I really love home decor but as much as I love it I wish I was better at actually decorating. It’s easy to find decor elements and looks that I love but I really struggle to pull rooms completely together. Maybe I’m not the person that is going to have every nook and cranny in her house decorated, but you know what? I’m probably going to try!
One home decor element that I’m loving right now is wood bead garland. You may know it as farmhouse beads as well. At first I wasn’t sure if I liked the look (that’s my opinion on most things) but it’s really grown on me. What I like best about it is how versatile it is. You can drape the garland, wrap it around other decor pieces, and add a pop of color to a decorative display.
Wood bead garland can be used in tiered tray stands, shelves, table centerpieces, and entryway tables just to name a few. You can use it to accent vases, jars, jugs, and canisters. Pretty much any space you want to decorate you can incorporate wood bead garland.
Where to Buy Wood Bead Garland
You might be wondering where can you buy wood bead garland? The most popular places I have found is Etsy, Amazon, and Pottery Barn. Etsy has the best selection as far as colors, lengths, and bead sizing. As for pricing Pottery Barn is the most expensive, followed by Etsy, and Amazon is the cheapest. With that being said you knew this DIY girl had to make her own! If you are a DIY-er like me keep reading to see how you can make your very own farmhouse style bead garland.
DIY Tutorial – Farmhouse Wood Bead Garland
Time & Materials:
- Project time: Approximately 60-75 minutes
- Skill level: Beginner
- Cost: $ (fairly inexpensive to complete)
- Materials Needed
- Wood Beads
- Jute or Twine
- Hot Glue Gun
- Paint or Stain
- Small Chip Brush (cheap paint brush)
- Scissors
- Cloth
- Cup or Small Bowl
The Process
1.The first step to making your bead garland is to paint or stain the wood beads. The beads that I purchased are linked in the materials section. *I do not receive any compensation from the links above. Just want to share exactly what I used to make the garland.
I wanted more of a color washed distressed look as opposed to a painted look. Here’s how you can achieve the same look by mixing 2 spoonfuls of water with 1 spoonful of acrylic paint in a plastic cup.
2. Place approximately half of the wood beads in the cup and mixed them around. I let them sit for a minute or two before taking them out of the watered down paint mixture. Once out of the paint wipe away the excess paint using a cloth. I used an old t-shirt. Repeat for the remainder of the beads.
Wood beads in paint mixture. 
Wipe away excess paint.
3. While the beads are drying prepare your tassels and beading string. Wrap the twine around your hand 10-15 times around to create a loop. The more times you wrap the twine around your hand the bigger the tassel will be. Make a second loop and set them both aside.
4. For the beading string cut a piece of twine that is longer than you need. I used 30 beads and each bead is approximately 3/4″. My string was approximately 36″ long. Your string length will depend on how many beads you use and the size of the wood bead.
5. For the next step you will attach one of the loops you made to the beading string by using the string to tie a knot.
6. Take your beading string and add a small dab of hot glue to the end of the string. Before it cools completely carefully pinch the glue so it forms a rigid threading point. ***Be careful because the glue will be hot!***
Repeat for the other end of the string. If you are happy with your bead color go ahead and start stringing your beads.
7. I added an extra step to my beads by staining them with a dark gray as well. If you want to stain your beads I recommend doing so with a small chip brush (cheap paint brush) and cloth. I used the paint brush to lightly add stain and immediately wiped it off with a cloth. This gave the beads more of a weathered look and created a beautiful green. See the photo below for a comparison of paint washed and stained bead.
8. After the first bead is through go ahead a thread the small tail that was left over when you tied on the tassel through the bead. Cut the remainder of the twine off.
String the first bead. 
Threading the tail of the knot.
9. After the all of the beads are threaded attach the other loop that was set aside in the same manner as the first. This one will be a little tricky because the last bead is in the way. Try and make the knot as close to the last bead as possible. Thread the tail of the knot through the last bead and cut the excess twine.
10. Just a few more steps to finish your wood bead garland. Take a piece of twine (long enough to wrap around a few times) and knot it around one of the loops. Cut the small tail off and add a dab of hot glue where you cut the string.
11. Wrap the remaining twine around the loop until you achieve the desired look. Hot glue the twine to the wrapped part of the tassel and cut the excess twine. Add another small dab of hot glue to the end of the twine you just attached and smooth it over.
12. Take your scissors and cut the end of the loop to make the tassel. You can trim any pieces that are too long.
Cut the far end of the loop to make the tassel. 
Tassels.
13. Your farmhouse wood bead garland is complete!
Displaying My Wood Bead Garland
I originally made this garland to go into a tiered tray display that I’m working on. I don’t quite have all the decorative pieces that I’m looking for to complete the look, so for now it will hang out with my Rae Dunn display.
The color and style possibilities are pretty endless with beaded garland. I can’t wait to create new ones with festive colors for each holiday. I think the next garland I make will be patriotic themed. What do you think?
I hope you found this tutorial helpful and thanks for checking out my post. Are you looking for a specific diy project or tutorial? Maybe I can help – leave a comment below or send me a message here and let me know what you are looking for. I love trying to new projects!
