Glass Beads: A World unto their Own

If you have ever even remotely considered the possibility of designing your own jewellery, you probably know what glass beads are. And unlike most others who view it merely as beautiful, you know the kind of creativity they represent in terms of their correct usage. Also, they are extremely inexpensive. However, if you are like me who likes to get everything down just right and like making your own beads, you are in luck. We will be covering the basics on how to make them and then outline a few more creative ideas.

First comes safety

While the prospect of making your own glass beads might be extremely exciting, you need to understand that creating your own beads is not exactly a walk in the park. So the most important thing here is safety. You will be working with a propane torch, so make sure that you are not wearing anything flammable while working. Also, be sure to have gloves ready, preferably of flame resistant material so that you can handle the extremely high temperature materials you will be working with. Always be sure to work in a brightly lit environment. Get a safety glass. Always have a fire extinguisher nearby in case of emergencies. And last but not the least; do not heat the glass too high. Super-heated glass is not to be trifled with.

Making it

Now that we have the safety points taken care of, let us get down to business.

·         For the glass, you will need, well, glass. So get all the junk you have left over. Broken glass pieces, waste milk bottles and any kind of clean glass is totally usable.

·         Get some thin metal rods (old un-rusted cycle spokes work the best)

·         Heat the glass pieces, holding them at an angle so that the glass can liquefy easily and can be collected somewhere

·         Coat the rod with molten glass

·         Heat the rod uniformly so that the beads become smooth and round

·         Finally, let it cool in the air

Under no circumstances, should you touch it while it is cooling. Also, initially, start with small glass beads. Larger ones crack easily and should only be attempted once you have sufficient experience in handling them. Later on, you can add colour to the beads when they are cooling. This gives a nice hue to the beads once set. 

Versatility

Glass beds are one of the most overlooked, and yet highly used materials in making jewellery. Not only can you make them in different sizes, once you have mastered the art, you can use molds for making different shaped ones as well. While it is true that home-made molds cannot be used for anything too intricate, same fairly interesting ones can always be prepared. And if you get too bored, you always have the option of buying them. From skull shaped glass beads for Halloween to Christmas tree shaped ones for the festive season, the possibilities are endless. And you can virtually use them as almost anything; from a pendant to ear rings.

So get down and get creative.

How to decorate your bedroom with glass beads?

To give an extra sparkling touch to your bedroom, you can give a thought to investing in some glass beads that are available in market at a cheap price. These beads can be used to give a makeover to the appearance of your bedroom and can change the whole allure of your room.

To give a unique look to your rooms, you can consider different home décor projects that use glass beads. You do not need to be an expert to try those projects, anyone can try simple things to decorate anything you want using the beads. Here I am going to share a few ideas that will help you in decorating your rooms with glass beads:

Relight the fire:

You can fill a surface glass bowl with smooth or faceted beads and place a tea-light candle in the center of that bowl. When you light the candle, the flame will produce an array of multi-colors by reflecting off of the glass beads. If you use colored beads, it will provide an even better color effects. Glass beads are inflammable and hence are safe to use with candle placement. Using this decoration piece in your bedroom will provide you with a romantic candlelight appearance. It is safer than using a candle holder for having a romantic candlelight look.

You can make Dream Catcher:

You can make your own dream catcher by using glass beads and some other additional jewelry supplies that you can pick from any craft store. You will need hoops that are flexible yet strong and some twine. There are many tutorials available online that can assist you in creating your own beautiful and unique dream catcher that you can use in your room. Those tutorials will be helpful for you if you want to add beads to its main structure. Once your main structure is completed using threading process, you will be able to proceed using extra colored beads in your dream catcher that will add the sparkle to your bedroom in the moonlight.

Decorate Mirror:

You can decorate a plain mirror frame by using a lot of different glass beads. There is a wide range of beads available in the market that you can use according to the general color scheme that matches your bedroom. You can use tiny seed beads to decorate a mirror and gloss them to protect from any damage or you can go for large sized beads to give your mirror an antique or chunky look. You can use glass beads in a combination with different charms to enhance the allure of your mirror. A total mismatch of different kinds of beads can also give a funky look to your mirror. You can try different arrangement techniques and then stick the beads down on the mirror in the best possible way.

Above mentioned are some ideas through which you can give an attractive look to your bedroom or any other room of your house. What you need are a creative mind and supplies.