The Design Gallery
Follow along with step-by-step beading projects and share your designs with beaders around the world—it’s quick & easy!
Chatter
on “Fancy Circutry”:“There is a lot going on in this pendant and it's all good fun! Love it!…” read »
- on “Beachey Bling”:
“Love the simplicity of the design. It really lets the wire wrapped beach glass take the…” read »
- on “Raspberry and Cream!”:
“I'm amazed at your skill in this technique and with color! Just lovely.…” read »
- on “Blue Bird of Happiness in Brass”:
“Love this bright blue and brass. So unusual!…” read »
- on “Evergreen Copper”:
“Haven't the foggiest notion what those green stones are either. But they are gorgeously combined with…” read »
on “Yellow Dragonfly”:“Very Pretty! Your choices of stashed beads look great with the pendant.…” read »
on “Evergreen Copper”:“This is a fab piece. I love the textures and different beads and their random…” read »
on “Evergreen Copper”:“Gorgeous. ! I really like the big green stones…” read »
- on “Blue Bird of Happiness in Brass”:
“This is gorgeous! Love the brightness of the blue with the brass.…” read »
on “Violets”:“Thank you all! Stitching is therapeutic, I think. My background is embroidery, where pieces can take…” read »
- on “Raspberry and Cream!”:
“I like the variations, particularly the larger magatamas near the center, which give focus to the…” read »
- on “Recycled Coral Flower RIng”:
“Thanks a bunch for the lovely comments, it just inspires me more.
…” read » 
on “Raspberry and Cream!”:“Thank you Mary and Cindy, very much
…” read »
on “Dragonfly's Garden”:“Love this one…” read »
- on “Mystic Mystery”:
“Thank You, Nancy!:)…” read »
on “Wine Party”:“I just found this...2013? What a great idea.…” read »
on “Recycled Coral Flower RIng”:“Love, love, love this!!! So creative!…” read »
on “Beachey Bling”:“What a fantastic earthy look. Beach glass should be considered a gemstone. It's so mysterious to…” read »
- on “Tranquility”:
“Kyanite and Pearls are fantastic together,and I LOVE the splash of rock crystal. This piece really…” read »
- on “Mystic Mystery”:
“Just gorgeous. Those stones really belong together,and are just perfect!…” read »
on “Raspberry and Cream!”:“You are simply genius at this style!
…” read »- on “Crazy Little Things”:
“
Thanks everyone. The flat wire is aluminum, so it is very soft. Curling it…” read » 
on “Raspberry and Cream!”:“Like a cool, berry slushy on a hot day!
Wouldn't this look yummy with a…” read »- on “Raspberry and Cream!”:
“Thank you, Becky, Deb,N Taylor and Wanda!
)…” read » - on “Mystic Mystery”:
“Thank You all, dear chickies!
)…” read » - on “Mystic Mystery”:
“Beautiful set!…” read »
- on “Raspberry and Cream!”:
“The two different sides look great! Gorgeous!…” read »
- on “~ Brigantine Beach ~”:
“Beautiful necklace! The rainy weather was a great inspiration for you.…” read »
on “Sonya or 'Earth' earrings”:“I agree with you both, I thought the same after I'd looked at them again!…” read »
on “Dragonfly's Garden”:“Gorgeous!!!…” read »
on “Mystic Mystery”:“Gorgeous set - love it.…” read »
on “Banded Together”:“Very funky and cool!…” read »
- on “Tiedye Butterfly Redo”:
“Your patina work is so cool - you are very talented! I love the turquoise beads…” read »
- on “carry that weight”:
“Hi! Do you have some for sale? Thanks!…” read »
- on “Lovely Impression”:
“Thanks for the useful info Lisa. What is KO thread and how do you work…” read »
- on “Tiedye Butterfly Redo”:
“Now I see it, both are nice. I like your most recent design also. …” read »
- on “Raspberry and Cream!”:
“Great job, I admire all the hard work it took.…” read »
on “A Little Vintage”:“Beautifully done.…” read »
- on “Night Owl”:
“Thanks Becky. No it came out as is the first time.…” read »
- on “My MacGyver Heart”:
“Love the look of this.The fringe of the sari is pretty, then the shine with the…” read »
Crystal Blue Persuasion
About this design:
Experimenting with a new shape for the paper beads - 1" cones.
