This DIY colorful beaded garland is the perfect project to try if you want to add charm to your seasonal home decor! Not only can you make it exactly to your preferred color palette, but you can sip on hot cocoa while you’re crafting. Add isn’t that the marker of the perfect Christmas craft project?! Here’s how to make a colorful wooden bead garland:
I am beyond excited to share today’s project with you because it’s STILL making me smile! If you’re looking for a fun Christmas craft that will help add color to your decor, than look no further than this. Trust me, this is the one. Plus you can use it after the holidays are over! What’s not to love about a multi-purpose craft?!
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Supplies to Make a Colorful Wooden Bead Garland
– Round beads (these work too)
– Square beads
– Star beads
– Liquid dye
– Mason jar with lid
– Baker’s twine
– Needle (a larger eye is handy!)
More Christmas Craft Supplies: Click here to view all of my favorites over on Amazon!
Please feel free to keep reading for all the tips and how-to, but you can also video this project as my latest YouTube video! I hope that having a mix of photos and videos is helpful. I know as a visual person, I need all the help I can get!
There are two steps to this project. The first– dyeing your beads. If you want to skip this step and just buy colorful beads, then you can skip straight to the step for how to make a garland.
How to Dye Wooden Beads
I’ve shared how to dye wooden beads in the past, but here’s an updated method that I really enjoy:
1. Grab a mason jar with a lid. This will allow you to shake the jar instead of stirring the beads as they dye.
2. Fill the jar about 3/4 full with warm water and add your dye. The more intense you want the color, the more dye you need. You don’t really need to use more than a few tablespoons.
3. Let sit until you’ve gotten the color you want (about 10-15 minutes or so); shake the jar occasionally to stir.
4. Rinse in cold water until the water runs clear. Lay on a towel and let dry overnight.
Additional Dye Tips
- To make the most use out of your dye, instead of dumping the jar, use a spoon to remove the beads from the dye. That way you can add more beads to the jar and keep using the dye.
- I’ve found that the beads took shades of orange and red a lot faster and easier than blues. You’ll be able to use less dye of the warm colors.
- If you fill your jar too full with water, you won’t be able to add that many beads. 3/4 full or less is perfect.
- Move the jar around to check the bead color. Remember that they’ll dry a bit lighter after you rinse them.
Once your dyed beads are dry, separate them into bowls by color so you so you have a better sense of how much of each you have.
How to Make a Beaded Garland
1. Thread a needle with baker’s twine. You can use other durable twine, just make sure that it’ll pass through the bead holes with ease. A larger needle eye will also help make this step easier. Just make sure it’s small enough to pass through the whole of the wooden bead.
2. Tye a knot in your twine. It should be larger than the whole of your beed to keep it from sliding off the garland.
3. Add your beads! I used a mixture of my dyed beads, but also added natural ones to the mix to add a bit of variety. Have fun and play around with patterns and shape to create a unique beaded garland.
4. Continue adding until you have your desired length. Trim and triple knot the ends, again making sure the knot is larger than the bead hole. Make that knot extra strong so the beads won’t fall off the garland.
5. Hang and enjoy!
Beaded Garland Decorating Ideas
- Christmas tree garland
- Christmas mantel garland
- On stair banister over greens
- Part of a table runner or centerpiece
- Using smaller beads to use as gift topper
So that’s the project! I really am so happy with how it turned out and even might say… this is one of my favorite holiday projects of all time. I had so much fun sipping on peppermint hot chocolate while stringing up beads! It just feels so special and definitely got me excited about it being the holidays.
Even if a rainbow Christmas isn’t your thing, the great part of this project is that you can totally customize this to your own decor. You can use any colors that you want, just be sure to test them as you work. Plus, when all the holiday decor is packed away, you can find a place to display this colorful wooden bead garland for the rest of the year.
Can’t wait to see how yours turns out! Let me know if you have any questions!
