Hand Dyed Wood Beads (MUCH easier than you think!)

I really like giving home made gifts.  However, I don’t want them to LOOK home made, if you know what I mean.  This project is so versatile, it will be your new favorite activity.  Not only can you vary the size of the beads, but you can dye them any color you want, go for a monochromatic look or go wild and mix and match.  The materials are NOT expensive and these are super easy to make.

You’re going to need:

A bottle or box of dye, any color you want!  As you can see, I used bottled dye by Rit

Unfinished wood beads (purchased on Amazon)

Leather cording (purchased at Michaels)

Twine or floral wire (not shown).  I used floral wire as I had it on hand.

A glass container and warm water

Total cost for ALL materials used, less than $10

The first step is to take the beads and string them onto a piece of floral wire or twine.  This is so they all stay together in the dye mixture.  It strung my beads in two sets so that neither set was too big.  I just looped the edges of the floral wire over so nothing slid off and onto the floor or into the dye mixture.

Heat up some water from the tap and then fill a glass container.  Glass is perfect because the dye won’t effect it in any way.  While this is a fun project for kids, make sure all clothing and surfaces are protected before you proceed with this part of the craft!  I poured in a little over a capful for the amount of water I had in the container.  I stirred it with a straw (which I then threw away).

Lay the beads down in the mixture and give the color time to develop.  You’ll need to “flip” the beads over to make sure the color is uniform.  Also, the dying process does take a little time. To achieve this color I left the beads in the dye for about 10 minutes.  As you can see in the photo, the color gets deeper.

When you pull the beads out of the dye, have a towel or paper towel on hand to catch drips.  Then, lay the beads out (still connected) to dry over night.  The next day you can remove them from the twine or photo wire and then string them onto a chain, string or leather cord like I did.  I wanted this to be a long, dramatic necklace so it’s about 20 inches long.  I love that it’s bright and colorful but still light weight and easy to wear.

If you want, you can seal the beads with a clear spray or Mod Podge.  These make amazing gifts for Mother’s Day!