Pipe cleaner and craft beads go hand in hand. If my kids need something to do, I pull out the container with these two supplies. They’re easy for little hands and the beads stay put on the pipe cleaner. Here we made Christmas Ornaments out of pipe cleaner and beads. They’re super simple and add some homemade charm to our Christmas tree.
Bead Your Own Ornaments
Supplies:
- pipe cleaner
- craft beads
For the Star:
- place yellow beads onto yellow pipe cleaner. Leave a little space at each end to twist them together. Then form the 5 points of the star with your hands. I used the twisted end as the top point. Then I attached a small piece of pipe cleaner to the top point to make a hook for the tree.
For the Candy Cane:
- on a red or white pipe cleaner, place alternating red and white beads. Leave a little space at each end. Then curl each end in to hole the beads into place. This ornament is also great for kids to work on pattern making.
For the Ball:
- this one is the easiest for the really little ones. Let them place whatever color beads on any color pipe cleaner. Just leave a little space on each end to twist. Then attach a small piece of pipe cleaner to the top to make a hook, just like the star. If you make a smaller ball, you can form the two ends into a hook without adding an extra piece of pipe cleaner. This ornament can also be turned into a pattern, helping kids practice different types of patterns.
For the Tree:
- use a brown pipe cleaner and place alternating beads onto it. We used green and red, but any color bead could be used for the “lights” on the tree. Then twist the two ends together and form a hook at the top with the extra pipe cleaner or add another small piece of pipe cleaner to the top. Then form a triangle shape with your hands, making the tree shape. Then add a small piece of brown pipe cleaner to the bottom and twist it onto the bottom of the tree, also forming it with your hands into square edges.
We’re now hanging our beaded ornaments from our tree. We’ll be giving a few to our Grandmas as well.
Want more ornament ideas? See these fun Holiday Shadowbox Ornaments!
This is such a cute idea! We’ll be making some on Sunday! :)
Thank you so much for this fabulous idea. I just made a few for the kids Christmas trees.
We’ve made many of these ornaments! I still have most of them. This is a fun kid project!
Manuela
Sue Anne – Little mini ornaments are a fun idea. I’ll have to try that. And sending it with a gift is super cute. Thanks.
This was a great idea, and I’ve already made a bunch of mini candy canes to go in some mini crochet stockings I was already working on.
These were SO fun–until we ran out of pipe cleaners! And our bead box didn’t have a single red in the bunch! What’s THAT about?
Just got up my post – saw this and remembered doing it with my Cubbies in the past – but had completly slipped my mind – so glad that I saw this! Thanks. http://weshallmountupwithwings.blogspot.com/2008/12/bead-ornaments.html
i did these today with my 6.5 year old and my 3 year old. they loved it and had a great time. we did our own version of each. they are proudly hanging on their tree in the playroom. thanks for the good idea.
Beth – Love the spiral idea. Glad your son had fun!
We did this yesterday and my 2.75 old son LOVED it. He didn’t want to do christmas colors or patterns so we went freestyle. They turned out very cute and he couldn’t get enough. Kept him busy for an hour!! And I had fun just being with him and watching him carefully select his next bead color. We made a circle, star, and a spiral.
Thiis is a great idea- my daughter will love it! We’ve been making ornaments for her little tree so this is perfect, thanks!
SUUUper cute! My kids will love these.
Perfect, I have an extreme about of pipe cleaners for some weird reason and this would be the perfect craft to use some of them up!
We are doing this today!! Thanks for the cute idea!
Great idea, and super cute picture of you on the ilash blog!
Woah, flashback!
I can remember doing these in Girl Scouts!
Awesome! I can’t wait to do this with my kids! I know what we’ll pick up at the store tomorrow!