Lace Star Glass Bead Ornament ~ Craft Project Kit Assembly Tutorial + Custom Color Variations

The Lace Star is an exquisite ornament and, despite its apparent complexity, is quite easy and one of our favorite styles to make. Think of its construction as "weaving with wire" and you'll soon be creating a whole flurry of beautiful snowflakes. Four colorways are available as project kits that contain all necessary beads and wire to create one ornament. You can also create your own custom color combinations using the noted supplies and steps below. Completed ornament measures about 3-1/2" across. The illustrated steps below show the assembly of a project kit.

Supplies to make 1 ornament:

1 Lace Star project kit

Scissors

--OR--

28 gauge Wire (about 60 inches)

10 beads 10mm round

10 beads 6mm round

20 beads 4mm "4" bump

1 hanger made with 30mm tube bead (instructions below at the very end)

Skewer

Scissors

Step 1:

Uncoil length of wire. String 10 round 6mm beads onto wire leaving a tail of wire 1-1/2" long on one side. Form beads into a circle and twist wires once to secure shape.

Step 2: String two tube beads onto long end of wire. Slide beads down and bend wire between tube beads to form the first point of the star. The first point sits above a round bead. Weave wire through center of ornament and bring up to starting position to secure point in place.

Step 3: Continue adding tube beads and creating star points until 10 points have been made.

Step 4: Twist wires together to secure. Trim excess wire with scissors leaving a 1/4" twist. Tuck twist in on itself to secure.

Step 5: Weave length of wire through one star point, leaving a 1-1/2" tail of wire. On long end of wire, string two bump beads. Slide beads down and bend wire between tube beads to form a point. Weave wire through second point to secure.

Step 6: Continue adding bump beads and creating star points until 9 points have been made.

Step 7: Slide on 1 bump bead + hanger + 1 bump bead. Weave wire under to meet other wire then twist wires together several times to secure. Trim excess wire with scissors leaving a 1/4" twist. Tuck twist in to hide.

Step 8: Twist wire around area where the top point of tube beads meets the bottom point of bump beads. Leave a 1-1/2" tail of wire.

Step 9: String one 10mm round bead onto wire and slide bead down so it rests in the area created by the tube and bump beads. Secure by wrapping wire around the next area where the tube and bump beads meet.

Step 10: Continue adding round beads until all 10 beads have been added.

Step 11: Weave wire under to meet other wire then twist wires together several times to secure. Trim excess wire with scissors leaving a 1/4" twist. Tuck twist in to hide.

Variations: The Lace Snowflake design lends itself well to customization with different color beads. The images above and below right show a mix of Lace Snowflakes made from project kits as well as styles we made from loose beads. The image below highlights just the custom colors. Here are the supplies used:

Upper left: 20 pearl blue 4mm "4" bump + 20 antique gold 15mm tube beads + 10 light green 6mm round + 10 lime green 10mm round + hanger made with 1 30mm antique gold tube bead.

Upper right: 20 matte white 4mm "4" bump + 20 silver 15mm tube beads + 10 light purple 6mm round + 10 pearl blue 10mm round + hanger made with 1 30mm silver tube bead.

Center: 20 pearl teal 4mm "4" bump + 20 antique gold 15mm tube beads + 10 aqua 6mm round + 5 matte champagne 10mm round + 5 pink 10mm round + hanger made with 1 30mm antique gold tube bead.

Lower left (pay particular attention to the placement of the 10mm round beads): 20 gold 4mm "4" bump + 20 silver 15mm tube beads + 10 gold 6mm round + 4 blue 10mm round + 3 aqua 10mm round + 4 burgundy 10mm round + hanger made with 1 30mm silver tube bead.

Lower right: 20 pearl blue 4mm "4" bump + 20 frosted amber 15mm tube beads + 10 pearl green 6mm round + 10 red 10mm round + hanger made with 1 15mm frosted amber tube bead.

How to Make a Tube Bead Hanger:

Project kits include pre-made hangers. If you're making your own colorways from scratch, you'll need to create hangers. You can use a 30mm tube bead like the project kits or opt for a 15mm tube bead as shown in the blue/red/gold/green above left, lower right corner.

Using a 3" piece of wire, twist wire around skewer to form a loop then twist wire around itself for about 1/4" to secure. Slide tube bead onto wire and over twist to where loop was formed. Twist wire around skewer to form a loop then twist wire 2-3 times around base of loop above tube bead to secure. Trim excess wire close to twist.

Tips and Notes:

-- Get a project kit to have an instruction sheet on hand -- the instructions in the kits are in Czech but the images are easy to follow.

-- Be mindful of keeping your wire work orderly: not so tight that beads are stressed and break but not so loose that the ornament has poor form.

-- Take your color combinations to the next level! We stock tons of bead colors to create this style of ornament. Whether you prefer tonal, traditional, soft, or monotone, you're sure to find a few beads that strike your fancy.

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