Bead And Pipe Cleaner Ornaments: Christmas Craft

Christmas Decorations made from ordinary tube cleaners and economical acrylic beads are extremely attractive and easy to build. They look quite impressive yet are easy enough for small children to build. This is one Christmas craft idea to use again and again. Older people will adore making this Christmas craft, too, which can be varied to build a number of varied sparkling Decorations for your Christmas tree.

To build the bead and tube cleaner Decorations, you need standard tube cleaners in desired colors and acrylic beads. Two models of beads are particularly effective when strung on tube cleaners. 1 model are named sunburst beads, but are also known as paddlewheel beads, snowflake beads or starburst beads. These beads have six faceted paddles spaced equally around a center that contains the hole for stringing. When several of these sunburst beads are strung successively, they fit against each other in an interlocking design.

The other model of bead that is also effective for this Christmas craft is named the 3 bead or propeller bead. It has three rounded bumps aligned around the stringing hole. Like the sunburst beads, the 3 beads interlock when strung successively. For the most sparkly and attractive Christmas Decorations, get 3 beads and/or sunburst beads in translucent colors of red, green, and clear. The 3 beads can also be found in metallic gold and silver which can be used in this Christmas craft as well.

Pipe cleaners can be found in gold and silver tinsel as well as chenille of all colors. For the Christmas craft, the best colors to use are the metallics and Christmas colors. The beads cover the tube cleaners, but the ends will need to be twisted together and made into hangers, so they show.

Anyone, even small children, can string these beads on tube cleaners. Bend up the end of the tube cleaner so the beads dont fall off. The tube cleaner works like a needle, making a needle unnecessary. For best results, show the children how to alternate colors when stringing, or start a design of three colors. When the beads are strung on the tube cleaners, they can be bent into varied Christmas shapes. For instance, string red and clear beads alternately, then bend down one end of the tube cleaner for a candy cane shape. Or alternate red and green beads and form a circle for a wreath. Use red tube cleaner to form a small bow to beautify the wreath. Form a hanger for the Christmas craft or simply slip the circle over a branch of the Xmas Tree.

If you experiment with clear beads and silver tube cleaners, you can build several beautiful snowflake or star Decorations. Snowflake designs can be twisted of silver tube cleaner only, without the beads for a simple but attractive decoration.

Bead and tube cleaner Decorations are a Christmas craft you will find yourself using every year. Parents and children will both appreciate this easy yet attractive Christmas craft.