OK, I have a quick little Fall DIY for you today!! Seriously, if you leave the beads unfinished this DIY wood bead pumpkin will take you 5 minutes to make!!
How To Make A Wood Bead Pumpkin
dyeing the beads
For this project, I’m using 16mm natural unfinished wood beads. I am going to dye mine but you can totally leave them the natural wood tone and your bead pumpkin will come out just as cute!
When I recently made my wood bead wreath, I used this fun technique for quickly dyeing wood beads without the hassle of trying to paint each one.
I filled a plastic container with super hot water added a couple of tablespoons of dark brown rit dye and gave the beads a bath for a few minutes.
Drain it out after about 5 minutes and give the beads a quick rinse and they turn out looking like you painstakingly stained each one!!
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copper wire
Using 18 gauge copper wire ( I found it over with the picture hanging supplies at Lowe’s; I’m sure you could pick it up with the jewelry-making supplies at the craft store too). This wire is thicker than floral wire and stiffer.
Next, I cut 4 pieces to about a foot long (totally eyeballed it!) and crisscrossed them on my work table.
I just twisted them all together in the center…by the way this craft is super simple…we’ll be done in a couple of minutes!!
Then I threaded the 12 beads onto each branch of the copper wire.
This project can be adjusted for size…less or more wood beads depending on how large you want it to be.
making the wood bead pumpkin
After I finished stringing on the beads I twisted the wires tightly to secure the wood beads in place ( I put on my work gloves because it was a little tough on my fingers).
Just use your hand to shape it into a pumpkin shape then push the bottom down flat to make the base.
I yanked a leaf off of a Fall pick and brushed it with copper paint to pop on top of the pumpkin.
DIY wood bead pumpkin
And here’s my little pumpkin!! I’m loving the darker wood and copper tones in my kitchen this Fall!
For more Autumn inspiration check out My Best Fall Decorating Ideas and The Best DIY Fall Wreaths!
budget friendly fall wreaths!
Jennifer Howard
cottage on bunker hill
Thanks for stopping by today! Being able to share my projects, DIYs, and decorating ideas with you is amazing. Leave a comment below; I love hearing from you! Feel free to drop me a note here if you have any questions.
get to know me
here are a few fun facts…
- I’ve lived in New England my entire life! This is good because the beach is my favorite place to be…even in the winter, I love to go breathe in the salt air.
- I am an EARLY BIRD!!! I rarely sleep past 4…it’s my favorite time of day and those wee hours are my most productive. (plus, I LOVE coffee!!)
- The Gilmore Girls is my favorite all-time TV show…I’ve seen every episode at least 20 times!! “You jump, I jump, Jack” is my #1 favorite. (I.Y.K.Y.K.)
This turned out so pretty, Jennifer! So classy, simple and minimalistic – totally my style!
Love the simplicity of this pumpkin. As always thank you for your talents.
Thanks so much Cat! I really appreciate your kind words!!