted here to save the time and effort of measuring and drawing out the lines for the paper strips. Be sure to print the file at "actual size" to end up with the anticipated size of paper strips (though they will still be usable to make beads if printed at a smaller percentage). You will need to use a writing implement and a straightedge to continue all straight lines to the very edges of the paper where they will not print. These templates are all intended to be printed on Letter sized paper (8½" x 11"), whether scrap paper, decorative printer paper, or printable cardstock.

Keep in Mind: 

Reference the variation images for Beads #42-50 to see what the template beads will look like when made from plain white printer paper. The black lines MAY show through the paper when done, depending on the weight. If this is undesirable, use a darker or thicker paper or color/paint the beads to create a preferable finish.

Oblong Bead Templates:

(made from isosceles triangle strips)

Cone-Shaped / Teardrop Bead Templates:

(made from right triangle strips)

Tube Bead Templates:

(made from rectangular strips)

Instruction Sheet:

(from the online class presented 9/16/20)

Watch a video demonstration of the making of three different bead shapes. Click the link below.

Paper Beads on SSPL's YouTube Channel