DIY: Upcycled Paper Beads

Mad Mim's blog by Miriam Tribe has a great tutorial on how to make homemade paper beads using recycled / upcycled magazine paper.  Magazine paper really is one of our favorite materials.  There really are so many things you can do with it once you've finished reading it.

What you’ll need:
-magazines, colored paper, tissue paper, toilet paper (ok, maybe not) but really. Just get yourself some paper.
-Elmer’s glue, Modge podge, and some kind of varnish. I used spray polyurethane. One lady said she used Future Floor Finish, and another said she used nail polish.
-scissors, or a rotary blade, quilting ruler and cutting mat (way faster)
-round toothpicks
-something to stick your toothpicks in like a styrofoam tray or packing materials, or cardboard box.
-a paintbrush


Before you start cutting, I’ll say a word about paper choice. For beads that are mostly one color, choose an image that is mostly one color. Ok, so that’s logical, but just play around with different kinds of images i.e. colorful, more solid, mostly solid, monochromatic etc), and you’ll quickly get an idea for what kind of image creates what kind of bead.
Cut your strips: Measure 3/8″ from the bottom edge and mark.
Measure 3/4″ away from top edge and mark.
Now cut from the very top corner to your bottom mark. This prepares your next cut to be centered and the right size.

Cut from your top 3/4″ mark to the bottom corner. 
Repeat until you have what you need. At first I just was going for an assortment of colors, but then for a subsequent project I was looking for very specific colors, and only cut out as many strips as I needed to complete that certain project. You don’t have to use the full-length of the page either, and you can measure or longer than I have to make shorter or longer beads. Not a science here. You can also make rectangle strips to create tube beads, which I am using for another project. 
Start rolling a strip at the wide around a ROUND toothpick. You can use anything here, just as long as it’s pretty slender. Tooth picks are nice though because they’re reusable, yet disposable. Some people have special paper bead rolling machines. 
Keep rolling until you reach the very tip, 
and then add a dab of glue (anything type of glue will work here, I just liked elmer’s because it was easy to squeeze right onto the tip), 
and then wind the last bit of paper around the bead and hold until it stays. I usually rolled two beads per toothpick, and rolled all my beads to this point before I started mod-podging/varnishing.
Coat the beads in Mod Podge,


and then stick into your styrafoam tray or box or whatever.  Recoat after a good 4-8 hours. Or don’t wait that long, I won’t judge you. 
Now varnish. I just took my tray loaded with toothpicks outside and sprayed (two coats) of my polyurethane. I had semi-gloss, and wished I had high gloss. The more shine the better I say. If you use nail polish, you’d just paint again. If you use that floor finish or something that came in a tub or can you could just dip those suckers in. Just allow lots of drying time in between coats, and let them  thoroughly dry before you use them (only judging you a little bit if you can’t wait).

Remove from the toothpicks

DIY No Sew 10 Minute T-Shirt Bag

Leethal has an amazing tutorial on how to create your very own unique no sew 10 minute t-shirt draw string bottom bag!  Another idea that would make a perfect gift or something unique for your own wardrobe.  Now you just have to find a funky t-shirt that you want to make this awesome bag out of!

Here are some pictures that show you just how easy this tutorial is so you won't waste a second getting this project started:

DIY Fabric Flowers

Love, love, love these blue fabric DIY flower embellishments!  These would make a fabulous addition to just about anything - shirt, necklace, hat, purse, go crazy!

Today's tutorial comes from Chic Envelopments, who also has a great collection of other crafts to share, so check her out!!  

SUPPLIES:

- Fabric in 7 equal size circles (use old fabric and upcycle!)

- Fabric glue or hot glue

- Button or other embellishment for fantastical topper

Cut out circles. You’ll need 7 identical size circles for each flower.

 One circle will be the base. Fold the other circles in half then in thirds.

 

 

Glue each petal down using fabric glue.

 

You can add a button or any embellishment you like to the middle. 

Doesn't get much easier than that for something so fun and unique!

 

How to Make Recycled Magazine Paper Gift Bows

Want to learn to make FREE amazing recycled one of a kind magazine paper bows?  This is the tutorial for you!  Here are some quick examples of the bows I have made in the past, and all the varieties you can make with very little effort!  As you can see - I'm a tad obsessed and in love with these!!

SUPPLIES:

One magazine page for each bow you want

Scissors

Glue Stick OR double sided tape OR glue stick OR glue of some kind!

Ruler

Step 1

Pick a fun color page to make your bow out of - I chose a purpley blue.

NOTE: The whole page does not have to be the color you want the bow to be.  It just needs to be the majority color of the page - a little contrast is actually quite nice on the finished product.

Step 2

Cut your page into NINE 3/4" strips.  Leave THREE of those strips the full length.  Cut 1" of the top of THREE of them.  Cut 2" off the top of TWO of them.  Cut 3 and 1/2" off of ONE of them.  That should equal nine nice and ready to go pieces to your fabulous bow.

 

Step 3

Take your uncut full-length three strips and make figure eights out of each one of them using your glue or tape.  This sounds intimidating - don't be scared.  It's actually pretty easy.  

TIPS: fold the strip in half to create a center line, to keep your fancy pants figure eight even.  Put the color you want your bow to be face DOWN on your work space.  It will be on the outside in the end.

Now, take one end of the strip - bring it up to the center line you created, flip the top of the strip that is in your hand so that the other side of the paper is face up and tilt the end of the strip at and angle to make it "bow out" all nice like and glue it!  This may take a tad bit of practice, but once the light bulb goes off, your golden.

