New/Old Jewelry Ideas With Paper!

Well, they're new because it's the first time I'm talking about 'em.  They're old because I made them a little while ago!

I apologize for the absence!  Shout! The Mod Musical is in full swing for opening night on Friday, May 6th, and I've been up to my eyeballs in dance steps and Dusty Springfield to put on a fabulous show.  In the meantime, I've been meaning to show you some excellent experiments turned awesome in paper bead making!

I found a tattered vintage copy of Rudyard Kipling's short stories, pages hanging on by a whisper of the thread binding.  I ripped a few out from strategic places and made the book itself a 'book safe', whilst the pages rescued were made into paper beads.  I had also made coloured paper beads with traditional origami paper made from recycled materials - you can see chunks of fibres and print newspaper in the sheets!  The paper itself is delicate enough for fine rolls and manipulations, and is strong enough to take some abuse during the process.  I'll be posting my very first 'How-To' for my very simple - and potentially messy - paper-bead making process with some everyday household items hopefully very soon.  It's a fantastic personal touch to any design!

While I was making these beads, this was the idea in my head.  I couldn't wait to get it together after the beads were dried.  There are five strands of paper beads, alternating between the coloured origami paper and Rudyard Kipling's stories.  The yellow vintage lucite beads brighten everything up, and I love the crackle/bubble/swirl detail inside; they remind me of little solar flares.  This turned out exactly how I pictured it!

I have many more beads left, even after making these pieces, too!  What's not pictured are a necklace and a bracelet that I had given as gifts, but I'm excited to make again with a new flair.

These are the first beads I've made, so they'll certainly be looking better and better the more I practice.  Still, I do like the rough texture of the beads; how the little flaws add more character.  I'm considering calling these pieces the "Rikki Tikki" Collection - the story by Rudyard Kipling, where most of these pages came from in the book. 

Not bad for a first try?  I'd say so!