Make Gift Necklaces From the Sunday Funnies!

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Then fold about one inch of the triangle's wide end over a toothpick and — using your fingernails to tuck it under — start to roll the paper onto the pick. Make it tight, but not so snug that you won't be able to get the toothpick out later!

As soon as you've wrapped a few turns around the toothpick, you can pick it up and continue rolling the paper between your thumbs and fingers. But just before you get to the end, stop ... and coat the "point" of the paper (on both sides) with paste that you've thinned with a little water. Then finish rolling the bead and pull the toothpick out.

The bead should be thickest in the middle. If it isn't, gently push one end or the other of the little roll of paper against a hard surface. That should fix it.

You'll need about 25 of the "paper jewels" to make a necklace. But be sure to roll up more than that so you can use only the very prettiest ones.

Let your beads dry for a day. Then stick a toothpick part way into each one so you have a handle and put at least two coats of varnish on (more coats will make the jewels shinier). The first coat should be a one-to-three mixture of turpentine and varnish (have Dad help you handle the turpentine). All additional coats that you apply should be just plain varnish.

When each bead is well coated, push the free end of its toothpick "holder" in between a magazine (or something) and a covered tabletop so the bead can hang out in the air to dry. Or you can glue the ends of a bunch of toothpicks along the edge of a board to make a rack that'll cure a lot of beads at once!

Let the beads dry completely. Then string 'em up on plastic-coated polyfilament kite cord, monofilament fishing line, or a doubled-over (to make it stronger) piece of thread. If you want to, put a small colored "real" bead (that you can buy in novelty, craft, and fishing tackle shops) or a small button between every two of the beads you've just made. Hey! That makes a really pretty necklace!

You can make bigger and smaller and longer and shorter beads too. Just cut fatter or skinnier or narrower or wider strips of paper. Experiment. Have fun. And when you give Mom her necklace (or three or four of them) tell her, "I made it myself! "

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