Vintage Sheet Music Paper Bead Bracelet

This vintage sheet music paper bead bracelet is the perfect gift for the musician or music lover in your life. Or if you're like me you will be too tempted to keep it for yourself, and end up having to make 2 of them!

This technique also works well with other types of paper like scrapbook paper, comic book pages, recycled book pages, etc.)

Supplies:

• 2 sheets of plain white copy paper (letter size)
• 1 sheet of vintage sheet music (If you don't have any, check out my instructable - How to age paper, and make some.)
• Paper Trimmer
• Scissors
• Glue stick
• 1 package of wooden skewers (9.75 inch is what I used.)
• Standard school glue or tacky glue
• Q-tip
• Plastic dish (for holding your beads)
• Piece of Styrofoam (I used a 12"x12" piece from the dollar store.)
• Clear spray on glaze (I used Krylon Triple-Thick Crystal Clear Glaze.)
• 2 yards 1mm hemp cord
• 4 hole button (about 20mm)

Using your paper trimmer-

1. Cut each of the sheets of plain copy paper into eleven 1" strips. (22 strips total)
2. Iron your sheet music paper on low to get it nice and flat before cutting if it is wrinkled.
3. Cut the sheet music page into strips separating the lines of music. Cut as close to the top of each line as possible without cutting off any notes or symbols. (see photo)
4. Cut your strips of sheet music into 1" pieces.
5. Trim any blank space off the tops of sheet music pieces.

Use your glue stick to glue your sheet music pieces to your white paper strips. Overlap about 1/2" and make sure the white paper is overlapped on top. Also, make sure your sheet music pieces are right side up (trimmed end on top).

Before you start to roll the beads, squeeze out some white glue onto a piece of scrap paper. You will dab the q-tip in this when its time to finish rolling each bead.

1. With the print on your strip facing down and away from you, fold the plain white paper end of a strip around a skewer. (see image)
2. Roll the skewer away from you, while wrapping the paper around the skewer. Use your fingers to hold the paper tight and keep it in place.
3. When there is about 1/2 inch of your strip left to wrap - stop and hold it in place with one hand.
4. With your other hand, dab some glue on a q-tip.
5. Apply a small amount of glue to the end of the strip that is facing you (the blank side).
6. Place your fingers behind the strip and finish rolling your bead until you reach the end of the strip.
7. Stop and hold the glued end in place about 10-20 seconds.
8. Place your bead in a small plastic dish.

Repeat this process until you have rolled all 22 beads.

To make a rack to spray your beads, press skewers into your Styrofoam piece all the way around the edges with the pointed side up. (see photo)

Tip: If you plan on using your spraying rack more than once, use a low temp hot glue gun to glue your skewers in place.

Spray your beads in a well ventilated area where you it wont matter if you get paint on anything. Spray both sides and across the tops of all beads. (see video)

Wait 10 minutes and apply a 2nd coat. Let dry about 12 hours.

1. Fold your hemp cord in half.
2. Wrap the folded end of the cord around your finger and make a knot leaving a loop big enough for your button to pass through. (see photo)

Thread one end of your cord through a bead from right to left. Thread the other end through the same bead from left to right. (see photo)

Pull the cord ends tight, centering the knot and loop on the outside of the bead.

Continue stringing in in this manner until all 22 beads are attached.

1. Take your cord ends, and tie a regular knot on the center of the last bead on the outside. (see photo)
2. Starting from the bottom of the button, thread one cord end through 2 button holes.
3. Put the bracelet around your wrist (or measure if it's a gift), and adjust the placement of the button in relation to the loop end so it fits your wrist correctly.
4. Hold the button in place and thread the same cord end through the other 2 button holes.
5. Under the button, wrap the cord end down and around itself a few times, stopping at the knot with your other cord end.
6. Tie the two cord ends in a knot.
7. Pass each cord end under the string on the side of the last bead, and knot one on each side of the center knot.
8. Cut off the extra string and you're DONE!