Green Beads and Gnomes!

Coloring beads to match seasonal décor is Quick'n EZ 

        I enjoy decorating with bead garlands and almost always finish off the ends with a tassel, tag, or  seasonal gnome. Making the gnome was the easy part, but I really wanted some green beads for the month of March without the hassle of painting. I created a lot of projects in the 80's & 90's with small wood parts and whenever I had a lot to color I would use dye!  

STEP 1: 

I dissolved about 1/2 a packet of Tulip® Fabric Dye in hot water in a small STAINLESS STEEL saucepan placed in my STAINLESS STEEL sink then carefully added the string of beads with the tassel and some additional loose beads. I stirred the beads and tassel around for a minute, or so with a STAINLESS STEEL spoon making sure the jute tassel was saturated with the dye.  Note: Since this is DYE, I also wore disposable gloves.  I know being "green" is trendy right now and St. Patrick's day is right around the corner, but I really didn't want to risk green hands......  

 

STEP 2:

I left the beads and tassel in the dye for a couple of hours then used a STAINLESS STEEL ladel to transfer the beads to a STAINLESS STEEL colander to drain.  Still working in the sink, I placed a paper towel in the colander to soak up any excess dye, placed the colander in a plastic bag (so it didn't drip on the way to the door) and took it outside so the beads could dry in the sunshine. I hung the strand of beads and tassel from a tree branch and placed the colander at the base.

 

STEP 3:

Once the beads and tassel were dry, I tied the tassel to the end of a piece of string/jute, glued a gnome hat around the top (ball) of the tassel (see my post below with steps on making the hat* with Gwen Studios ribbon and Kunin® Presto felt) then added beads to the string alternating green and natural. I also glued a small bead to the tassel, below the rim of the hat for the nose and a small shamrock I cut from felt at the top.  *Do not add the yarn beard; the tassel is the beard. You may also need to adjust the size of the quarter circle to fit the tassel. You can also make the Leprechaun gnome as shown to add to the end of a garland.

        Now you know how easy it is to color natural beads, you can create any color you like to coordinate with any season or celebration throughout the year.  Note: Not all beads are made from the same wood, so sample a few first. You can also change the depth of color by the amount of dye you add to the water and/or how long you allow the beads to soak in the dye. The color may not always be even, but this only adds to the charm of the farmhouse style....  

Yours truly,

Julie 💚

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON CRAFTING!