Bead and Pipe Cleaner Ornaments: A Fun Christmas Craft for Kids
When your kids are off from school and getting antsy because Santa isn’t here yet, it is good to have a few craft projects they can do to help pass the time. Christmas ornaments made from ordinary pipe cleaners and inexpensive acrylic beads are very beautiful and easy to make. They look quite impressive yet are easy enough for young children to do. This is a Christmas craft idea you can use again and again. Older people will enjoy making this Christmas craft; it can be varied enough to make a number of different sparkling ornaments for the Christmas tree.
To make the bead and pipe cleaner ornaments, you need common pipe cleaners in desired colors and acrylic beads. There are two types of beads which are particularly effective when strung on pipe cleaners.
The first type is called sunburst beads, but are also known as paddlewheel beads, snowflake beads, or starburst beads. These beads have six faceted hubs that ring a center that contains the hole for stringing. If several of these sunburst beads are strung consecutively, they fit together in an interlocking pattern. You can vary the number of beads to get a completely different look.
The second type of bead that is also effective for this Christmas craft is called tri bead or propeller bead. It has three rounded bumps arranged around the string hole. Like the sunburst beads, the tri beads interlock when strung together. For the most vibrant and prettiest Christmas ornaments, get tri beads and sunburst beads in translucent colors like red, green and clear. The tri beads can also be found in metallic gold and silver which can be used in this Christmas craft as well. You can also get beads in silver, purple, and dark blue for a completely different look.
Another way to make your ornaments unique is to get pipe cleaners in many different colors. Aside from the obvious silver and gold, you can get them in many other colors, and with many different finishes (some are plain, some are metallic, and some even have glitter on them already.) For Christmas crafts the best colors to use are metallics and your preferred Christmas colors. The beads cover the pipe cleaners, but the ends must be twisted and made into hangers, so they show.
Even small children can string these beads on pipe cleaners. Bend up the end of the pipe cleaner so the beads do not fall off. The pipe cleaner works like a needle, so a separate needle is unnecessary. For best results, show the children how to alternate colors when stringing pattern, or start a pattern with three colors. When the beads are strung on 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 cleaner to form a small 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 or star ornaments. Snowflake designs can be twisted of silver pipe cleaner only, without the beads for a simple but pretty decoration.
Beads and pipe cleaner ornaments are a Christmas craft you will find yourself using every year. Children and parents will both appreciate this simple but beautiful Christmas craft.
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