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Rubbish Revamped: Junkmail jewellery
Eco-jewels: make beads for necklaces or bracelets from junkmail, leaflets or old maps.

Posted by Danielle L. from Manchester, England, United Kingdom • Published 6th October 2009 • See Danielle L.'s 3 projects »

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Step 1
You will need:
A sheet of paper of your choice, eg this is a cover from a local magazine, Community Index
Scissors or craft knife
Glue
Stretchy elastic thread
Pen
Ruler
Tooth picks (about 10)
Piece of wire
Polystyrene block
Clear nail varnish or other glossy varnish
Step 2
Instructions for tidy freaks
On the wrong side of the Community Index cover, mark notches 2cm apart at the top of the page. At bottom of the page, mark one notch 1cm from the edge of the page, followed by notches all 2cm apart. The red arrows show a 2cm space. Now join notches from one end of the page to the other to make triangles. Cut out the triangles using scissors or a craft knife.

Or… Guide for haphazard hackers
Cut out long triangles from one end of the page to the other. Doesn’t matter if they’re not the same width. Variety is the spice of life.
Step 3
You will now have several triangles of paper, each of which will become a bead.
Step 4
Wind the triangle of paper around the toothpick. Put glue on the last 4-5cm of the strip and firm down.
Step 5
Make several beads like this and place them upright in the polystyrene block.
Step 6
Remove the beads from the toothpicks by twisting them off gently.

Thread them on some wire, sticking either end into the polystyrene block.
Step 7
Paint the beads on the wire with clear nail varnish or other glossy varnish. Nail varnish dries quickly and can be reapplied within minutes. For other varnish, follow instructions on tin. Apply 2-3 layers of varnish.
Step 8
Thread one bead, tying a loose knot around it. Thread the remainder beads, measuring the beads on the elastic thread to suit your wrist size. Untie the first knot and tie two knots between the two ends.

This bracelet contains beads made from the magazine cover and newspaper strips.
Step 9
Alternatively string your beads into a necklace using thick thread – eg tapestry thread – and incorporating beads from broken jewellery or buttons.

Paper or ‘junkmail’ jewellery can be made with all manner of paper: try magazines, brochures, maps, old calendars.