Even though we’re allowed to go out and about and life is somewhat back to normal now I have to admit that I prefer to stay at home and entertain myself with creative projects, from crochet and cross-stitch to learning a new recipe there are few things I enjoy more than making something.
This is a cute little crafting project which takes minimal effort. You can create a garland as long as you like, it’s perfect for decorating fireplaces, doorways, staircases, and twirling around wreaths for the ultimate door adornment. Of course, it could also be perfect for enlivening a desk or smaller area too!
You only need a few bits and bobs, so gather up your supplies and get crafting!
You will need:
- Wooden beads in various sizes
- Acrylic paint (cream or white)
- Acrylic paint (mid and dark grey)
- A paintbrush
- Some tie wire
- Jute
- Hemp
- A pair of scissors
Method:
- Sort your beads and decide which sizes you want in to paint which colour.
- Mix 1 part white/cream paint with 1 part water in a large bowl.
- Pour in all of the beads that you want to make white and roll them around to coat in the paint.
- Cut a piece of tie wire to your desired length. Make a 2 bends at one end. The first bend will stop the beads from sliding off the end and the second bend will be your hook.
- Pick the painted beads up with the straight end of the tie wire one by one, and thread them onto the wire.
- Stop when you have about 1-2” left on the straight end and bend it to make a hook.
- Hook the beaded wire between two sturdy drinking glasses to dry.
- Repeat steps 2-4 with each new colour of paint and the chosen beads.
- Allow the beads to dry completely.
- Next, the jute tassels. Wind the jute around your hand, over and over – the wider you spread out your fingers, the longer your tassel will be.
- Slide the jute loop off of your hand and tie a 24” piece of hemp around it by sticking one end of the hemp piece inside the circle and tying it into a very tight knot around all of the jute strands. Leave a tail of hemp about 1 1/2” long.
- Cut the loop at the end opposite of where you tied the hemp and trim any uneven bits
- Take another 12” piece of jute and wrap it around the top of the tassel over and over (about ½” from where you tied the hemp) and secure with a knot.
- Paint the 12” wrapped around jute piece with your medium grey paint and let it dry.
- Make a second tassel but skip step 8.
- String your painted beads on in whatever pattern you like. To avoid unravelling, smooth a little PVA glue on the end of your hemp stringer before you start.
- Once you have the garland to your desired length, tie the extra hemp end onto your second tassel. Leave about an inch of slack so you can make gaps in your garland for draping over things.
