A fun paper bead swap!

Hello All! 

I hope you are having a terrific weekend.  I have been cranking out paper beads this week, thanks to the fun folks over at the Black Cat US forum.  We are doing a swap, similar to an ATC swap, but with beads.   The process involves cutting long thin strips of colored paper and rolling them into beads, which are then dipped in a sealer to waterproof them. 

After experimenting with a few different shapes and papers, I decided that a cardstock weight multicolored paper worked best.  I used scraps for the beads pictured here.  I'm keep the paper I used for the swap secret, until everyone receives their packages. The deadline is not until the middle of the month, and two of the packages have to make it all the way from Australia and back, so it will probably be April before I can post my share. 

My beads were finished by dipping them in melted UTEE in a Ranger Melting Pot.  It took a lot of practice to get beads that I am ok with sharing.  They are not close to perfect, but I can live with them. 

This photo shows a few beads after wrapping and before coating.  They are pretty, but not nearly as pretty as the coated ones.  This is why it was worth it to spend a few hours figuring out how to glaze them. 

Enjoy the last few hours of your weekend!

Elizabeth