Christmas is coming and it’s time to get seriously crafty with our beading. The thing I love about beads is how versatile they can be. It’s not just charms and earrings and necklaces that you can make. Whether you’re looking for a unique Christmas gift or just some festive finishing touches of your own, beads are the way forward and this blog is going to take you through some of our favourite Christmas beading projects.
Wine Glass Charms
This is an easy one which makes a super cute gift or an essential party accessory. These simple charms hook simply on to the bottom of your wine glass. You make each one different so that when you place your drink down at a party you can identify it easily.
To make a set of six of the wine charms you’ll need six of each of the following:
- Earring hoops
- Jump rings
- Charms of your choice
Or our Christmas Wine Glass Charms Kit provides everything you need. Click here to view.
Open each jump ring using your round nosed pliers. Add a charm on to the jump ring and close securely. Then thread jump ring on to the earring hoop and there you have it. Super easy!
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Beaded Bauble
Beaded baubles are such a lovely addition to any Christmas tree. Seed beads are used to encase a plastic or glass bauble in a beaded net. The outcome is a beautifully intricate looking, almost lace effect.
The best way to create one of these is to buy one of our beaded Bauble Net kits here, which includes everything you need to make these nets (baubles not included). We have kits in a variety of colourways, but once you’ve got the knack you can make yours in which ever colour you desire.
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Christmas Tie BacksÂ
Christmas tie backs are an excellent starter project, ranging from simple ribbon affairs to intricate three row seed bead masterpieces.
To make one pair of tie backs you’ll need:
- 40 x 2cm diameter beads of your choice
- 2 x 60cm lengths of 0.5cm ribbon (or Satin cord) to match your beads
Take one piece of your ribbon and fold back one end by 10cm. Tie a knot in the doubled up ribbon to create a loop about 5cm long. Thread 20 of your beads onto the ribbon ensuring that you pull the left over loop end through the first few beads to hide it away. When you get to the last bead double up the ribbon as before to make a loop the same size as your original one. Thread the excess ribbon through the end beads for neatness. Repeat with the second ribbon length and left over beads.Â
You can get creative by using beads which range in size. You could also finish each end with a teardrop shaped bead or an ornate metal option for a lovely finishing touch.
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Santa and Mrs Claus Charms
One of Riverside’s favourite kits are these cute charms. There’s not only Santa but also Mrs Claus as well! They make fab bag charms, wine charms, tree decorations or earrings.Â
We also have a huge range of other Christmas kits, such as our Christmas tree earrings, snowman and elf charms and snowflake decorations to name a few. Click here to view the range.