I have to confess, I don’t have a lot of festive handmade decor to pull out during the Christmas season. Sounds strange for a DIY blog, right? Let me back up a minute and explain. There is already so much out there that’s pre-made and easy to integrate into the home during an already-busy season that I tend to craft a little less at this time of year. That being said, if I were to pinpoint a Christmas craft aesthetic that hits it out of the park for me almost every time – whether it’s ornaments, wreaths, garlands or any other handmade decor – it has got to be the modern, minimal and rustic styling influence of the Scandinavians. Anyone else with me on that? I don’t know what’s in the drinking water over there – magic design dust? – but whatever it is, it is a style that I truly appreciate.
So one of my goals in the seasons to come is to incorporate more handmade Christmas decor that I am genuinely inspired by. With that in mind, today I thought I’d share this tutorial for creating these quick and easy wood bead ornaments inspired by a Scandinavian aesthetic, but with a pretty twist, and one that goes well in just about any holiday decor scheme.
MATERIALS
- wood beads – 2 sizes
- compression sleeves (find these in the plumbing section of any hardware store)
- wire
- twine
- ribbon
- wire clippers
- needle nose pliers
- precision scissors
- spray paint (not pictured)
STEPS
Step 1: Spray Paint Beads (optional)
This is the only step that takes some time since you’ll be waiting for the paint to dry. If you like the unfinished look, then you can skip this step altogether.
Step 2: Snip Wire & String Beads
Taking the wire clippers, cut your wire. Make sure to cut it longer than you need to create the ring.
String the wood beads and the compression sleeves onto the wire.
Step 3: Twist Wire Ends Together
Pull the wire ends as close as you can and twist together.
Clip off the ends with your wire clippers and then, taking your needle nose pliers, press the ends of the wires closer together.
Step 4: Add Twine & Ribbon
Snip off some twine and tie to your ornament.
Add some ribbon (be sure to snip off the tail ends of your twine first).
Repeat these steps for as many wood bead ornaments as you’d like.
(Remove the ribbon if you’d like a spare look, or keep it for a sweet and pretty one).
Step 5: Hang On Your Tree
Now you can add a handmade, festive touch to your tree 🙂
This is a fun little craft to do to add that handmade touch to your tree. And it’s a great project for any moms out there looking for some simple Christmas crafts to do with the kiddos. Hope you give this one a try.
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