Components:
Handmade Paper Beads; Silver Spacers; Crystals; Blue Freshwater Pearls; Silve Bead Caps and Silver Toggle Clasp.Additional Images:
Read the comments (or add your own)
Add your thoughts!
On Oct 10, 2010 at 6:20 pm #
grama rose aka stormy says:okay please tell me what kind od paper do you use,scrapbooking or something made for beads..my curiosity is getting me you have been making the most beautiful ones I’ve seen..I like this new shape!!
On Oct 10, 2010 at 6:27 pm #
Jade aka Caryn says:I’ve been dying to know too…What do you seal them with? Are they 100% waterproof? How long does it take?
On Oct 10, 2010 at 6:55 pm #
amkcreations aka Amanda says:OMG! I love these!
On Oct 10, 2010 at 7:09 pm #
The Dud says:Okay, here is a picture of the Hallmark wrapping paper that I used for these beads. I cut the shapes as follows: 1″ wide tapering down to a tip as small as you can go, and the paper is 30″ long. I use a toothpick to wrap the strip around (making sure it’s not too tight that you can’t get it off the toothpick) and use a glue stick along the way to glue it down. I then shape it into a cone and use Hard Coat Mod Podge by Plaid and give the beads 3-4 coats of the Mod Podge which is a waterbase sealer, glue and finish. The last step is to use a polyurethane gloss varnish, 3-4 coats). It’s really very easy once you get a hang of shaping the beads. Here is the website that I used to teach me:
http://paperbeads.org/diamond-shaped-paper-beads/
and here is a YouTube video on how to make the cone shaped beads.
Good luck!
On Oct 10, 2010 at 7:11 pm #
The Dud says:Oops, here is the YouTube video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2F4xpJt2FQo
On Oct 10, 2010 at 7:45 pm #
amkcreations aka Amanda says:Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you for giving us the resource!!!! Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you
On Oct 10, 2010 at 7:53 pm #
Jewelry by Shannon says:Wow, I’m just amazed! This new shape is cool too.
Thanks so much for showing us the paper you used. It’s incredible how the bead turns out so different from the paper. It must be a nice surprise for you each time you use a different paper too because it must be a little hard to predict unless you’ve made enough now that you can tell.
I’ll have to check out the details attached above … thanks for sharing. Sounds like a lot of work but so pretty!! SLS
On Oct 10, 2010 at 7:57 pm #
grama rose aka stormy says:That was so very nice of you to share…..keep going you are doing a wonderful job with these1
On Oct 10, 2010 at 8:09 pm #
Jade aka Caryn says:thank so sharing.
On Oct 10, 2010 at 8:28 pm #
Mommykat Bubbly Chick says:very cool! Donna, this is pretty, thanks so much fir the instructions! Looks like fun, I may give this a try with my daughter & niece over Thanksgiving Break!
On Oct 10, 2010 at 8:36 pm #
Lynn g says:Wow I love your beads, you did a great job.
On Oct 11, 2010 at 1:43 am #
Buster Browns MoM says:these are deffinately interesting, I think you’ve hit on something very sellable and pretty.
On Oct 11, 2010 at 1:56 pm #
sunny chick says:Gorgeous design!
On Oct 13, 2010 at 2:12 pm #
Deb D Grammy Chick says:This is gorgeous! It’s pretty amazing that something so beautiful can be made by starting with something as simple as paper. Thank you so much for the info and the link on making these beads. I can’t wait to try it for myself!
On Oct 13, 2010 at 3:16 pm #
Beadlady3 aka Cindy says:This is amazing! I love the shape, and the design.