Your personal photos are as valuable as any precious stone, so why not turn them into keepsake jewelry! Paper beads are fun and easy to make, and they are a perfect project to make while streaming your favorite show. Spend some time picking out your favorite photos, print them, and turn them into paper beads from photos.
MAKE PAPER BEADS FROM PHOTOS
WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO MAKE PAPER BEADS
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- Color printer
- Digital photos
- Scissors, craft knife, or a paper trimmer
- Glue stick
- Toothpick
- Nail polish or other clear sealer
- Bracelet form
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HOW TURN PHOTOS INTO PAPER BEADS
Watch this video or scroll down to the instructions below to see how to make your own paper beads. I have hours and hours of crafty videos on my YouTube channel, so hop over and check them out!
Making Paper Beads from Your Photos
- Printing your digital photos.
Begin by sending your photos to your color printer to print on standard printer paper. Colorful photos sized to 8.5″ x 11″ work best.
- Cut the photos into triangular paper strips.
Trim off any white edges, then cut the paper into long, thin triangles.
- Rolling paper beads.
Lay one triangle image down on your work surface. Run a glue stick over the top (unprinted) side of the paper. Beginning at the wide end of the paper triangle, tightly roll the paper around the toothpick.
- Sealing paper beads.
When you have reached the end of the triangle, coat the paper bead with clear nail polish. Slide the bead off of the toothpick and onto a plate. Allow the nail polish to fully dry before handling.
PAPER BEAD VARIATIONS
This is a super fun technique but feel free to put your own twist on it. You can make your beads out of things other than photos. For example:
- Junk mail
- Scrapbook paper
- Old magazines
- Wrapping paper
- Wallpaper
You can also seal the paper beads with sealants other than nail polish. You could also use Mod Podge, varnish, or a thin coat of glue to seal your paper bead jewelry.
You might also like these other jewelry making DIYs:
TWO-MINUTE BEAD & TASSEL BANGLES
