recycled paper bead earrings

I posted an earlier post about how to make beads from recycled paper sources, such as paint chip booklets and pages torn from old books and magazines. Now I’m taking it to the next level by using them in my handmade jewelry. Check out these cute recycled paper bead earrings! They are not only fun to make but also super light-weight.

supplies needed:

• jewelry findings (ear hooks, spacer beads, head pins)
• scissors
• paper (catalog or book pages, paint chip strips – use your imagination)
• Mod Podge
• small cardboard box or shoe box
• string or wire
• bamboo skewer or toothpicks
• clear varnish

step 1 – beads

Making paper beads is quite easy but does involve some experimentation. For these earrings, I simply cut long triangular shapes from magazine pages then rolled them onto a skewer. I dipped each bead into clear varnish and let dry. Follow my detailed instructions in this post for exactly how to do this. Experiment with paper size and shape until you create the type of bead you desire.

step 2 – earrings

Once the beads are completely dry, use them for making earrings as you would any other bead. I first threaded a small silver bead onto a head pin, followed by a paper bead. Then I attached the head pin to an ear hook. I prefer stainless steel ear hooks, as they are quite strong.

I’m not going into specific steps of jewelry making in this post; however, there are lots of YouTube videos on how to make simple DIY earrings. For now, I just want to showcase how beautiful simple recycled paper beads can be when made into boho dangle earrings. And I want to inspire you to make some of your own! (For those of you who love this idea but simply don’t have the time, you can find some ready-made ones in my shop.)

The biggest compliment is a little share – please pin the photo below!