DIY Oversized Wood Bead Garland

Welcome back to the 12 Days of Christmas here on Inspired by Charm. ‘Tis the season to DIY!

That’s right. For Day 10 of this series, I’m sharing a fun and colorful DIY that you can use to decorate your home for the holidays and beyond. Check out my DIY Oversize Wood Bead Garland.

For the past year or so, I’ve been seeing these wood bead styling strands pop up on some of my favorite blogs and in home decor magazines.

In essence, the strands are oversize wood balls on a string that you can use to decorate a shelf, style a coffee table, etc. Because of their size and shape, they add texture and movement to a vignette. And during the holidays, they can double as a beautiful garland. On their own or tucked in pine, they bring a rustic modern element to your decor.

Typically, these wood bead styling strands are left natural. However, because I like more color in my life, I decided to paint a few of the beads to give the strand a little holiday spirit. I was also itching to paint because my friends over at Fusion Mineral Paint sent me samples of their new color collection. The Bayberry, Fort York Red, and Cranberry were just begging to be used in my holiday decor. (Stay tuned to find out how you can enter to win a collection of paints from Fusion Mineral Paint.)

I’ve been a big fan of their paint after using it several times this year for projects like my Coffee Tray, DIY Serving Board, and Fall Colorblock Cork Table Decor.

So, with all of those ideas spinning around in my head, I got to work. Let me show you how I put this together.

For this project you will need:

Round wood ball: 2-inch, 1.50-inch, 1.25-inch, 1-inch
Square wood cube: 1.5-inch
Leather cording
Drill
3/16″ drill bit
Scrap piece of wood
Gripping pliers
Sand paper
Fusion Mineral Paints
Paint brush

To begin, gather a variety of wood beads. (The ones I used are linked above.) You can use any combination you like. My finished strand was five feet long and contained 49 wood beads.

Next, drill a hole in each bead. Grip the bead with a pair of pliers and drill into the center using a 3/16″ bit. Use a piece of scrap wood below the bead to protect your surface.

(This drill bit makes a hole that allows the cording I used to slide through nicely. However if you choose a different cording, you may need a different size drill bit.)

With all of your holes drilled, use a piece of fine grit sand paper to clean up any rough edges.

Now, you’re ready to paint. I selected four coordinating seasonal colors from Fusion Mineral Paints. They include Bayberry, Fort York Red, Cranberry, and Lamp White.

For easy painting, I threaded the beads on a wood skewer and then inserted the skewer into the side of a cardboard box. This allowed me to paint the entire bead without getting paint all over my hands.

I gave each bead two coats.

Once the beads are dry, string them on your leather cording. Again, you can choose any order you like. I made a repeating pattern with the smallest beads at the end. The painted beads are evenly spaced on the garland.

Once the beads are strung, leave a couple inches of cording on both ends and finish off each end with a knot. (The extra cord will ensure that there’s some give in the strand so that it’s flexible and easy to shape.)

And with that, your project is complete!

Now, you can enjoy styling the garland all over your home.

As I said above, it looks great strung on the mantel, just lying on the coffee table, or spilling out of a bowl.

What I love about this project is that when the holidays are over, you can easily replace the colored beads with ones that fit the new season or your everyday decor.

This is a decorative piece that easily transitions from season to season, allowing you to use it all year long.

Plus, with dozens of wood bead shapes and sizes and lots of colors from Fusion Mineral Paints, the options are endless.

What do you think? Will you give this DIY Oversize Wood Bead Garland a try?

If you do, you’re going to need some paint. That’s why my friends over at Fusion Mineral Paint were super excited to join in on the 12 Days of Christmas fun!

Today I’m giving away a $250 credit to Fusion Mineral Paint to one lucky IBC reader! That will make for quite the paint supply, don’t you think!?

To enter to win, use the entry form below. (Those viewing this on a blog reader may need to visit the actual post by clicking here.)

Best of luck to everyone!!

Don’t forget – there are two more days in this special holiday series. See you back here tomorrow for more festive fun!

12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS 2016

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