Paper bead inspiration can be elusive, depending on what you want to make.
You could use paper beads for intricate jewelry designs or for decorative accents for home decor.
In my latest paper bead video, I have focused on the jewelry design aspect.
And for my fellow crafters, I have designed a beautiful new FREE paper bead strip printable with a floral theme.
So if you are looking for unique paper bead inspiration, you may love this!
It’s free, as are ALL my free printables on here.
To see all my other free printables, click here.
I am aware it can be confusing on here with all the adverts as to what images are actually mine.
MY images have my name and website stamp on, along with the copyright symbol and year of posting.
So if you aren’t sure what’s what, look for my stamp.
Further down this post you will see a picture of my free paper bead printable with my stamp on.
The link to the free A4 pdf design will be in the caption under the picture.
It will take you to my Google Drive where all my free printables are stored.
And I reiterate, it is FREE!
if you follow a link and are asked for money, you have accidentally clicked on the wrong link.
So always check for my name stamp.
Once into my Google Drive, you can download the pdf and use it as many times as you like.
There are a few Terms & Conditions to using my free designs, so please respect them – thank you.
So, paper beads inspiration! – This is what I have for you.
This is the free printable you can get by clicking the link in the caption. It is directly under the picture of the floral paper bead strip template
I’ve created these paper bead strips in a shape to produce what I named, tapered tube beads.
Making them this shape instead of coming to a complete point shows off the floral designs really well.
The base is approximately three quarters of an inch wide and the taper is very gentle.
The paper bead strips are very easy to cut using a metal ruler and a craft knife.
When I’m coming up with ideas for my own beads, I try to make them like miniature paintings.
I am really pleased with the way this set of strips turned out.
My first step was to design a set of 18 floral png images that can be used for many crafts.
Making paper bead strips using these floral designs is just one of many ways I am using them.
Besides these floral paper beads, I have used the designs to make greeting cards, bookmarks and gift tags.
This is why I love png files so much! They can be used so easily because there is no background.
If you wanted to have a t-shirt to match your floral paper bead bracelet, you could use the same designs!
Or a mug, a notebook, stickers – anything that you can use png files to design.
Most people are probably here looking for paper bead inspiration but you may be inspired to branch out.
If you are interested in crafts beyond paper beads, you may want to get the png designs I used on these paper bead strips.
All 18 designs are available as a set in my etsy shop for just over £5.
You get each design as an individual png file in a large size – each one is 3500×3100 pixels.
The files are too big to be delivered via Etsy’s digital file delivery system, so they are on my Googledrive.
Once you have paid on etsy, you will get a pdf file with the hyperlink to your 18 floral pngs.
I have also included an extra file, a pdf of all the designs on one page.
So if you feel like doing something different from paper beads, you might like to buy the set of florals.
If you are here just for the paper bead inspiration, no problem, the paper bead strips are yours to use.
In the video I made showing how to use the paper bead strips template, you will see me using a paper bead tool.
And as I say in the video, I don’t sell them anymore.
But don’t worry because it’s easy to either make your own or, just buy one of the slotted spring pins.
The spring pin is the metal part that sticks out of the bead tool handle and is the part that catches the paper bead strips for winding.
That’s the important component.
Having a handle as well is ideal, especially if you have any painful conditions that affect your hand.
But if you are quite dextrous, just having the pin is fine because that is the key part to any paper bead rolling tool.
You can buy the pins in my Amazon shops.
There are two sizes – the 3mm pin which gives you a smaller core hole in your paper bead and the 5mm pin which gives you a larger core hole.
You would use the 5mm pin to make European style paper beads where you want to fit metal bead cores.
If you want to know about paper bead tool handles as well, read this blog post.
And watch this video over on my YouTube channel.
You will see what I suggest for having a bead tool handle as well if the slotted pin is not enough for you.
The other thing lots of paper bead beginners want to know about is how to seal paper beads.
Well I’ve used everything from plain old pva glue to Triple Thick, Dimensional Magic, Diamond Glaze and even clear nail varnish.
Some people even recommend a chemical wood hardener but I don’t recommend that.
It’s a harsh chemical with warnings on the data sheet not to get on your skin.
But there is another method of sealing paper beads which I have got out of the habit of using.
And in the video I do show you how this works.
It’s a method of sealingbeads that does not involve any wet, messy chemicals!
But the biggest advantage of using this ‘dry’ method is being able to seal paper beads made with inkjet printed paper bead strips.
Anyone who uses an inkjet printer to print the paper bead strips will know that sealing them with a wet process can be problematic.
The colors in inkjet printed beads can smudge when you apply a wet sealer, unless you are very careful and use minimal strokes.
To seal your beads to give them a lovely hard coat, just use clear embossing powder they way I use it in the video.
Paper bead inspiration really takes off when you learn how to finish them beautifully!
You will need a heat gun, embossing powder and an embossing stamp pad but I do have them in my Amazon shops if you aren’t sure where to get them.
They may not be the exact ones I have but they will do the same job.
Just to be clear, if you buy on Amazon after clicking my links, I do get a teeny tiny commission.
You can read my Amazon Affiliate statement here.
If you have any questions or comments about paper bead ideas or my free printable, leave a comment over on YouTube.
I do try to get back to everyone, although it does take longer these days to get through all the comments.
But hang in there – I will answer you!
Or you can find me here:-
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Hope you have enjoyed this post about paper bead ideas – I really enjoy creating new designs – so thanks for being here to give me a reason to.
See you again soon with something new!