Embellished Glass Garland Beads Craft Tutorial: Take Your Beads to the Next Level with Dresden Trims

If you like doing precise detail work on a small scale, you'll love taking these blown glass beads to the next level with narrow Dresden borders and stars.  Fancy embellished beads look beautiful incorporated into garlands or made into ornaments.

Supplies: narrow Dresden borders (DFW214, DFW203, DFW209, DFW00, DFW0, DFW195) and Dresden stars (DFW276, DFW852), glass beads, clear-drying glue like Aleene's Tacky Glue, scissors, damp sponge or paper towel, Q-tips

The concept is simple: glue Dresden stars and borders onto glass beads.

Step 1: Assemble supplies: Trim apart Dresden stars and border strips.  Gather beads.

Step 2: Pair Dresdens with beads: Decide which colors look best together.  Wrap borders around beads to determine lengths and cut leaving 1/16" of overlap.

Step 3: Gently glue Dresdens in place: Apply glue evenly but sparingly along length of Dresden border.  Any excess glue can be smoothed with a Q-tip so no glue bulges out when border is applied to bead.  Glue trim in desired place.  Starting at a side seam or other mould mark helps hide trim ends.  Press 1/16" overlap gently to secure.  Excess glue can be carefully swiped with a damp Q-tip.

If adding stars: glue in place and let dry.  Stars look good individually, in clusters or stacked in graduated sizes.

Step 4: Once dry, use beads to create ornaments, incorporate into garlands or make icicle drops.

Tips:

• Try to place borders in the desired location on the first try: Placing and lifting repeatedly can lift the color off the bead as the glue begins to set up.

• Single-sided Dresden borders work best (pieces with foil on only one side).  Antique gold and silver are produced on thinner papers and bend around small curves well.  Colored Dresden (light green, dark blue, light purple) are produced on slightly thicker paper but still yield a beautiful result.

• Keep a damp sponge or paper towel on hand to keep finger tips free from glue.

• Curl or bend Dresden borders before gluing to make application easier.

• Use existing designs on beads as a guide: glue borders along stripes and grooves.

• Round beads look classic and retro with a simple band in antique gold or silver.  We especially like border DFW195.

• If embellishing matte beads, take particular care to keep gluing precise.  Any excess glue will show on the matte finish as a glossy area.  Carefully wipe up any excess glue with a damp Q-tip.

Details of our favorites are illustrated below:

Classic barrel beads (item number GB014) and ribbed barrels (item number GB006) each have flat center areas ideal for embellishing with a multitude of different Dresden border options.  Antique gold and  silver give an elegant and classic look when paired with colorful beads.  Colorful borders look striking on colorful beads -- try paring green + pink or blue + aqua.  Adding a colorful border to a gold or silver bead adds a touch of whimsy and interest -- try pairing gold + light purple or gold + dark blue.  Borders we used on the beads below: DFW214, DFW203, DFW209, DFW00, DFW0, DFW195.

Round beads take on a variety of different looks depending on the trims used. 

25mm beads: Add a banded border like DFW195 for a clean and elegant look.  Embellish further with stars.  Stack two stars like on the 25mm red bead below: DFW852 in silver + DFW276 in antique gold makes a beautiful tiny layered medallion.  Further embellish with a cluster of stars like the 25mm pearl green bead below: stack stars and add two additional stars in antique gold on either side to make a cluster.  Another beautiful look is to space 4 small stars equal distance apart across a fancy border like the 25mm pearl rose bead below.  Borders we used on 25mm beads: DFW195, DFW0.

18mm beads: DFW195 is pleasingly retro when added to an 18mm bead and looks striking on both shiny and matte finish beads.  Other fancy borders like DFW0 or DFW209 look elegant and specialty.  Adding stars or stacked stars over a border gives the opportunity to really customize a look.  Alternatively, forego a border and add a set of stacked stars on each side of a bead for a pretty snowflake medallion look.  Borders we used on 18mm beads: DFW195, DFW0, DFW203, DFW209.

Faceted beads (item number GB073 lend themselves well to the application of a simple border as well as a border + individual star.  We used borders DFW0, DFW195, DFW209 and DFW00.  For stars we used DFW852.  Use the facets to line borders up in the center of the bead.

Long drop beads (item number GB053) have a trio of grooved stripes that act as a guide for adding borders.  Place a mix of three borders over the grooves or place two wider borders between the grooves, like the hot pink drop below.  Borders DFW214, DFW209 and DFW203 fit over grooves nicely.  DFW195 is a good option for between grooves.

Larger beads look especially elegant and resemble small ornaments when embellished with a mix of Dresden borders and stars.  We used border DFW195 + four groups of stacked stars on the quilted eggs below (item number GB337).  For the oblong textured bead in silver below (item number GB215) we added border DFW195 + 2 sets of stacked stars (one on top and one on bottom) + 2 individual stars (one on each side between the stacked stars).  Another option is to add only a border + 2 stars (one on top and one on bottom).

A larger banded floral barrel (item number GB217) looks fancy with border DFW214 placed at the edges of the blue center with individual stars placed over the flower design.

With a multitude of bead colors and Dresden border combinations,  there are scores of possibilities for customization and making sets of beads to coordinate with specific decor and color schemes.  Let your imagination guide you!