Making beads from plastic pellets to string together for a lightweight bracelet or necklace is as easy as rolling the melted pellets into a pliable ball and poking a hole into it with a skewer. You can color your melted pellets by mixing in acrylic paint, alcohol ink or Pearl Ex powdered pigments, or add sparkle by mixing in glitter. You can also reheat your beads one by one while they are still on the skewer, roll them in metal leaf crumbles and wipe off the excess to create shiny “metal” beads.
STEP ONE: Poke a skewer through a pliable ball of melted pellets to make a hole, creating a bead. Let the beads cure on the skewer before removing the skewer.
STEP TWO: Mix in Pearl Ex powder, acrylic paint or alcohol inks to color the pellets.
STEP THREE: Form the plastic into a flattened disk and use a hammer and punch to create a hole after the bead sets.
STEP ONE: To color a bead with metal leaf, start by reheating your bead on the skewer.
STEP TWO: Remove the reheated bead from the skewer and roll it in metal leaf crumbles.
STEP THREE: Rub off the excess leafing and return the bead to the skewer.