Hello! I hope your Holy Week has been going well. As you can see, I have been taking bit of a break from on-line distractions this week, but am back today with #MyFavoriteBloggers to share an upcycle project: Newspaper Beads. This project does take a little time, but I really love that I started with, well, garbage and ended up with beads that can be transformed into jewelry, or, in my case, rosaries.
Like I said, it does take a little bit of time to make Newspaper Beads, so if you have that time…and don’t mind getting a little dirty along the way, here is how to make your own Newspaper Beads:
- Gather your newspaper and rip it into 1″ or smaller pieces. Then, place those pieces in the bottom of a stock pot. Pour boiling water over the newspaper and allow it to sit for an hour on low heat. Stir and work on getting the newspaper into even smaller pieces.
- Once cool, remove the newspaper from the stock pot and attempt to get as much of the water out as possible. This is really important–the more water you get out at this point, the better, so take your time. Once that is done, add a generous amount of Elmer’s glue to the Newspaper mush, and work it through, once again trying to get the newspaper to break down even more.
- Now it’s time to start rolling newspaper balls. I made a variety of sizes of balls. For this step, you will have rounder, smoother beads if you have really worked on getting the newspaper to break down. Also, as you roll really work to get as much extra water out of the newspaper mush as possible.
- Allow to dry for a couple days (length of drying time will depend on how successful you were at getting that water out!). Turn the little balls from time to time to avoid getting a flat side.
- And finally, add a hole. I found that the easiest way to do this was with a drill.
- Paint and seal with Mod Podge.
After the beads are dry, drilled, painted and sealed it is time to get creative! I made a bracelet…and…a couple rosaries!
For a full tutorial on how to make this Rosary, click HERE.
Aren’t upcycle projects fun? Well, if you are hungry for some more re-purpose, re-use projects, check out these other great ideas from my friends #MyFavoriteBloggers:
From Left to Right:
Crochet Rug from T-shirts from One Dog Woof
Rustic Mason Jar Vase from Suburble
Upcycled No-Sew Fun for Kids from Creative Capital B
Wipes Container to Craft Storage from It Happens in a Blink
Fabric Crochet Coaster Pattern from Petals to Picots
Upcycled Newspaper Beads from Do Small Things with Love
DIY Silverware Kitchen Clock from The Benson Street
Thanks for stopping by,
I think you could use white paper or any colored paper leftover from junk mail. And poke your hole with a large needle before it dries to avoid having to use a drill. How about a little food coloring in the wet paper or water color paint in the glue mix. Then you wouldn’t have to paint after. (suing rubber gloves to mix and roll so hands wouldn’t get so messy.) Also a couple spoons of corn starch added would give you really hard beads and a bit of smooth and sheen to them. Just a few added ideas to a great project.
thank you for sharing these great ideas!
Very cool- who would have thought! The edgy shape of the beads is awesome! Hope your Easter was great, Nancy 🙂
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How fun! I love the chunkiness of these beads, Nancy!
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