Making a Recycled Paper Bracelet

This is one of my most asked about items, and I wanted to share the process with you:

I obtain these large paper tubes from a local printery. Their original purpose is to hold a roll of paper or vinyl, but after the material is used these are waste. They used to throw them out or recycle them, but now they are repurposed by me.





Using a jigsaw, I cut the tube to size. I usually like these bracelets to be about one to three inches thick.






After cutting, the pieces will need a little sanding so that they are smooth and evenly shaped. Now they're ready to get prettied up.





At this point I look through my stash of salvaged scrap paper. A friend who is a scrapbooker donates to me all the little bits and pieces that she can't use in her own work. I decide on a color scheme for today's project.





Next I reshape the paper: sometimes by hand tearing for a natural look, sometimes using scissors and or another tool. This time, I want to use to make a bracelet with a dotted theme. So I have chosen to use a craft punch to make circular shapes from the paper.





Then it's time for the fun part! I start arranging the craft paper in a random pattern all over the bracelet.







I then coat the whole thing with MANY layers of a slightly glossy, water-resistant clear coat. This part of the process requires the most patience, since there is lots of drying time between layers.





And it's done! In an upcoming blog post, I will be having a giveaway to win this very bracelet. So stay tuned!