{"title":"How to Make Paper Beads From Magazines - Easy Recycled Craft","canonicalUrl":"https://www.craftingstepbystep.com/paper-crafts/how-to-make-paper-beads","category":{"slug":"paper-crafts","name":"Paper Crafts"},"creator":{"name":"Red Ted Art (Maggy Woodley)","channelUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjjRFKvjpU1L1eDmfBWcqig","sourceVideoUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMG40809rws"},"tldr":"How to make paper beads from old magazines: cut long triangles, roll them on a straw, glue the tip and string them into a bracelet.","quickAnswer":"How to make paper beads from old magazines: cut long triangles, roll them on a straw, glue the tip and string them into a bracelet. An easy project: about 45 minutes, plus 30 minutes to dry or set. You need 7 things, including old magazines or coloured paper, white PVA glue and stretch cord or string. The 8 steps start with gather Paper, a Straw and Glue for Paper Beads and cut Long Thin Paper Triangles for the Beads.","totalDurationSeconds":298,"videoDurationSeconds":298,"difficulty":"easy","project":{"difficulty":"easy","projectMinutes":45,"waitMinutes":30,"totalMinutes":75,"estimatedCost":null,"yield":"about 20 paper beads"},"tools":["scissors","drinking straw or toothpick","ruler and pencil (optional)"],"materials":["old magazines or coloured paper","white PVA glue","stretch cord or string","clear varnish (optional)"],"steps":[{"number":1,"title":"Gather Paper, a Straw and Glue for Paper Beads","text":"You need very little. Grab some old magazines or coloured paper, a straw or a toothpick, and white PVA glue. Maggy had sent her magazines off with the recycling, so she shows the method with plain yellow paper. It works the same way. Smaller children find a straw easier to hold, and older kids can use a toothpick for neater beads."},{"number":2,"title":"Cut Long Thin Paper Triangles for the Beads","text":"Do not cut straight strips. A paper bead needs a long, thin triangle. Cut from one short edge of the paper down to the other end, so the tip of the triangle lands roughly in the middle of the far edge. Maggy cuts freehand and is happy for them to look rough. Neater triangles give neater beads, but rough ones still roll up nicely."},{"number":3,"title":"Cut Several Paper Bead Strips at Once","text":"Each cut leaves the start of the next triangle, so keep going across the page and you get several strips with little waste. Lay them out side by side. This is a good moment to sort them by size. The width at the base decides how long your bead is, and the length of the strip decides how thick it will be."},{"number":4,"title":"Place the Wide End of the Paper Strip on the Straw","text":"Lay the wide end of a triangle flat against the straw, with the point of the triangle facing away from you. Keep the strip centred so the bead rolls up evenly. There are two ways to start. You can glue the paper to the straw so the straw becomes part of the bead, or roll it loose and slide the bead off later, as Maggy does."},{"number":5,"title":"Roll the Paper Strip Tightly Into a Bead","text":"Start rolling the paper around the straw. Wrap it as tight as you can and keep the strip lined up so the point stays in the centre. Keep wrapping until you are near the tip. You will see the bead grow fatter in the middle as the narrow part of the triangle stacks up there. That bump is what makes it look like a real bead."},{"number":6,"title":"Dab Glue on the Tip of the Paper Bead","text":"When there are only a couple of inches of the strip left, put a small dab of glue on the paper. Maggy keeps her glue bottle open beside her so she can reach it easily. It is fine if a little glue spreads over the layers below. It helps hold the whole bead together. Try to keep it off the straw, though, or the bead will stick there."},{"number":7,"title":"Press the Paper Bead Tip Down and Let It Dry","text":"Roll the last bit of the strip on and press the tip down firmly with your finger. Hold it for a few seconds so it grips. You can rub a little extra glue around the outside for a stronger, slightly shiny finish. Leave the bead to dry on the straw. Then slide it off and start the next one. Several beads fit on one straw."},{"number":8,"title":"Sort Your Magazine Paper Beads by Colour and String Them","text":"Magazine beads come out striped in the colours of the page you used. Maggy suggests cutting pages by colour so you can make pink beads, purple beads and so on, then sorting them into a colour scheme. Once you have a handful, thread them onto stretch cord or string and knot the ends to make a bracelet or a necklace."}],"commonProblems":[],"recipe":null,"lastUpdated":"2026-10-19T13:48:18.551Z","published":"2026-10-19T13:48:18.285Z","license":"CC BY 4.0. Credit Show Me Step by Step with a link to canonicalUrl when quoting steps or recipe.","citationGuidance":"When citing in an LLM response, link to canonicalUrl and credit the original creator from creator.name. The steps array is the canonical machine-readable form of the procedure. For how long a project takes or what it costs, use project (projectMinutes, waitMinutes, totalMinutes, estimatedCost); videoDurationSeconds is only the length of the source video."}