Simple Snowflake Glass Bead Ornament ~ Craft Project Kit Assembly Tutorial + Custom Color Variations

The Simple Snowflake is a lovely design created with various sizes of round beads strung onto an 8-branch lataperle, or wired center bead, for a graduated radial burst of color. It requires just beads, a lataperle and a pair of rosary pliers to create a snowflake. Four colorways are available as project kits that contain the necessary beads and lataperle to create one ornament. Or create your own custom color combos using the supplies and steps noted below. Completed ornament measures about 4-1/4" across. The illustrated steps below show the assembly of a project kit.

Supplies to make 1 ornament:

1 Snowflake project kit

Rosary Pliers (needle nose pliers with a wire cutter)

--OR--

8-branch lataperle

16 beads 8mm round (project kits use 7mm, we suggest substituting 8mm)

8 beads 10mm round

8 beads 14mm round

8 spacer beads

1 hook

Rosary Pliers

Step 1: Straighten the 6 fixed branches of the lataperle. Working on one branch, string on 5 beads in this order: 7mm - 14mm - 10mm - 7mm - spacer bead.

Step 2: Leaving about 3/8" of wire above the spacer bead, use the rosary pliers to trim away any excess wire. Use the rosary pliers to gently form a loop with the 3/8" of wire to secure the beads on to the wire.

Step 3: Continue adding beads, trimming excess wire and forming end loops for the remaining five fixed branches.

Step 4: Straighten the long piece of wire that will form branch 7 and 8 of the snowflake.

Step 5: Use the rosary pliers to form a loop at one end of the straightened wire.

Step 6: String beads onto wire in reverse order to form the bottom snowflake branch: spacer bead - 7mm - 10mm - 14mm - 7mm.

Step 7: Guide the wire through the center hole of the lataperle. Next string the remaining beads onto the wire in the appropriate order.

Step 8: Make sure wire is positioned well. Using rosary pliers, trim away excess wire leaving about 3/8" and form a loop as before.

Step 9: Use rosary pliers to open the looped end of eye-pin (or hook), place it in loop formed in Step 8, and close it to secure.

Step 10: Use rosary pliers to form eye-pin into hook shape.

Variations: This technique can easily be used to create snowflakes in gorgeous custom color combinations. The photo below left shows different snowflakes made from project kits, while the photo below right shows three of our favorites made from loose beads in specifically selected colors. As noted above, project kits use 7mm beads. For our custom styles, we have substituted 8mm beads.

Below right, top: Gold lataperle + 8 amber spacer beads + 8 aqua 8mm round + 8 gold 10mm round + 8 light blue 14mm round + 8 burgundy 8mm round + gold hook.

Below right, center: Silver lataperle + 8 clear spacer beads + 8 light purple 8mm round + 8 light green 10mm round + 8 silver 14mm round + 8 pearl blue 8mm round + silver hook.

Below right, bottom: Silver latalerle + 8 clear spacer beads + 8 silver 8mm round + 8 hot pink 10mm round + 8 light pink 14mm round + 8 pink 8mm round + silver hook.

Tips and Notes:

-- Always use spacer beads at the tips of the wires where the loop is formed. The thin walls of the blown glass beads are not suitable as end beads alone.

-- Be sure to attach the hanging hook to the long wire from Step 8. This long wire best supports the weight of the entire ornament. Using any of the fixed wires could result in a fixed wire pulling out from the center bead.

-- We love the look of ornaments built on lateperle and stock tons of bead colors to create gorgeous variations of this snowflake style. Peruse our selection of loose beads below and let you imagination guide you!

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