Book Page Paper Beads

I was being read to before I could sit up. I was "reading" (actually reciting while turning pages) by age three.  Books to me are almost sacred. They are treated with care, never torn or dog-eared.
So, when I saw books and book  pages used in crafts, I immediately wanted to use books, but I just couldn't mess up a book. Any book.  After long soul searching, (really !) I finally bought a big, old, book that was clearly past its useful life.   Just to be sure, and to honor the book one last time I read a good bit of it.  Now, I have hundreds of book pages to use any way I choose, plus a lot of interesting pictures, maps, and illustrations.

This old book was published in 1911 as a combination encyclopedia, dictionary, atlas, and guide for home schooling. It is nothing if not ambitious. It is also a remarkably thrifty item destined to be a family's perhaps only book. I just love the concept, if not the execution.

Here are some book page beads. I love to read the few words that show up on a bead and imagine the rest of the sentence.

Here is the necklace I made with them.  It also has dumotierite and brass beads.