Paper Bead Bracelets - $5-6

I've been making these paper bead bracelets for a while now...they make the easiest gift ever. I am not a jewelry maker by any stretch of the imagination! They can easily be made to coordiate or match anyone's taste and quickly become addicting.


The story (and I do love a good one) is that I was organizing the activities for my Women's club last year...and everyone wanted to learn how to make jewelry. I contacted a few local jewelry makers that taught...and asked how much it would be to teach us how to make a bracelet or something simple...they wanted $15 per person minimum. Well that is just beyond the reach of many of our retired pensioners and SAHMs (inlcuding myself). So as usual I started researching for an alternative. I met mariiam at SCS and she was so kind to show me how to make these bracelets. I made up 50 kits, teaching materials and diagrams and off we went! I changed the design considerably from mariiam's because I got a great deal on glass beads at WalMart (of all places) and wanted to use what I found. Eventually I took a 1hr. class at Michael's and learned the basics of making earrings, so added those. About a month later Mariiam wrote me and complimented me on my variation!

I sold 3 bracelets at the craft show...I thought I might sell more, but was happy with that. I do think it is a MUCH better product sold for $10-12 as a set including earrings than just a bracelet alone. So for my next craft show (or on-line) I plan to offer them as sets and include earrings.

I am still working on the correct price for these...they are very inexpensive to make but then again most jewelry is...when you start bead shopping and find out those Swarovski crystals bought in bulk are only like $0.10 a piece you wonder at that $40 price tag for a simple crystal bracelet. But then again you never want to price your item too cheaply because then that is exactly what people think it is...cheap! And your time and design IS worth something.