I am so excited about this latest project…how to make bead necklaces!  Ever since I saw those adorable gumball necklaces over at One Charming Party (whose site I LOVE)…I have been wanting to make them for my girls…and if I am being completely honest…MYSELF!!  So cute right?  Well, I have kept my eye out for gumballs and just never came across any colors that I loved without having to order them online.  Well, one day while perusing the craft store (which happens more often than I would like to admit) I spied some wooden beads!  BINGO!  I had my “gumballs” and I could make them exactly the colors I wanted.

And they are so EASY!  I simply took the wooden beads and painted them with acrylic paint.

I put each bead onto the end of some skewers that we had left over from some summer BBQ’s so that I could paint them easily.  Then I carefully pushed them off the skewer and onto a paper and left them to dry completely.  Then I painted them with a high gloss finish.  I just used a bottle that can be found right next to all the acrylic paints.  I forgot to take a picture of it…but any glossy varnish will work.  I wanted them to have a glossy finish much like the gumballs do.

I painted several in some fun and bright colors and added some polka-dots to some since I seem to be loving polka-dots lately!

After the beads are completely dry, cut about 3.5 – 4 feet of ribbon (depending on the finished length you would like the necklaces to be).  I used 3.5 feet and that seemed to be a great size so that all three of my girls could share and wear these necklaces. 

Line up your beads to determine the pattern you would like them to be strung on the ribbon.  Take your middle bead and thread it onto the ribbon so that it is in the exact middle.  Tie a knot on each end of the bead to hold it into place.  Then leave about an inch of space (or more depending on your preference) and tie another knot.  Thread your next bead on the ribbon and tie a knot directly on the other side.  Now do the same on the other side of the middle bead.  Continue with the process so that you thread one side and then the other.  This will ensure that you have the same amount of ribbon at the end of each end bead on the necklace.  I put seven beads on each necklace and feel that an odd number looked better than an even number of beads.

The possibilities are endless!  You can also find other great beads at your local craft store if you don’t feel like painting them yourself!

I love that these are so fun and cute and so INEXPENSIVE!!  I also think these would be a great classy gift for a little girl for her birthday from a friend.  Or a fun activity to do for a little girl’s birthday party so the guests could each take one home.  Or Christmas gifts and stocking stuffers…Or make them to give to a mom/grandma for Mother’s Day!

We have been wearing these around town for the past few days and have already had several compliments on them! 

Now I am looking for some classier beads to make one for myself!