/ Comments Off on DIY Halloween Wooden Bead Garland

DIY Halloween Wooden Bead Garland

by  christine
This blog post contains affiliate links. By purchasing through a link, Studio Xtine may receive a small commission that will help keep the blog running but more importantly, keep you crafting with me. 😊

My favorite holiday, Halloween, is just around the corner and we’ve already decorated the inside of our home. We’ve spared our neighbors and will wait to decorate outdoors after the 1st of October. When do you start decorating for Halloween? If it were up to me, spooky decorations would be up September 1st! Ha!

We have quite a bit of Halloween decor so instead of buying more, I thought why not update our entry table with a holiday-themed wood bead garland. After all, I had a ton of wood beads from the last time I made these garlands.

To make your own, you’ll need the following supplies:

  • Unfinished wood beads (link). I used 16 small beads, 10 medium beads, and 2 large beads. You can of course use whatever combination you would like! 
  • Natural jute twine (link)
  • Sculpey polymer oven-bake clay (link)
  • Rolling pin
  • Halloween ghost cookie cutter 
  • Wooden bamboo skewer
  • Baking sheet
  • Scissors
  • Acrylic paint in orange and black
  • Paintbrushes
  • Scrap piece of cardboard that is about 4″ tall. You can really use anything of similar length to wrap the twine around many times to make the tassel
  • Ruler
  • Black Sharpie OR Optional: Silhouette CAMEO (link), black adhesive vinyl (link), transfer tape (link), weeding tool (link)

Paint Beads:

  1. Paint several beads of different sizes in orange and black. 
  2. Apply 2-3 coats (as needed) to ensure full paint coverage.
  3. Let dry and set aside. TIP: You could do the painting step a day earlier to save time.

Create clay Tag:

  1. Per the instructions on the clay packaging, break off a chunk and knead with your hands for a minute or so.
  2. Roll into a ball and use the rolling pin to flatten the clay until it is about 1/8″-1/4″ thick. The thickness is up to you. I eyeballed mine to be slightly thicker than 1/8″.
  3. Press cookie cutter into flattened clay and press flat side of the skewer to create the tag hole. 
  4. Carefully lift the circle shape and place on your baking sheet. TIP: Use your fingers to smooth on any fingerprint imprints or unevenness before baking.
  5. Bake according to packaging instructions. I baked mine for approximately 15 minutes. 
  6. Once done in the oven, take it out and let it cool.
  7. When the tag is cooled, apply your sentiment onto your tag using the appropriate tools. If you don’t have a diecutting machine, you can also just write on your tag with a black Sharpie.

Make the Tassel:

  1. Start with open end of your twine at the bottom of the scrap cardboard. Wrap twine cleanly and NOT too tight around your cardboard scrap a bunch of times, enough to create a decent, full-looking tassel. I wrapped mine about 40 times. End with the twine at the bottom of the cardboard and snip with scissors.
  2. Carefully slip the twine off the scrap cardboard while maintaining the wrapped shape. Gently place the bundle down on the table.
  3. Cut a new strand of twine that is about 18″ long,
  4. Place the wrapped twine bundle from step 2 near one end of the 18″ strand so that top 1″ of the bundle is above the strand and the remaining 3″ is below the strand. This 18″ strand is the “wrap” that secures the bundle to make a tassel.
  5. Extend 2″ of the strand off to the side and begin cleanly wrapping around the wrapped bundle. TIP: Hold the wrapped bundle tightly and carefully so that there is still an “opening” at the top part of the tassel.
  6. When you feel like your wrap is the way you like it, you can finish with a triple knot using the 2″ extension and the other end of the twine. If you have access, simply snip close to the knot.
  7. The wrap now separates the top from the bottom of the tassel. Use scissors to cut the looped twine at the bottom of the tassel. Trim as you see fit.
  8. Set your completed tassel aside. 

Make the Garland:

  1. Cut a new strand of twine that is about 32″ long.
  2. About 3″ from one end, create a loop. Feed it through the back of your cooled clay tag but not all the way. You should have the loop sticking out the opening at the front of the tag and the two open ends at the back of the tag. Thread the two open ends through the loop and tighten the knot. This is the type of “knot” you see on gift tags or bookmarks.
  3. Now it’s time to begin building the garland! Thread your beads down the longer twine strand. I tuck the shorter end into the first bead and snip the excess twine. 
  4. After adding the beads, it’s time to add the tassel. If the opening of your tassel slightly closed up, I suggest using the end of a paintbrush or chopsticks (basically anything thin with a little stiffness) to recreate the opening. Pull your long garland twine tight and tie a triple knot at the top of the tassel. If possible, re-thread the excess through the last bead and then snip excess twine.