This week we re going to make some homemade beads! We re going to show 2 different ways. One method could be for the little ones, and the other will grab the attention of the older children! Either way, have fun with these step by step instructions! Materials List Dying Pasta & Using Other Materials Magazine Beads Tube pasta (rigatoni for example) Rubbing alcohol Liquid food coloring Plastic sandwich bag that seals Yarn Masking tape Scissors Wax paper Anything else you want to string along with your new beads (plastic beads, empty thread spool, straws, etc.) Old Magazine(s) Yarn Scissors Masking tape Glue stick Toothpicks Clear fingernail polish Yarn needle (optional) www.youcanmakethis.com 2008 1
Dying Your Own Pasta Little ones love to string things! Whether it s cereal or beads, having children thread items through a piece of yarn is a great exercise for eye hand coordination. 1. Measure approximately ½ cup of rubbing alcohol into a measuring cup. I learned that rubbing alcohol is something you can buy in the First Aid aisle at your grocery store. It kinds of stinks, so be careful using it! Make sure you put the lid on tight and put in a safe place when you re finished so your little brother or sister doesn t find it! 2. Pour the rubbing alcohol into a sandwich sized plastic bag that can seal at the top. 3. Squeeze several drops of liquid food coloring into the bag. For darker pasta, you will want to use a little more. You ll know how much more to put in once the pasta goes into the bag and you can see how dark it is being colored. www.youcanmakethis.com 2008 2
4. Place uncooked pasta noodles inside the bag. 5. Shake together! Shake, shake, shake! Do this for just a few minutes. 6. Carefully remove with a slotted spoon and place on wax paper to dry. The pasta will dry very quickly! It should only take a few minutes! 7. Now is the time to repeat steps 1 6 if you choose to dye a different color! Use a variety of materials to string along with your dyed pasta beads! Here we show cut up drinking straws, plastic storebought beads.even an empty thread spool. (I bet Mom has a few of those lying around! ) Tape the end of your yarn with a small piece of masking tape to help the yarn go through each bead a little easier! www.youcanmakethis.com 2008 3
Make Your Own Magazine Beads! 1. Flip through the pages of an old magazine. 2. Find a page that is full of color. It doesn t matter what is on the page, it s just the colors that count! 3. Simply tear it out! Any old magazine will work, but we especially like the National Geographic magazines for this activity. The pages are a little thicker than most magazines and the colors across the pages are vibrant! There is a word of caution though with any magazine you use. It might be a good idea to go through the magazine yourself first, in order to get rid of any questionable content you wouldn t want your child to see. 4. Cut thin strips that start small at the beginning and gradually get just a little wider as you cut to the opposite end of the page. Below is a diagram that may help! 5. Continue cutting these thin triangular strips until you have as many beads as you would like for your bracelet or necklace. www.youcanmakethis.com 2008 4
6. Lay your paper strip with the right side facing down. 7. With a toothpick, roll paper strip starting from the widest bottom as pictured. Your toothpick is simply your guide. If you would rather not use it, that s OK! Toothpick! 8. Keep rolling! Keep it tight! The tighter, the better this bead is going to look! Keeping it tight while rolling is a little tricky! But don t worry you ll get the hang of it like I did! It just takes a little practice and soon you ll be making paper beads like crazy! 9. When you get to the end of your paper strip, dab a little glue from your glue stick and press! Voila! 10. If you had used a toothpick to be your guide, now is the time to take it out! www.youcanmakethis.com 2008 5
11. With clear nail polish, brush each bead. Set aside to let dry. The clear nail polish is going to help your bead stay together, add a hardening coat to it, and look shiny all at the same time! Sweet! 12. Repeat step #11 for all of your beads. Set aside to dry. Now you re ready to string them onto some yarn or chord! Use masking tape at the end of your yarn to help glide it through small beads easier. If the bead is too tight or too long to get the yarn through, you can use a yarn needle at this time, or a regular needle with some embroidery floss! We d love to see what you re making with your beads! Submit your photos to the I Made This section of www.youcanmakethis.com! www.youcanmakethis.com 2008 6