February 9, 2010

Paper Beads with UTEE

I cut up some strips of paper, rolled them around a skewer gluing along the way with gel medium (thin layer), then rolled around on a clear embossing ink pad, then dipped in UTEE (Ultra-thick embossing enamel - available at Hobby Lobby or Michael's in the scrapbooking section). Then heat with a heat gun, watch them turn glossy and beautiful, then maybe dip them a few more times if you want more of a high-gloss finish - then you can sprinkle on some Pearl-Ex, some fine mica, some tiny beads, wrap with fibers, experiment and have fun with what you have - anything goes!!

These are a few I took a bit further - I plan to use these as charms on journals or jewelry, so I added beads to each end and put them on a metal head pin and wrapped additional wire and created a loop for attaching them more easily to things later.

1 comment:

  1. I love your beads!
    I too make paper beads but I have never tried embossing enamel. You can see my beads on my FB page A Passion For Paper.

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