Store Seed Beads in Plastic Straws

With seed beads, you can make beautiful, intricate jewelry. Storing seed beads, however, can be a bit of a challenge because they're so small! This article will show you how you can make convenient "storage vessels" for seed beads from plastic straws.

Steps

  1. Core the foam with the plastic straw. Push the straw carefully through the foam, making sure the straw doesn't bend (which will weaken it and make it difficult to push through). It may help to put your thumb at the opposite end of the straw to seal the air in and make the straw more firm. When you have cored the foam, pull the core out of the straw. This will be a cap to hold the beads in.

  2. Cut the end of the straw at a slant.
  3. Make the pointed tip round. Cut off the sharp tip. You'll want to use this slanted opening as a scoop, so getting rid of the point ensures that it won't catch on the surface you're scooping the beads from.
  4. File:Bs10 699.JPG
    Seal the other end with the flame of a lighter. Hold the opening closed with pliers and expose it to the flame so that it melts closed. See How to Make Floating Hearts from Plastic Straws for a few more pictures and details.
  5. Use your new tool. It's a scoop and container in one! After scooping up the beads, keep them contained by inserting the foam core.



Tips

  • Use a mat that won't let the beads spill all over the place. Felt is one option. It has enough friction to hold the beads in place when you scoop them up.
  • For the foam cap, you can use packing peanuts or any material with a similar texture. Alternatively, look for foam-style netting that some fruits come in (particularly in Asian food stores).


Things You'll Need

  • Mat for beads
  • Plastic straws
  • Foam
  • Pair of scissors
  • Radio pliers
  • Lighter

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