How to Make a Wooden Bead Garland

With our basement in a state of construction, our Christmas decoration totes are all mixed up. I went down to look a wood bead garland that I bought several years ago, but it was nowhere to be found. Not wanting to waste more time searching, I decided to make my own. Let me share how to make a wooden bead garland.

With all the other living room decorations in place, I quickly made the garland so that I would meet a holiday blog post deadline. You can see the living room Tapers and Trees tour HERE.

Although I was rushing to make the garland I felt so relaxed! Stringing the beads along is meditative and if I hadn’t run out of beads I would have kept going right along.

Hope you find this craft relaxing too. It is also a fun, easy project to have kids help with; great for building hand-eye coordination with the preschool age kiddos.

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How to Make a Wooden Bead Garland

Step 1: Gather Your Materials

Before you begin, make sure you have all the necessary materials on hand. Choose wooden beads in various sizes and colors to create a visually appealing garland.

I had a big tub of wood beads left over from these DIY baby’s first Christmas/baby Jesus ornaments. I bought them at a small neighborhood store; it’s sort of like a 5 and dime (younger readers may need to Google the definition of that term ha ha) mixed with a sketchy bodega. Lo and behold, the store had a decent craft section and had this tub of beads that may have been there since the 80s. I can’t find quite the same mix of beads online so I linked similar under the photo above. Just click the pink words to shop the supplies.

The twine is gift wrap twine from Target.

My son uses the embroidery needle for small sewing projects and it is perfect for stringing beads too. His preschool had needles like these larg e eye plastic needles.

Step 2: Prepare Your Workspace

Find a clean and well-lit area to work on your project. Lay out all your materials and tools to ensure easy access throughout the crafting process.

Step 3: Measure and Cut the Twine

Decide on the desired length for your garland and cut the twine or jute string accordingly. Leave a few extra inches on each end for tying knots and hanging.

My twine is just over 6 feet including space to tie off the ends.

Step 4: Arrange the Beads

Plan the arrangement of your beads by laying them out in the desired pattern. This step allows you to visualize the final look of your wooden bead garland and make any adjustments before securing the beads in place.

Step 5: String the Beads

Thread the wooden beads onto the twine, following the arrangement you planned in the previous step. Be creative with the bead sizes and colors to achieve a balanced and aesthetically pleasing design.

Step 6: Tie Knots

Once all the beads are strung, tie knots at both ends of the twine to secure the beads in place. Ensure that the knots are tight to prevent the beads from sliding.

Trim any excess twine from the ends of the garland, leaving a small bit to tie off on each side for hanging.

How to Make a Wooden Bead Garland. for Christmas decorating

Fireplace mantle decorated for Christmas holidays

I layered my wooden bead garland with a cedar garland to decorate our fireplace mantel.

A bead garland would of course look pretty on a Christmas tree or draped on shelves.

Wooden bead garlands also can be used year round as a party decoration, to hang photos or children’s artwork, or use a short version as coffee table decor draped on a vase or in a bowl.

There are so many types of wood beads and wood bead garlands. They can be a traditional, bohemian, tribal and more. All the varieties got me thinking about the history of wood beads and I found this article from a jewelry website that is brief but interesting.