Hi friends, I am going to share with you all the very easy technique of how to give texture to the simple wooden beads by using easily available things around house like jute or cotton string, jump ring, rhinestones,3D paint and using them to make a pretty necklace.

Ordinary looking beads get transformed beautifully due to the relief effect given by metallic colours.

I had these wooden beads lying in my craft cupboard for a while, I thought of using them in a decorated form rather than using them in a plain form, though I had created couple of colourful girl's necklaces as a birthday party goodies earlier.

Hope you like this tutorial and please let me know your comments/suggestions if you have any.:)

Thank you.

Supplies

Supplies needed are-

Assorted wooden beads of different sizes and shapes.

Things for giving texture-

cotton string ball, rhinestones, jump rings

3D outliner of any colour.(this colour will not be seen in the end product.)

Tooth picks/skewers/sticks/straw, wire to hold the beads while painting.

Jewellery pliers, scissors, a piece of sponge, A flat brush.

Black acrylic colour, gold or bronze metallic colour (substitute: any metallic nail varnish of your choice which will be end result effect on the beads, any metallic glossy glass colour)

Mod podge, white PVA glue

Black jewellery cord of 2mm thickness as my beads are 2mm holed(choose the cord carefully to make sure it accommodates the beads easily) or any stringing material like nylon cord, silk cord, jute, thin chain, ribbon, etc.

(Length of the cord depends on the choice. Here it is 18 inches approx.)

And jewellery findings like Cord ends, jump rings, clasp.

Step 1: Adding Texture to the Beads.

In this step,
Try giving bead surfaces a different form making their surface textured.

As shown in photos,

eg.1-Use outliners and draw shapes,dots,lines on it.Fill the areas and draw thicker lines to make it a raised pattern over the surface.Here,you can refer to the picture where,I have drawn flower shape with filled in background.

2-Wrap and glue the string.

3-Stick rhinestones on the outliner lines or dots while they are wet.

4-I have stuck jump rings on the beads.You will find the beautiful effect it has created in the further steps.

Useful Tip-Use toothpicks or barbeque sticks or wires to hold the beads steady while drawing on them.

Draw patterns on the beads and keep them aside for drying.

Step 2: Painting the Beads.

Now, Let's paint the dry beads in black acrylic paint mixed partly with PVA glue or Mod podge.

Here, I have taken mixture of mod podge and black paint which will strengthen the texture surface and make it ready for the next layer of another colour later in the next step.

Coating them with Mod podge or white glue in the paint,gives surface glossy look as well as water proof property. As shown in the photos, give 2-3 layers of coats and keep them on the sticks or holders for drying.

The beads are ready for the next step where in we will be using metallic paint on top of raised surface of the beads.

Step 3: Adding the Dash of Metallic Paint on the Raised Surface.

Here, we are simply going to give a dab of metallic or any shiny paint (it could be glossy/pearly glass paint, nail varnish or acrylic colour).I have used bronze paint shown in the photo.

The technique lies in the way of application. One could find it easier to apply just with finger tips and rolling them using fingertips.The sponge is the best option in all. Its totally your choice what to use to apply the colour. Feel free to experiment first on unwanted bead,button or a piece of sandpaper.

Take a piece of a sponge or sponge dabber tool and go on gently over the raised lines, shapes, engraved areas you have made in the previous step.

Repeat the step until you find the finish and colour of the beads the way you want. I have coated them twice. Please make sure that the first coat is dry before giving a second coat of the paint.

Keep them for drying for couple of hours on the sticks, wire or whatever you find suitable for their holes to fit onto.

You will start noticing the difference the texture has created to simple-looking wooden beads.

The beads are ready to be threaded onto the cord after a couple of hours!

You may wish to apply a final coat of mod podge or white glue or varnish but its totally an optional step.

Step 4: Assembling the Beads on to the Jewellery Cord.

Its time to assemble them onto the cord.

First, arrange them in the order you want on the flat cloth surface or a bead mat to avoid them rolling off the surface. I have chosen to arrange the chunky ones and more textured ones in the centre. Also I have decided to keep few plain wooden spacer beads with no texture given. Let your imagination choose the style and arrangement of the beads.

Preparation of the cord-

Please note that I have chosen waxed cotton cord of 2mm thickness as my beads are chunky. You need to make sure that the cord accommodates the beads easily while selecting the material beforehand to avoid last minute hassle.Cord could be of different materials like silk,cotton, nylon, jute depending on the design.

Next,to string the beads easily,cut the tip of the cord at an angle making it pointy at the end,as shown in the picture,then apply some glue on the tip of the cord and let it dry. The cord acts as a needle now and threading beads is easer.The cord is now ready to receive the beads.

Once the layout is ready, they are going to be strung onto the cord. Start stringing the beads in the order of your layout.

Step 5: Time to Finish Off the Cord Ends!

In this last step, use your jewellery pliers to attach the cord ends to the tips of the cord. Insert cord tip into the open space of the cord end.Press carefully the cord end flaps onto the cord one by one with the help of the flat nose plier(I have used all-in-one plier here).The cord end is secured now. Repeat the step for another tip of the cord as well.

Attach the jump ring to one of the ends and the remaining end gets the hook or the clasp attached. I have shared the photos of this process. Finish off the assembly by applying some white or clear glue on the cord tips to make them more secured.

Your very own,beautiful,chunky yet very light-weight wooden beads creation is ready to wear!!

Step 6: Enjoy Few Close-ups of the Necklace..

These zoomed photos display the gorgeous textured look of the beads!

This is how you can create the expensive look by using inexpensive stuff at home.

(One more easy trick could be polishing beads with sand paper before painting them in black.That will create nice rough surface for metallic paint to sit on.)

The wooden beads are totally light weight so the possibilities are endless with respect to how you design.How about floating necklace using nylon wire!

Hope you like this tutorial.The designing possibilities are endless .Do try it with different colour combinations and let me know how they turned out.

Happy Crafting!

Thank you.