Mother's Day Week - A Cute Paper Bracelet You have to try

My sisters are the recipients of many paper-crafted gifts, and although I know they love and appreciate them, I wonder if they sometimes wish for something different. When I was planning my sister's Mother's Day gift, I knew I wanted to make something special. So what did I finally come up with? This:

Not only is it something fun that she will enjoy wearing, but it is also perfectly suited to her. These colors are SO my sister. Would you like to know where I got such unique beads? You won't find them at a bead shop or in the jewelry crafting aisle. These beads are handmade from papers in the Flower Child collection!

To make your own beads, cut a long triangle from a sheet of patterned paper. The width of your triangle will be the width of your bead. My beads are about 1 inch wide. GCD Studios' papers are made of high quality cardstock that is just perfect for this technique.

Next begin rolling from the widest side of your paper strip.

When you have a good, tight curl, add a few inches of glue to the strip and continue rolling.

Keep rolling and adding glue until your strip is completely rolled.

To make the paper bead more resistant to wear and tear, seal the bead with a spray finish or Mod Podge. I used a decoupage finishing spray. The beads will not be waterproof, so my little niece won't be able to chew on this bracelet. However, the beads will hold up to most abuse.

If you're still looking for that special Mother's Day gift, turn your favorite patterned paper into beads and do a little jewelry-making. And be sure to roll enough beads for two because you are going to want to keep one!

Supplies used: Flowery Paper (1641) - Flower Child, Peacock Paper (1646) - Flower Child, Swirling Paper (1648) - Flower Child. Other: beading supplies, decoupage sealer, glue.