Okay, have you noticed a catalog increase in your snail-mailbox yet? It’s July, so those back-to-school marketers are hard at work trying to capture your fall dollars! But once you’re done flipping through those tantalizing bits of brightly colored temptation, how about a better place than the recycling bin to file them away?

Grab a candy stick or kebob skewer or even a straw in a pinch (or a toothpick for a smaller bead with a smaller opening), a glue stick, and some paper (scrapbook paper or magazine/catalog pages work brilliantly).

Cut the paper into triangle-shaped strips about twelve inches long (starting about an inch wide and tapering down to almost-nothing at the other end.

Run glue along the back side of the paper starting about an inch from the wide end (so you don’t glue to the paper to the stick), then roll the paper around (and around and around) until you get to the tapered end of the piece of paper. Slide the newly formed bead off the stick, then brush on a coat of gloss mod podge to seal.

I love making paper beads. It’s a craft project that is neither labor nor brain intensive; it’s pretty relaxing to do in an evening. Or, since paper beads are so easy and fun to make, get the kids in on the action! And before you know it, you’ll have a whole slew of beads ready to go! So you can start stringing bracelets and necklaces for you and your little daughter and nieces almost immediately, right?! Wheeeeee!