DIY Bead Tree Ideas

Bead trees are a great way to add some color to your home. They’re also a fun way to recycle your old beads and make something new!

Bead trees can be made out of many different materials, including plastic beads, wooden beads and even cardboard or paper. You can make your bead tree look like a real tree or just as an interesting decoration. Some of the materials used to make bead trees include:

• Plastic beads (any color)
• Wooden Beads (different colors)
• Cardboard Tubes (a variety of sizes)

You can use any kind you like – some people prefer using wood or plastic because they’re easy to cut and drill; others prefer using recycled cardboard tubes because they’re free if you have them laying around your house already! Whatever material you choose though, it will be easier if it has some kind of structure already built into it – like those tubes do. It also helps if there aren’t any sharp edges on either side so that everything fits together nice and snugly when we’re done assembling everything together at the end too!

A Wooden, Wire and Pearl Tree

• Materials:
• Beads of your choice (I used a mix of beads and pearls)
• One wooden branch that’s about the size of your hand. I used an eucalyptus branch, but you can use any wood you want!
• You may need to drill holes in the branches before you start attaching the beads. If this is the case, it’s best to use a drill bit that is slightly bigger than your wire so that it can fit through easily. You don’t want to have any problems getting everything together at the end!

Decorate a Small Branch

Next, use wire to create a tree-like pattern on the branch. The bigger the beads you use, the more branches you’ll need to create. It’s up to you how many branches you want to hang and how long they will be. You could also take this idea even further by using different textures and shapes of beads as well as varying colors, making your tree really stand out!

Wood and Glass Beads on Curly Branches

For this project, you will need:

• Curly branches (you can buy them at craft stores)
• Paint that matches your branches (I used acrylic paint and a small foam brush)
• Beads of your choice (I used wood beads and glass beads)

You may also want to have something ready to attach the base of your tree with or some way to stand up your tree in case it turns out too heavy to hang on a wall. I did not add a base for this project because I wanted my tree to be free standing.

A Copper Wire, Silver Beaded Tree

• Use wire to make the branches.
• Decorate the branches with silver beads.
• Make the trunk of your tree from wire, like you made the branches, or from a wooden dowel that’s been painted silver. If you use a dowel, it should be at least three inches long so that it sticks out of one side of your bead-covered branch by about half an inch.
• Connect your branch and trunk together by wrapping one end around each other before securing them together with hot glue (you may want to wear gloves). Be sure that there are no gaps between them when they’re joined together! We want this tree to look seamless!
• Hang your tree on your wall using picture hangers or thumbtacks. Use two thumbtacks if necessary so that no part of your branch bends downward when hanging off a wall (no matter how heavy or light it feels in comparison). This will keep everything looking nice and straight!

An Under the Sea Inspired Bead Tree

You can make a bead tree out of anything. You don’t need to spend money on beads or supplies, either. All you have to do is gather your materials together and get started!

Materials:

• Beads (you can use any color you want)
• A piece of wood (or any material you like)

Tools:

• Scissors or other cutting tool (for cutting the wire into pieces) You’ll also need glue and paint if you want to decorate it further before adding your beads.

A Multicolored Plastic Beaded Tree

Materials:

• A high-quality, thick glue
• Upcycled materials where you can (old CDs, buttons with holes in the center, etc.)
• Beads of different colors (I used multi-colored plastic beads) and shapes (round, square and heart-shaped)

A Blue, Pink and Yellow Tree on a Branch

The beads on this tree are arranged in a spiral pattern. You can choose to do this yourself, or if you are using a glue gun, you can use it to attach the beads.

The base is made out of metal wire, and it was painted black before being covered with fabric strips. The branch was also covered with fabric strips as well as glue gunned onto the base.

A Funky, Multicolored Beaded Branch Tree

Materials:

1 small branch (any kind)

2 colors of beads

glue gun and glue sticks

scissors or knife to cut the branch into smaller pieces (optional)

Small Wooden Branches and Clear Glass Beads

Step 1: Apply glue to the stems of the branches and then add clear glass beads.

Step 2: Using a wooden base, attach the branches with glue.

Step 3: Place in a sunny spot and enjoy!

Dark Wood with Pearls in Different Colors

You will need:

• Dark wood branch (you can find branches at craft stores or you may be able to collect some from your yard)
• Drill
• Various pearls in different colors

Instructions:

• Use the drill to make holes into the branch. You will want to make sure that all of the holes are about an inch apart from one another and that they go through both sides of the branch so that it can hold a bead on each side.
• Get out your pearls and start stringing them onto wires or thread as desired!