I'm known in my neighborhood as EcoLady because I recycle things that I collect while on my neighborhood walks.

Lending a Helping Hand to Mother Nature

Hi there, thanks for stopping by.

I'm known as Eco-Lady in my neighborhood because I recycle paper to make beautiful beads and collect aluminum cans to turn into reycling centers. :-)

I was watching TV one day and saw some women doing something behind the main 'character' of the ad. Normally I would channel surf to something else, but I wanted to know if the ad would tell me about what the women were doing. Nope it didn't but the ad cameras did show a closeup of the main 'character' which of course gave me a much better image of what the ladies were doing.

They were making beads out of paper!! How about that, paper that was being thrown away these women were using to make beautiful beads which they then used to make one of a kind jewelry treasures. I could do that cuz I knew I could get my hands on lots of trashed paper.

You see, I had already been collecting aluminum cans and I was always seeing paper along the roadsides...BINGO... another thing to collect and much easier to store until needed.

I spent a full day researching on just how to begin...and BEGIN I did.

I made lightweight cardboard templates to make bead shapes to do. Since I work on a wooden coffee table, I use a fabric mat to protect its surface. The measurement lines helps when I make beads without templates.

Here's the bead templates I use most often:
Top template creates tapered beads
Middle template creates hourglass beads
Bottom template creates oval beads
My paper base widths usually measure no more than 11/4 inches.

As you see, my templates have a 'square' for their bases. This makes rolling them easy and gives each bead a sturdy beginning base, and it's just my technique. If I already have a 'Color Theme' in mind then I concentrate on it when searching for paper that I can use. A customer with 2 teenage girls asked for 'color themes' that were Black/Green and Black/Red...it took me a while to make enough beads to make their necklaces. I was happily rewarded with their smiles of Thank You for my efforts :-)

Here's some of my beads using the templates above:

Tapered

Notice how these are thicker at the base. I also call these Teardrop and sometimes use them for pendants or accent beads.

Hourglass

These are thick at both ends with smaller centers.

Oval

Ovals have a much thicker middle.

Tube

These are the easiest to do in my opinion. I make a LOT of them!

Step #4 Overview

As you see, this magazine page is a car advertisement with color gradients. You will see that I have cut out a TUBE paper shape and have folded over one end to allow space for my rolling tool. Now it doesn't matter which side of the paper tube you glue, you can roll your bead from either side, decide that when you actually rolling the bead. Don't ask WHAT my rolling tool is, I have no idea...I just know it works great for me. WHY you wonder? It's diameter makes a bead hole just the size I want...not too small and definitely not straw big! It's length is nice though not as important as the bead holes I produce with it. This tool is itself a recycled item, I found it one day when on my 1-2 mile walks. I'm always on the lookout for something that I can use.

Step #9 Overview

Now I imagine you know exactly what this is...an Egg Carton!! That's right I found they make fantastic drying trays. As you see, beads that I have completed with my Triple Thick sealant, acrylic paint, nail polish, Mod Podge, Elmers Glue, etc. get stuck on a toothpick which easily fits in an already done egg compartment hole. Of course, the egg carton has to be upside down so I can utilize each egg compartment itself. WHY you ask? Each egg compartment has sides of its own which helps to prevent larger beads from leaning towards others and possibility touching them while all are WET with sealant. I usually poke holes in several drying trays before I begin sealing my beads. As I fill up two drying trays with finished beads, I move them to my dining table, book shelf, kitchen cabinet, etc...just anywhere they can stay for 24 hours without being disturbed. In good warm weather, drying times might be only a few hours.

I use old business card stock paper and unused acrylic paint from earlier projects to make simple decorated advertising cards. I then place them into new ziplock bags since the old ones do not make a good presentation. As you notice I decorate the ad card with specifics about the handmade item. I then can store the products and not worry about preparing them any further for shipment. I ship only to USA addresses and each product is inside a bubble envelope for protection. Also packaging this way allows me to carry several to show the people I meet when I go walking.
Word of Mouth Advertising while exercising too!!

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Miscellaneous Craft Supplies I Use:
* Scraps of colorful paper
* Scissors or a small utility knife
* Straws or some sort of rolling tool
* Glue or paste to bind rolled layers together, Elmer's works great
* Fingernail Polish, Varnish, Lacquer, etc. I use DecoArt Triple Thick
* Threading materials such as string, ribbon, yarn, etc.

My Beading Technique:
1. If you have no project in mind and just want to practice, I suggest you begin with a TUBE bead. They are simple and easy.

2. Now decide which type of paper you want to use, I recommend a magazine page because they are a bit heavier than newspaper and will help you develop your technique.
3. Make each bead have a 1 1/4 inch base, this size is easy to work with and you should get quite a few from one magazine page.
4. Now take one cut piece of pager and put a small line of glue at it's base, then fold over the bead base so that you have a space to insert your rolling tool. I've provided an image for part of this step in the middle section. It's the long 1 inch strip on top of the magazine page.

5. I repeat step #4 for all pieces I cut. This gives those done first a chance to dry. How you lay these out is your preference, I just lay them on top of each other but if you have excess glue don't do that because they will stick to each other while drying.
6. Remember the long 1 inch strip in Step #4, here's how to actually beginning the rolling process. I do one bead at a time now. You insert your rolling tool, placing it at the top part of the bead base and begin your rolling process. It might be a little tricky at first to get your rolls tight so you can use just a dab of glue to help the paper layers stick to each other. The tighter you can roll the bead, the sturdier it will be - but watch out, the paper can tear.

7. Once I have rolled all my beads, then I go back to touch up glue to any that need it. I utilize a plastic butter tub lid and a toothpick. Put a small amount of glue on the lid, then when you find beads that need some use the toothpick, dip it into the glue and dab the bead, pressing down with your finger. Glue on your fingers easily comes off by rubbing them together.
8. Now you should have a bunch of Paper Beads, ready for completion.

9. I now prepare a few egg cartons to be my drying trays, see the image to the left. Depending upon which type of sealant you use, you will probably want to give the jar a few good shakes to keep the beads from sticking to each other.

10. Once your beads are DRY, they are ready for storage. I use wide mouth mayonnaise jars. DRY completed beads are free of all the floating stuff homes have, not to mention easy storage of several jars at a time for projects. When you have a specific COLOR project then use smaller jars of some type putting beads of one color hue in each jar. This helps you from having to LOOK for beads of a certain color among the hundreds you probably will make!

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