Ideal Bite

...join 'em. The 'em being Sonya Nimri, local craftmaster and author of Beadalicious, who's offered us a fresh, eco spin on making Mardi Gras beads. 'Steada sporting a PVC-laden, plastic necklace, try this easy, inexpensive project, and give new life to an old scarf and a magazine you'd throw out anyway. Now bead it.

Mardi-Gras Necklace
Makes one

What you need:
A magazine
Silk scarf (10 by 30 inches is ideal)
Scissors
42 10-12 mm jump rings (little circular connector things...most craft stores have them)
Needle and thread (optional)

1. Tear out 10 pages from the magazine. Fold pages down the middle, both ways, dividing each into four equal parts, then tear at folds.

2. Crumple magazine rectangles into tight balls, working the paper to remove any sharp edges, until you have 40 balls.

3. Fold the scarf in half lengthwise and cut a straight line along the fold, making two pieces.

4. Overlap two of the four ends about 3 inches (which'll be the center of the necklace) and place your first ball in the middle of the overlap. Fold the ball in the scarf and twist the scarf on either side as if you are wrapping a hard candy, with the finished edge of the scarf (the edge you didn't cut) on the outside of the ball. Place a jump ring on each side of the ball by opening and closing the ring around the tightly twisted silk. (See step-by-step photos here.)

5. Repeat until all the balls are closely fitted against one another with jump rings in between, and there are equal amounts of silk left at each end of the necklace.

6. Tie knots at each end of the last balls.

7. Finish off raw edges with a needle and thread (optional).