 

 

Step 4

Make fancy figure eights with ALL of your strips EXCEPT the shortest one (the 3.5" cut strip).  This short strip will be the circle in the center, so now figure eight for this one.  TIP: keep your cut strips together based on length so you can overlap them nicely when we assemble.

Step 5

Assembly time.  Overlap your full length figure eights into a flower like shape, making the base for the bow.  Put glue / tape in the center of each figure eight piece and overlap the next piece on top, securing it in place.  Continue overlapping from largest / longest strips to the shortest strips (there should only be two of those).

 Step 6

Take your shortest single strip and create a circle with it that fits nicely into the middle of your assembled bow.  I make the circle size relative to my bow size so that it's full and nice looking.  

 

That's it!  You have a wonderful one of a kind handmade bow to show off on top of a nice gift for anyone!!

Hope you enjoyed!

Leave me comments on how you did!!

Recycled Magazine Paper Bangle Bracelets

I found this amazing design at Extreme Cards and Paper Crafting and fell in love immediately!

http://extremecards.blogspot.com/2010/09/recycled-mail-gum-wrapper-chain-woven.html

They are easy and fun to create. Here are my blue, purple and orange versions:

Now it's your turn - make some and send me the pictures!!

I love to see new designs and creations.  Make one to match every outfit.  Make a free gift to give to friends!  Recycle!

DIY Recycled / Upcycled Paper Magazine Coasters

If you are anything like me, you have tons of magazines you have already read just laying around your house without any purpose.  Now you can change all that and add a great DIY project to your file!

This tutorial will show you step by step directions for making your very own woven magazine paper coasters by hand.  They will look something like this:

So, here is how to get started.  First, find magazines:

Second, pick the color you want for your coaster.  It can be anything.  Pink, purple, blue, yellow, green, black & white, yellow & black, pink & purple...whatever floats your boat.  Once you have selected the color theme for your coasters, you'll want to tear out SIX pages in your color for each coaster (so, 24 pages if you want 4 coasters as a set).  I picked blue, so here are some of my pulled pages in blue:

Now you want to cut each of your six pages (or 24) in half long ways, like so:

If you had six pages before you should now have 12 half strips of magazine pages (or 48).  Now fold each strip in half (keeping in mind that your color theme color should be face DOWN on your work surface):

 Now we fold into thirds.  Fold the ROUGH edge half way up the middle of the page:

Then fold the top of the strip down to the bottom of the fold you just created:

Finally, fold the strip in half longways:

You will want to follow this process for ALL of your half magazine pages.  You should end up with a stack that looks like this (for one coaster - 12 strips):

Now you want to take 2 of these strips and cross one side of the strip over only one side of the OTHER strip:

Using a third strip piece, weave it on the opposite side of the strip you are covering:

See how the strip on the back side is OPPOSITE the strip at the bottom which is covering the front o the vertical strip?  This is what you want it to look like.  Continue weaving the remaining strips opposite of each other like this, until you reach SIX strips on each side:

If you want, I use a trick and only finish putting six strips on one side and "lock" it into place before putting the sixth strip on the other side.  Why?  Because I noticed that the sixth strip being on each side at the same time makes it harder to handle.  Whichever way works for you is just fine!  But if you notice, I leave the sixth strip off my unfinished side in the following pics, that's why!  So...this is what you should roughly have right now with all your strips used:

See how my bottom side has 6 strips and the far left side only has 5?  This helps me.  Again, whichever way works for you - rock it!  Just be sure that if you do use my trick that you start finishing up the side that has 6 already in place (i.e. you would begin finishing the far right side of this picture, NOT the top!).  To begin wrapping up your DIY coaster, notice how the weave pattern creates a "pocket" that you can tuck a strip into:

The side that has this "pocket" is the side that you will cut short ONE side of your strip on:

Be extra sure you don't cut both sides of the strip, or you'll have nothing to tuck into that "pocket."  Cut the strip down about an inch or so, just below the weave pattern going opposite the one your cutting.  See how my scissors are just below the strips going up and down in the picture?  That's where you want to cut.  Now take the other side of the strip that you did not cut, and fold it over and tuck it into that "pocket" (You are more than welcome to use glue to hold these pieces in place if you desire to do so.  Hot glue, super glue, glue stick, Elmer's glue...they all work great!):

Do this same process again with the next strip that has a "pocket" on the same side (so in the picture above it would be the one that is THIRD down:

Now, if you flip the entire work over, you will see that there are "pockets" on the other side for your remaining strips.  Cut the one side and tuck these in as well, but be sure you only work this side if you used my cheat that has 5 on the one side of the coaster.  Otherwise you'll have a lopsided coaster.  This is what the opposite side of your coaster should look like after cutting away the one side of the strip for a few of the weaves:

Now wrap up the one side and here is what you should have:

Yeah!  We are looking good.  If you don't have all 6 strips in place on this side, now would be the time to add it in!  Alright, now do the same thing with this side that you did with the other.  Find the "pockets," cut the one side of the strip and tuck, tuck, tuck!

Now if you get to about here and get confused, don't worry!  You have to do a little alternating work to complete this coaster.  Just take a look to see where a "pocket" already exists and cut the one side of the corresponding strip and tuck.  Then look for another pocket and continue.  You may have to flip back and forth at first to get the hang of it, don't worry, I did the same thing.  Just take it one strip at a time, and you'll get it!

 You are at the last cut!  Don't give up now! 

 

 Fold that last piece in and sit back and admire your finished coaster!!

You can always spray the finished product with Acrylic Sealer to make it water-resistant, but you do not have to!  Besides you are an expert on making these now, right?  So, if it gets a little wet or damaged, just whip up a new one in a fresh and fun color!

Let me know if you have questions!!