Beaded tiaras for princesses of all ages

I got the idea for this one day while staring at the bead section of my local Wal-mart. You can make this cute crown your own way, or you can do one up the same way I did! These tiaras would be cute on any girl. Great for dress up and play (as these were made for) or even for a fun touch to a prom dress.

For this instructable, we shall be making the blue tiara.

Step 1: Gathering Supplies

You will need an assortment of things to make this tiara. You might already have some of them laying around. Other things can be purchased at the dollar store or at Wal-mart.

-Beads (for the blue crown I used clear plastic multi-faceted beads in two sizes, blue pony beads and blue star beads)

-Measuring tape

-Wire cutters

-20 gauge silver wire (you can use 22 gauge wire if the 20 gauge wont fit through your beads)

-Scissors

-Ribbon (I used quarter inch ribbon but you can use half inch as well)

-Hot glue gun and glue sticks

-Plastic head band (I got mine at the dollar store, 3 for a dollar... any color because we will be covering it up with ribbon)

-Floral tape (usually it comes in green, but I found white... if you can only get green, go ahead because we will be covering it up with ribbon). The floral tape is important to cover up the ends of the twisted wires and to secure them in place.

Step 2: Measuring the Wire

First things first... We need to measure out 5 lengths of wire. Using your measuring tape and wire cutters cut 3 pieces of wire that measure 10 1/2 inches and 2 pieces of wire that measure 8 1/2 inches.

Try to get each of the wires to measure as close to each other as possible.

If you think you might need a little extra wire to go around your head band, go ahead and add half an inch to these measurements. You can always cut away the excess with your wire cutters once you have wrapped the pieces around the head band.

Step 3: Making the Points

Now we can add the beads and make the points to our tiara!

Large Points
First add one large clear bead to the middle of the 10 1/2 inch wire (picture one). Twist the wire around the bead at least two times (picture three).

Next, slip a large star bead over both ends of the wire. Push it up over the twists to sit against the top large clear bead. (picture four)

Pull the two wires apart and add three smaller clear beads to each wire (picture five). Twist the two wires together a couple of times (picture six).

With the two wires together, add one blue pony bead, than add 4 large clear beads, and finally one last blue pony bead.

Repeat this with the other two 10 and half inch wire pieces we cut before.

Short Points
With the 8 1/2 inch wire, add a small clear bead to the middle and twist as we did before.

Slip one blue pony bead, and one large clear bead over both wires.

Add a star bead under this (I had two sizes of star beads, I used a smaller size here)

Over both wires add a large clear bead, a blue pony bead and follow that up with 3 small clear beads.

Repeat this step one more time.

Now you should have 5 beaded wires as seen in the last picture.

Step 4: Adding the Wire to the Headband

First things first! Measure your head band to find the center. I used a white colored pencil to mark the center. I just guessed with the other measurements, but you can mark those out as well if you like.

Place the bottom bead right above the head band with the wires in the front. Carefully, wrap the wire around the back to the front again. Do this for both wires of each piece.

Repeat with remaining four pieces. (I alternated big, small, big, small, big for this tiara... for the yellow tiara, I had a peak in the middle).

Step 5: Wrapping the Headband

Now its time to bust out our floral tape!

Starting at one end of the head band start wrapping. This stuff only sticks to itself. It works better if you stretch it as you go.

When you get to the wire parts, wrap it two or three times to cover the wire well. You don't want wire poking through. Plus, this step really holds the wire down great so it wont go anywhere.

I cut off a length at a time, instead of using it from the spool. I found this a bit easier.

Step 6: Finishing It Up

At this point, if you so chose, you could leave the tiara as is. However, I wanted a more finished look. Plus, the white just didn't do it for me.

Cut a long length of ribbon (I found this easier than using it from the spool). Plug in your hot glue gun and wait for it to heat up.

Put a dab of glue on the end of the headband and stick your ribbon to it. Once stuck, put about a half inch of glue on the back side of the head band. I wouldn't do more than this at a time because it will set on you.

Once you have your half inch of glue down wrap the ribbon around and around. When covered, add another half inch of glue and repeat until your whole band is covered with ribbon!

Viola, you are finished! Now run off and let your inner princess shine!