Ready to create a gorgeous DIY Valentine’s Day Wood Bead Garland in less than an hour??
Everyone seems to loves wood bead garlands these days, especially when they are designed to match the current holiday/season!
You see them ALL over Pinterest and Instagram.
Tiered trays, mantles, vignettes, tablescapes, you name it and someone has probably decorated it with a wood bead garland, haha!
This was my first time ever making one, and I couldn’t believe how easy it was!
Especially when you’ve seen the price these things can go for!
I’ve seen some of the larger ones sold in stores for around $100! Yikes!
I was able to make this one for around $7 total!
And the awesome thing about making your own is that you can make it as long or short as you need it.
You can choose the colors and bead size, everything is up to you!
So keep reading so you can find out how to create your very own DIY Valentine’s Day Wood Bead Garland!
Supplies Needed:
- Jute twine
- Wood beads
- White paint
- Red paint
- Wooden heart (mine was from Dollar Tree)
- Paintbrush
- Scissors
- Tape (optional)
(Note: The larger wood beads I used are from Hobby Lobby, and the smaller colored beads are from Dollar Tree)
Step One: Pattern
First off if you’re using beads in different sizes and/or colors you’ll want to figure out what pattern you want them to be in.
You can lay all of your beads out on a flat surface, then just rearrange them until you like the way it looks!
TIP: It may be a good idea to take a picture of your beads in the pattern you made, that way you don’t forget it while they’re all being painted!
(I’m speaking from experience since I forgot my own pattern and had to lay them all out again to try and remember it after they were painted, haha!)
Step Two: Painting
Now take the beads you want painted and separate them from the rest.
There a few different ways you can do this part.
You could just lay each bead down and paint all of it except the bottom.
Then turn it over once the rest is dry and paint the bottom part.
OR
You can put your bead on something like a wooden skewer (a toothpick may even work if your beads are small enough)
Then paint the entire thing, and prop the skewer up somewhere to allow the beads to dry.
Step Three: Threading
Before you start threading your beads onto the jute you’ll want to take a small piece of tape (I used painter’s tape but any tape should work fine) and wrap it tightly around the end of your jute twine.
This step is optional, but it makes the whole process SO much easier!
Next, be sure to check the photo of your pattern that you took earlier!
Once you’ve done that, begin threading your wood beads onto the jute twine and keep going until you’ve finished your pattern.
Leaving a few inches between your last bead and the taped end of the twine, tie two knots in the jute twine right after the last bead.
You’ll want to do the same thing on the other side, but be sure to leave your twine still attached to the roll on that side when tying the knot next to your last bead.
Step Four: Tassel
First off you’ll want to unravel a good portion of your jute twine on the side that’s still attached to the roll.
To make the tassel you can use either:
A piece of cardboard OR your hand to wrap the jute twine around.
Starting at a point about an inch below your last bead, begin wrapping the twine around your cardboard or hand.
Wrap it around completely about 20 times.
You can wrap it less if you want a smaller tassel or more for a larger one.
Now slide the twine off of the cardboard and cut it off from the roll at a point several inches further than the end of your tassel.
(I ended up cutting mine much longer than it needed to be, but its better to have it be too long rather than too short!)
Take the cut end of the twine and wrap it around the entire bunch of twine several times, about an inch or so from the top.
Be sure to leave a small loop at the top.
After you’re finished wrapping it you can take the end of the twine and push it through the loop.
Pull the piece of twine you just pushed through until the loop tightens up, and then tie a knot right below the last bead. Cut the end of the twine piece.
The photo shows how the loop should look once you’ve pulled the twine tight and tied it.
You can also add a drop of glue one the back of the tassel where you tied the knot for a little extra security.
The last step for making the tassel will be to cut the bottom of the bunch of twine.
Make sure to cut it directly in the middle so that it leaves the twine at an even length on both sides.
If there are any bits that look a little too long you can always trim them off!
Step Five: Heart
Now all that’s left is to attach the wood heart!
The ones I used from Dollar Tree have the word “love” engraved on one side, but I felt like it looked better with the blank side face up.
All you have to do is take the end of your twine with the tape wrapped around it, and thread it through the hole in the heart.
Tie a knot in the jute behind the heart, and you’re all finished!
(You can also add a drop of hot glue to this knot as well to make it more secure!)
And now you can sit back and enjoy your beautiful new bead garland!
Once you know how to make one of these, the possibilities are really endless!
You can make one with different colors and accessories for any holiday or season!
Or make a neutral style wood bead garland that you can use all year long!
Looking for other Valentine’s Day DIYs?
Be sure to check out:
Dollar Store DIY – Valentine’s Day Signs
Did you make your own DIY Valentine’s Day wood bead garland? Or have you made a different wood bead garland? Let me know how it went in the comments section below!
