DIY Paper Bead Stretch Bracelet

I'm officially sick of the rain.  It's bad enough that it's chased me back inside to work on jewelry rather than playing in the garden or with power tools.  But, rather than be blue, I thought I'd whip up a little video tutorial to show you how to make your very own stretchy paper bead bracelet.

There are no jewelry tools required for this bracelet and it's as easy to make as it is to wear! All you'll need is:

• Paper beads
• A few store bought beads or smaller paper beads if you prefer
• Stretch Magic beading cord
• A dab of Krazy Glue
• A pair of scissors 

Don't forget I have lots of paper bead making tutorials over on my YouTube channel.  So if you need some help making your paper beads, be sure to check out some of my other video tutorials.

The "Trader Joe's Collection"

I can honestly say that I am pretty good at promoting others....other blogs, other products, other whatevers.  When it comes to self-promotion, I suck.  It's true.  This might lead you to believe that I don't actually like my own creations and this is not true. So I decided it was high time that I start sharing some of my favorite things - made by me.  And when it comes to picking my most favorite things I really have to go with Trader Joe's.  More specifically, my Trader Joe's line of paper bead jewelry.  Here are a few of the highlights and of course you can find more in my Etsy shop:

I fell in love with the box from Trader Joe's French Toast!  Well, I actually fell in love with the French Toast - but I digress.  The very first chunky style paper bead that I ever made was from this box:

And this is what I did with it:

Stretch Paper Bead Bracelet

And this:

Floating Paper Bead Necklace

And recently, I rolled up a bunch of paper beads from a Trader Joe's grocery shopping bags for the first time.  I think these are my favorite, I really like the little faces:

Trader Joe's Shopping Bag Earrings 

And, of course, I whipped up a little something for Valentine's Day:

Trader Joe's Shopping Bag Valentine's Necklace

So what do you think?  Do you have a taste for some french toast?

DIY Valentine Earrings: From Paper Beads and Soda Cans

And we jump straight from Christmas and New Year's to....Valentine's Day!  I'm actually not a fan of Valentine's Day, at least not the over commercialized Valentine's Day that we've all come to know and love.  Receiving highly over priced roses that will be dead in a week's time or waiting in line for two hours to get a table at your favorite restaurant are not all that romantic to me!! I'd much rather enjoy the company of loved one's while making dinner together and sharing handmade gifts from the heart.  To me, that says love! But I digress...

Today, I want to show you how I made these.

I did a video tutorial for this one so hop over to YouTube to get the step-by-step instructions.  You might find the following videos helpful, too, when making this pair of earrings:

How to cut an aluminum can

How to make a paper bead

Have fun with them!

How to Make Paper Bead Christmas Tree Earrings

Well hello there!  I thought I'd stop by my severely neglected blog today to share a little upcycled DIY project perfect for the holiday season.  If you make a habit of stalking my Etsy shop (and I hope you do), you may have seen these cute little country Christmas tree earrings:

If you're the DIY-type I'm going to show you how to make them yourself...right here in this YouTube video tutorial.  Of course, you still have some time to order them from my shop so stop by soon and pick up a pair or two.

How I Love a Happy Accident

For the longest time, I've cursed my beading wire every time I finished a bracelet or a necklace.  All too often I'd pull it quite tight and end up coiling the leftover wire like a piece of Christmas ribbon rendering it useless.  There is usually enough leftover for a bracelet and I typically cast it aside...until recently.  I stopped fighting it, that's a hard thing for me to do seeing as I'm a typical Scorpio and quite stubborn (er...determined!).  Anyway, here's some of the new pieces that I've made with the INTENTIONALLY coiled beading wire.  I'm actually loving this curly effect now that I've decided to go with the flow!

Newspaper Bead Necklaces

Map Paper Bead Bracelet

Newspaper Bead Bracelet

Wordless Wednesday Featuring my Upcycled Bead Drying Rack