Reta let me photograph this paper bead necklace she made from a church bulletin when she was just 10 years old.

It's a time honoured way of making inexpensive beads from scrap paper. According to Paper University, Victorian women crafted beads like these from wallpaper around knitting needles. They then strung them to form curtains of beads. Paper beads were apparently wildly popular during the Great Depression when times were tough. The craft was also popular in the 60's and 70's too when I was very, very young! In short, they've been around for a long time and are still being made today.

If you've forgotten or have never tried it, Sandy Laipply's tutorial shows you how to make these beads. But they can be so much more than the recycled paper variety. Check out Wendy Kerr 's website to see some unusual artistic paper beads which she has painted and embellished on. Some of them even resemble expensive lampwork beads.
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The Beading Gem's Journal
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