Flower beads making

No matter what time of year it is, I love flowers. These colorful paper flower beads are made using pieces of your favorite scrapbooking paper. You can make them more seasonal by making red and white ones the winter, orange and yellow ones in the fall, or pink ones in the spring. Or you can just experiment with using all sorts of fun paper patterns and colors!

Bead Making Supplies:

• Scrapbook paper
• Rhinestone (optional. I used a 7 mm rhinestone)
• Glue (Elmers or Mod Podge)
• Bead roller (toothpick, metal roller, small straw, etc.)
• Small paintbrush for applying glue

Instructions for making Flower Beads:

1. For each flower bead, cut the following:

• 12 inch x 1/2 inch strip (center of the flower)
• 4 inch x 3/4 inch strip (pedals)
• 4 inch x 1/4 inch strip (stringing hole/hanger)

2. Place the longest piece of paper (center of the flower) face down on your working surface.

3. About 2 inches from the edge of the longest strip, glue the paper for making the “stringing hole” face up and perpundicular to the long strip.

4. About 1 inch from the edge of the longest strip, glue the paper for the pedals face up.

5. Let glue dry for a few moments.

6. Cut strips in the pedal paper perpundicular to the long strip. Cut each strip just down to where the strips are glued together. Don’t cut through where they are glued together.

7. Using a small paint brush, apply Elmers Glue or Mod Podge to the entire length of the strip. (Don’t apply to the cut part of the pedals or to the strip that becomes the hanger.)

8. Starting on the narrow edge, roll the strip to make the flower.

9. Cut the flower pedal that lies on the outside of the strip for the stringing hole/hanger.

10. To make the hole for stringing the bead, roll the perpendicular strip around a roller. Add a dab of glue and fix it to the outside of the flower

11. Slip the paper flower bead off of the roller, spread pedals gently, and let dry.

12. If you want a little extra sparkle, glue a rhinestone on the center of the pedal. (You may have to experiment with the size of the rhinestone that you’ll need.)