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These beaded snowflakes look like the vintage kit ornaments a lot of us remember from our grandmothers' trees. Crouton Crafts found a set on Etsy, worked out how they were made, and shows the whole build here: two pipe cleaners, a pile of cheap acrylic beads, a little glue and a paper clip. Each one takes about half an hour, costs a couple of dollars, and grandkids can do most of the beading.
| Bead | How many |
|---|---|
| 8mm faceted round | 26 |
| Tri beads | 12 |
| 18mm starflake, color A | 8 |
| 18mm starflake, color B | 6 |
A mixed bag of acrylic starflake beads from the craft store will make a whole set in different color pairs. Sort them by color first. It makes the beading go much faster.
Pipe cleaners and big plastic beads are easy for small hands. Let children build the star and string the arms. An adult should do the super glue, the cutting and the pliers work. Super glue bonds skin in seconds, so keep a small dish of nail polish remover close in case of a sticky finger.
Hang them on the tree with ornament hooks or a loop of ribbon. They also look good in a window, where the faceted beads catch the light, or tied onto a gift as a topper. Store them flat in an egg carton or a box with tissue so the arms stay straight.
For a window garland, make five or six in matching colors and tie them along a length of ribbon. A single snowflake tucked into a gift bag makes a nice extra for a teacher or a neighbor.
Pair these with a crochet snowflake or a paper snowflake. Use leftover beads on a beaded bracelet, or make a felt owl ornament for the same tree.
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Make a vintage beaded snowflake ornament from pipe cleaners and starflake beads. An easy project: about 30 minutes, plus 15 minutes to dry or set. Materials cost about $2 to $5. You need 10 things, including 12 inch white pipe cleaners, 8mm faceted acrylic beads and acrylic tri beads. The 9 steps start with gather Pipe Cleaners and Beads for the Snowflake Ornament and cut the Pipe Cleaners in Half for the Snowflake Arms.
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Set out 12 inch white pipe cleaners and your beads: 8mm faceted rounds, tri beads, and 18mm starflake beads in two colors. Add a pair of pliers, a few paper clips or eye pins, super glue or nail glue, and some clear monofilament or nylon quilting thread. Plain acrylic craft-store beads are exactly what the vintage originals used.
Sort the starflakes into color A and color B before you start.
Fold a pipe cleaner in half and snip it at the fold so you have two 6 inch pieces. Use wire cutters or an old pair of scissors, since the wire inside will dull good ones. One ornament needs three of these halves, so cut two pipe cleaners and save the spare half for the next snowflake.
Cut a batch at once if you plan to make several ornaments.
Fold one half to find its center and pinch it. Lay a second half across that center and fold the first one around it, crossing the ends so it wraps. Find the middle of the third piece and wrap it around the center the same way. Spread the six arms evenly. Nothing should slide when you tug an arm.
Keep the center wraps flat. A bulky middle pushes the beads out.
On one arm, slide on an 8mm faceted bead and push it down to the center. Add a tri bead, then another faceted bead. Add a starflake in color A and one in color B, nestling them together. Finish with a faceted bead, a tri bead and a last faceted bead. That is the full pattern for one arm.
Twist the pipe cleaner tip as you thread. It finds the hole more easily.
Repeat the same sequence on the other five arms. Push each bead in snug against the center so the snowflake stays tight and even. When all six arms are done you will have white pipe cleaner tips sticking out past the last bead on each arm. Those get trimmed next.
Lay it flat now and then to check the arms are all the same length.
Slide the last bead off one arm and note where its tip landed on the pipe cleaner. Cut the pipe cleaner right below that spot. Put one drop of super glue on the cut end and push the bead back on. It sets almost at once. Repeat on all six arms. This is the step for a grown-up, not the kids.
Wipe stray glue off right away. Dried glue leaves a cloudy patch.
Straighten a paper clip, or use an eye pin. Pick any arm and push the wire into the end bead as far as it will go. Add a dab of super glue where it enters the bead. Set the snowflake aside and let the glue cure, since it takes longer to set when it is exposed to the air.
An eye pin gives a neater hanger than a paper clip if you have one.
Once the glue is set, trim the wire to about 3/8 inch above the bead. Leave too much and the loop gets big and clunky. Grip the end with round nose or needle nose pliers and roll it into a small loop. The direction it faces does not matter. A hook or ribbon goes through it later.
Roll the pliers, do not bend the wire. You get a rounder loop.
Cut a length of monofilament and tie a faceted bead on, leaving a 6 inch tail. Set a starflake over the front center and wind the thread between its points and around the arms a few times. Do the same with a starflake on the back. Thread the second faceted bead on, wind it in, tie the two ends off and trim.
Hot glue works for the center too if you would rather skip the thread.
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How to Tie a Bracelet Knot (Adjustable Sliding Knot)
8 steps · about 5 minutes
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How to Make a Beaded Snowflake Ornament - Vintage Pipe Cleaner Style
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E6000 Craft Adhesive, Clear (3.7 oz)
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OLFA 18" x 24" Self-Healing Cutting Mat
The pro-standard cutting surface. Gridlines for square cuts, self-healing so blades never leave grooves, and big enough for paper, fabric, and leather.
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