A Matching Set

I posted pictures of the funky new bracelet I made the other day, and so I wanted to post now to show the new pieces I made that are sort of similar to it. Using longer/thicker paper makes these rounder beads, which are pretty fun... and these were in such bright colours that I was extra fun to work with them! So I put together a choker necklace, and a matching bracelet. Enjoy!

You can find the necklace in my etsy shop here and the bracelet here! 

My Latest "Literary Fashion" Jewelry

My all-time favourite Jane Austen novel is Persuasion, and I knew it was my friend's favourite too, so it didn't surprise me when she asked if I could make her a bracelet using pages from Persuasion. I got to work right away, and made two different styles. The one made specifically for her is the second bracelet in this batch of photos... the vertical beads; and the horizontal bead bracelet is now in my etsy shop! Next Literary Fashion book beads will be taken from Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre! So watch out for those!

I took these few photos on my latest purchase of Persuasion... a gorgeous material binding :)

I was glad to get a few beads that read "Captain," "Elliot," or "Wentworth" on this one ;)

New Style

A few days ago I got quite a bit of junk mail in my mailbox at my apartment, and while looking at it I realized I could probably make some pretty good beads out of it! There were some long brochure-like ads with lots of colour, so I figured it would be worth cutting them up and using them for something! They ended up being nice round beads that were good and fat. So I thought I'd try a new style of bracelet with them. I first connected them to a bit of chain...

I used different small beads on either side of the paper beads for extra style

Then I just kind of kept going, and made another strand similar to this one, and then used some of my other longer/smaller beads to string a 3rd strand. I put them all together, and got this:

I really like it! Something totally different, and fun! It's for sale on my etsy shop for $12! Check it out! 

Workin' Hard

Sorry I haven't written the past few days! I've been getting lots of requests, and making lots of stuff to fill those requests! I've made a few bracelets, a necklace, and have been rolling lots of beads to prepare for more! So here are a few pictures of things I've made the past three days:

A lovely Peacock Necklace (I love these bead colours!)

Dragonfly Bracelet

Another Dragonfly Bracelet, with a Love tag

This super cute owl charm bracelet was made for my friend's daughter

And just for kicks, here's a sleepy hello from kitty, my little helper ;)

Have a great day everyone! Hope to have some new stuff in stock for you soon!

Literary Fashion, Take 2

I wasn't quite happy with the end result of the bracelet I made yesterday, so today I decided to try making the bracelet a little bit different. I used a different kind of chain, with links that were closer together. That made a big difference in itself. I also decided to use two different size beads, which helped make everything fit nicely.

I also decided to put in a large pearl at each end, for a little flair ;) 

I am much happier with the way this looks... I hope you agree!

Even kitty seemed to like it! ;)

Now I can't wait to make more!! 

Literary Fashion

I decided to try a new kind of paper bead, using paper from a book. I wanted to make something for my cousin, so I chose the book Sense & Sensibility (which I had several copies of) and went to it! The beads turned out nicer than I was expecting, to be honest!

I had bought some chain that I thought would be good to use to make the bracelet with, so using that with some head pins, I attached the beads vertically to the chain links. The end result looks like this:

Unfortunately, I'm not totally content with the chain I used...it tends to kink too easily. So I think I will be changing that, and by doing so, putting the beads a bit closer together as well. But at least this gives the basic idea of what I'm aiming for! Hopefully I'll get it perfected soon! Keep your eye out for more "Literary Fashion" jewelry in the future! 

Step-by-Step

People love seeing UC's jewelry, and when they're told that it's made out of paper, they're even more intrigued. And, of course, the first thing they ask is how beads can be made out of paper. So, I thought I'd show you the typical process I go through to make my beads:

Cut pages from magazines into desired widths/shapes 

(depending on the shape of bead that's being made)

Try to keep kitty off of the cut strips (she jumps into the pile as though it's a 

pile of newly raked leaves...every time...)

Start to roll a strip of paper onto a toothpick, applying glue as its rolled

Finish rolling the bead, securing the end with glue so that the bead is nice and tight

Using a paintbrush and super gloss Mod Podge, glaze the bead with a 

good thick coating while it's on a toothpick

Stick toothpicks into Styrofoam in order to let the glaze dry, without the

beads sticking to each other or anything else 

When they're dry, I just take them off the toothpicks and store them in a little container, so that when I have lots of beads ready, I can just start making new jewelry! 

As you can see, it's a pretty long process. It definitely takes a lot of time, and a lot of patience! But the result is worth it! Every single bead is unique, and seeing someone wearing a finished product feels great! 

So there you have it -- that's how it's all made!

Blessings,

~ Jess

Welcome!

Hello! And welcome to the new Unique Creations blog! I decided to start a blog so that I will be able to update & post pictures of jewelry as I make it, and just to share info about various things that I am commonly asked about paper bead jewelry. So please stay tuned for more posts, stock update, and lots of new pictures!
Have a blessed day!
~ Jess