how to make a handmade clay bead garland

Beaded garlands are so fun. Whether they are made out of clay or wood, or any other material, they make a great decorative accent piece.

I had some air dry clay left over from my leaf project, so I decided I would make some of my own.

I started out by making each bead out of 1 Tablespoon of clay.

Roll them into a ball. 

Use a skewer {I didn't have any so I made due with something else}

to poke a hole through the center of each one. 

Let them dry fully. For this size it may take up to a week.

Sand any rough spots off on a sanding block.

Using fishing line and a needle, string up the beads. You'll want to use clear. I used yellow for the purpose of this tutorial so you can see how I tied off the end.

 I used 27 beads to make up my garland.

When you get to the end, tie the end of the fishing line to the piece where you started, and pull it tight.
Trim off any excess.

You can paint them with any color, but I chose white.

Here is my hack for getting great coverage in one shot.

Hang a coat hanger with your beads from a tree branch and spray all sides. 

Let dry.

Repeat until you have a good full coverage.

Place on a stack of books, nestle them in a bowl among pumpkins, hang from a hook on your wall, so many possibilities!

 I hope you try this tutorial out and love it as much as I do!

If you are looking for more fall DIY ideas or crafts, click on the links below to take you there!

DIY Fall Acrylic Abstract Landscape Painting at The Happy Housie

Five Fun Fall Arrangements at Finding Silver Pennies

How to Make a Dried Floral Wreath at the Tattered Pew

DIY Painted Pumpkins that Look Like Cement at Modern Glam

How to Make a Doormat with a Cricut at The DIY Mommy

DIY Fall Sign at Clean & Scentsible

Scrap Wood Fall Pumpkins at Tatertots and Jello

Macrame Garland at Life is a Party

DIY Abstract Art Our Best Tips at The Handmade Home

Modern Fall Lunaria Wreath at This is Simplicite

Painted Mason Jars at Dans le Lakehouse

Fall Macrame Wreath at Place of My Taste

Easy DIY Fall Shelf Decor at Cherished Bliss

DIY Glitter Pumpkins at Lolly Jane

DIY Rustic Fall Flower Arrangement at Pretty Life in the Suburbs

How to Make a Handmade Clay Bead Garland at My Sweet Savannah

DIY Rustic Wood Centerpiece Box at She Gave it a Go

How to Make a Fall Wall Hanging at Cassie Bustamante

Elegant Fall Flower Arrangement at Rambling Renovators

Blush Fall Hoop Wreath Tutorial at Chrissy Marie Blog

DIY Blue and White Chinoiserie Pumpkins at Jennifer Maune

xoxo, Melaine