- 1). Select a piece of cardboard that is thin enough to be rolled. This can be card stock from the back of a notepad, an empty cereal box or cut open an empty toilet paper or paper towel roll. Lay the material on a flat surface.
- 2). Decorate the cardboard however you choose. Color the material with acrylic paints, adorn it with rubber stamps pressed in an ink pad or sketch designs with markers or glue a decorative scrapbooking paper over the surface of the cardboard using a glue stick. Cover the entire sheet of cardboard with a decorative design or color.
- 3). Turn over the cardboard so the undecorated side is facing up. Use a ruler to draw a skinny triangular shape on the material. This shape should be about 1 inch wide at the base and 8 inches long. The larger the base's width, the longer the bead will be. Cut out along the marked lines.
- 4). Line the backside of the cardboard with a glue stick. Leave only about 1 inch of cardboard unglued at the thick end of the triangle. This will prevent the paper from sticking to the roller when it's rolled.
- 5). Place a long circular object, such as a plastic stirring straw or bamboo skewer, at the base of the triangular cardboard. The circumference of the object is how large the opening will be in the middle of your bead. Roll the cardboard onto itself around this roller, keeping the paper tight with each rotation. Ensure the paper is rolled in a straight line, rather than up the length of the roller. Continue rolling until the point of the triangle is about 1 inch away from the rolled bead.
- 6). Adhere another line of glue to the backside of the tip of the triangle. This will give the bead some extra security and prevent it from unraveling. Roll the rest of the cardboard around the roller. Press the tip of the triangle in place against the rest of the bead. Allow the glue to dry.
- 7). Carefully remove the bead from the roller by sliding it off of one end. Use your fingernail to move the inner rolls of the cardboard along with the rest of the bead to prevent them from staying attached to the roller and unraveling.
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