Tutorial: Paperclip Angel

Make this simple elegant angel from a butterfly paperclip, a bead and some ribbon.

I always associate angels with Christmas crafts. We have an angel that sits on the top of our Christmas tree and we alternate years between the angel and a Christmas star. There are so many angels in the Christmas story that it just seems right to have angels in our decorations as well.

(On a side note, I started to think of angels totally differently after I read This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti. Affiliate link)

I have made a couple of different beaded angels over the past couple of years, but these particular angels are made using butterfly paperclips. These are found in stationery stores and I suppose they were designed to give a better grip on sheets of paper than the usual paperclip. Their shape is perfect for these angels!

What You Need

• Butterfly paperclips – there are various sizes available
• Beads for heads – I used silver but you could use pearl or coloured beads. Look for a larger hole if you can – it makes this craft easier.
• Thin ribbon (or thread of some kind if you prefer) – I used lengths of about 12″ or 30cm
• Sticky tape

What To Do

This is so simple that you almost don’t need instructions but here is how I tied my ribbon to sit nicely.

1.  Fold the ribbon in half.

2.  Loop the folded loop through the paperclip – that smallest hole in the middle – then thread the tails through the loop and tighten.

3.  Thread the bead onto the ribbon. I used sticky tape to make the ends easier to thread – just wrap a small piece of tape around the two ends together as tightly as you can to create a hard straight section.

4.  Once they are through the bead and the bead is slipped into place, separate the two ends of the ribbon and tie them in a simple knot to keep the bead in place. If the hole of the bead is larger, you may need two knots.

 

Sources:

I bought my paper clips from Officeworks but they are also available on Amazon – in colours as well as silver.

My ribbon was from my stash and the beads came from Spotlight. They are 10mm Ridge Ball Bright Silver beads by Ribtex.

This craft was inspired by the Crafty Journal who used pearl beads instead of silver ones.

Disclosure: There are Amazon affiliate links in this post.

Beaded Angels