Recycled paper hawaiian lei

A lei made from recycled paper which is a great alternative for your next Hawaiian themed party.

I love using paper for any application possible, and even better when I can recycle something that would otherwise be thrown away. Of course you can use any paper you have available, but do consider giving all that advertising junk mail a second life.

This instructable combines a bit of paper bead making with some origami crease folding. My final lei is about 80cms long.

Materials
* Glossy paper catalogue or advertising junk mail
* String (I've used wool)
* Glue

Equipment
* Needle (knitting finishing needle works well as it's not overly sharp)
* Glass (to measure circles)
* Scissors

Step 1 Make paper beads

I won't go into detail here on how to make paper beads as there is an excellent instructable called "How to make paper beads" - www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-Paper-Beads/ - which is where I learned how to make them.

I recommend making beads that are about 3.5cm long (1.5 inches) to allow enough space for the 'flowers' to take shape. The quantity will depend on how long you wish your lei to be. I've used 25 beads in this example.

No need to give these guys a varnish coat at the end as they won't be exposed to water.

Comments

[hapa.haole]

love it!!

aloha!!

[SiderAnne]

I plan on making mine from one of those travel magazines, nice tropical colors from Hawaii and the Mediterranean!

[littlemisscraft]

It's such a good idea to recycle and make something as fun as a Hawaiian lei!

[hishealer]

I'm thinking of threading Christmas colors on a stiff wire... Instant wreath!  I had a little hand crank machine as a kid to make those paper beads.  I think I must have made thousands.  All it really was was a bit of metal tube with a notch to catch the end of the paper, attached to a hand crank to wrap it around, and it came with a glue stick. 

[ziggiau]

Hey, I might try that wreath idea! There are a few products I've seen used on the Internet. I gather that the device you describe allows you to have one hand free. I love the simplicity of using a tooth pick or skewer as they're so accessible.

[hishealer]

Yeah, the kind of wire that holds its shape pretty well, but the only kind I've seen is for bracelets... maybe the kind that they put in those el cheapo laundry hampers?

[Miscelinious]

ah, I really like this, i think i might make some for no reason except to lei my friends in the middle of winter. (: thanks for the idea.

[kelana]

brilliant idea.. thanks

[wocket]

drinking straws might make good spacers too.
:)

[ziggiau]

I've seen a few versions of the paper lei where the flowers are cut out and kept flat (no folding) and straws used as spacers. Certainly much easier for children. As my focus is on using recycled paper, and because I love making beads, I've taken the paper bead option.

[jessyratfink]

These are really pretty. :)

I'd almost like to make just the flowers to string along the walls of my apartment!

[ziggiau]

Fabulous idea! Could even make it Christmas themed for the upcoming festive season.