Jewelry Etc.

• You can make bold or delicate jewelry with glass beads and various beading techniques. Beginners can string glass beads on jewelry wire or stretchy cording to make simple necklaces, bracelets or earrings. Designing your own pattern for stringing the glass beads is the most difficult part of creating these beautiful jewelry pieces. You can also learn to sew patterns with glass seed beads to craft intricately designed pieces. Learning to work with seed beads is not difficult, but can be tedious if you're not a beader at heart. The tiny glass beads can be sewn together in many ways to create elegant netted necklaces, draping ornament covers, beaded purses, flowers and many other beaded objects. You can find free bead patterns and instructions online and in craft magazines.
  
  

Beaded Curtains

• Make several strands of glass beads to craft a beaded curtain for a doorway or to hang in front of a window. The translucent colors of the glass beads are especially lovely when the sun shines through the window, and the gentle tinkling sound they make in a doorway is a special kind of music. Add crystal prisms to your beaded window curtains and rainbows of color will dance around the room when the sun touches them. It's simple to craft a strand of glass beads; cut a length of fishing line slightly longer than your opening, double knot one end, string the beads, make a loop at the end with a strong double knot and slide the strand on a tension rod that you can hang anywhere.
  
  

Mobiles and Wind Chimes

• Glass beads are perfect for making colorful mobiles for your daughter's room or breezy wind chimes to hang in your garden. You can find glass beads in so many different colors, shapes and sizes that your design options are unlimited. To make mobiles or wind chimes, use fishing line to make strands of glass beads, crystals, bells, utensils, stained glass or any number of small objects. Wrap objects without an opening in craft wire and knot the line through the wire so you can hang them. You can find craft rings in a variety of shapes and sizes at Wal-mart or your local craft store to use as the header for your mobile or wind chime. These metal rings are usually gold, but you can spray paint them any color you like to match your décor.