Make Your Own Bead And Pipe Cleaner Christmas Ornaments
Pipe cleaner Christmas ornaments are not only very pretty but they are very inexpensive to make. They actually look very impressive yet so simple to make. Use pipe cleaner Christmas ornaments on your own tree or give them out as party favors. You even include them with a Christmas gift by decorating the package with one.
To make the bead and pipe cleaner Christmas ornaments, you just need ordinary pipe cleaners in festive colors and acrylic beads. Two types of beads are particularly effective when strung on pipe cleaners. One type is called sunburst beads, but are also known as paddlewheel beads, snowflake beads, or starburst beads. These beads have six faceted paddles with a hole in the center. When several of these sunburst beads are strung together, they fit against each other in an interlocking pattern.
The other type of bead that is also effective for the pipe cleaner Christmas ornaments is called the tri bead or propeller bead. It has three rounded bumps arranged around the hole. Like the sunburst beads, the tri beads interlock when strung consecutively. For the most sparkly and attractive Christmas ornaments, get tri beads and/or sunburst beads in translucent colors of red, green, and clear. The tri beads can also be found in metallic gold and silver which will make beautiful pipe cleaner Christmas ornaments.
Pipe cleaners can be found in silver and gold tinsel as well as chenille of all colors. For this Christmas craft, the best colors to use are the metallics and holiday colors. The beads cover the pipe cleaners, but the ends will need to be twisted together and made into hangers, so they show.
To create your bead and pipe cleaner Christmas ornaments just bend up the end of the pipe cleaner so the beads don’t fall off. Since the pipe cleaner is sturdy you wont need a needle to thread them. You can alternate the colors while you are stringing, or start a pattern of three colors. When the beads are strung on the pipe cleaners, they can be bent into different Christmas shapes. For instance, string red and clear beads alternately, then bend down one end of the pipe cleaner for a candy cane shape. Or alternate red and green beads and form a circle for a wreath. Use red pipe cleaners to create a bow to decorate the wreath. Form a hanger for the Christmas craft or simply slip the circle over a branch of the tree.
If you experiment with clear beads and silver pipe cleaners, you can make some beautiful snowflake and star ornaments. Snowflake designs can be twisted of silver pipe cleaner only, without the beads for a simple but pretty decoration.
Bead and pipe cleaner ornaments are a Christmas craft you that you can enjoy doing with your whole family.
