This is probably the cheapest craft ever.

What you’ll need to make your own paper jewelry:

• Newspaper, get some of those free ones for extra cheapness.
• Bowl.
• Water.
• Craft paint or whatever type of paint you have at home. As long as it sticks on paper, it’s cool! (Probably shouldn’t use water colour though..?)
• Varnish, if you want to make your beads extra shiny.
• Drill. If you have one. Otherwise, punch a hole in the beads while they’re wet with a thin knitting needle and leave them to dry on it. I’ve used toothpicks for this before, but I find that knitting needles are easier to get out once the beads are dry.
• Nail files for buffering and smoothing out surfaces of the dried beads. This step is not needed but will give the beads a very nice and even finish.

Tear up the newspaper in small pieces and put it in a bowl of water.

Either wait a day or two for the paper to dissolve or blend with a mixer. Some people like to use boiling water to dissolve the paper and then add glue to the mass, but I think my technique works just as well. I’ve never had any problem with beads not holding together because I left out the glue. Check out the links at the end of this post for two very good tutorials that uses glue and boiling water.

WARNING: If you use the blender for food, you are going to need to thoroughly clean it afterwards and IT WILL GET DISCOLOURED!!!

When the paper mass looks something like this it’s ready to shape into beads.

Shape the paper goo into beads. Squeeze out as much water as possible while shaping.

Put them on a newspaper and let them dry for a few days.

Use sand paper or nail files to smoothen the surface of the beads.

Drill holes, paint and varnish.

DONE!

Here are some other great tutorials on how to make homemade beads:

Paper+Boiling water+Mod Podge= Very pretty earrings at Infarrantly Creative.

Paper+Boiling water+Glue = Awesome looking necklace at A Storybook Life.

Good luck!