Designing handmade jewelry is becoming a very popular craft business idea for a lot of people from all walks of life. You can create jewelry out of regular jewelry supplies and traditional beads or you can branch out and make your own jewelry with all sorts of non-traditional materials. In fact, you can save a lot of money on your handcrafted jewelry by making your own beads!
Building jewelry out of objects that are not primarily designed for jewelry making can be physically and mentally challenging. The first step is often figuring out how you’re going to mount your items on a string or chain and the next challenge is working out how you’re going to make it both beautiful and wearable at the same time! After all, the best way to make your own beaded jewelry is to make your own jewelry beads! Here are some non-traditional things you can make jewelry out of:
Make Jewelry Beads From Beans or Large Seeds: You can make all sorts of funky beads from dried beans and seeds. Think about coffee beans and other large seeds or beads that could easily be strung on a ribbon. Then you will want to protect your seeds with a spray on plastic to make sure they don’t dry out move.
Make Paper Bead Jewelry: This is a fun idea that dates back to the Victorian times when making beads out of paper was a popular hobby. To make your own handmade paper beads you just cut out strips of paper and roll them around something small and thin and then apply a little glue to keep them together. You may want to protect these as well so they don’t fray and get damaged at the first hint of moisture. You can experiment with different types of paper, different colors and even different shaped strips of paper when making your beads.
You can make your own beads out of just about any material available, so don’t feel held back by these ideas alone. If you already know how to make your own bead jewelry then you probably already possess the skills and even the tools to make plenty of affordable beads that can be turned into profitable jewelry!
