How to Make Your Own Candle Beads

There are zillions of ways to decorate candles, but for real candle lovers, there’s always room for another decorating technique. Many candle lovers don’t actually burn the candles but leave them around to use as home decor instead. For that reason, candle collectors are always looking for ways to beautify ordinary candles.

All-the-rage in candle decor are the new candle beads which are a set of beads on a very thin wire, used to wrap around candles and give them an elegant look. The beads are used in dozens of different ways to give some bling to tapers, pillars and even tea lights. Wrap the wired beads around and around just the bottom of a candle, swirl them from top to bottom, or position them vertically, all the way around a large candle.

Candle beads are made by starting with very thin crafting wire. The wire comes on a spool, like thread, and is about the same thickness as thread. The standard size of wired candle beads is 36″ but you can cut the wire as long or short as you wish.

Start by choosing a combination of beads to use. There are many colors, shapes, sizes and designs of beads so the choices are endless, but the wire comes only in silver, gold or bronze shades. For this reason, the best look is to match silver wire with silver beads, gold wire with gold beads. Or, combine colors that look great with metallics: white with silver, black with gold, or another combination.

Cut the desired length of wire and place the first bead all the way at the end of the wire. Twist the end of the wire just enough to put a kink in it and prevent the bead from sliding. Place the bead, then twist once, which will keep the bead in position. Slide the next bead on and twist. Continue this pattern until finished, allowing the same amount of space between each bead.

Other designs can include sets of beads, rather than one bead, space, then a bead. Try placing one bead in position, allowing the desired amount of space, then stringing three smaller beads together. Twist the set of three and they’ll clump into a tiny pyramid shape, with one bead on top, and two below. Then place one more single bead, and one more clump of three. Continue this pattern until finished.

Instead of using beads you can also use small shank buttons. Just slide the buttons into position and twist. You’ll find thousands of cute buttons, like stars, moons, animals, sea creatures or butterflies, at a craft store. You can also use the wire without the beads. Allow a few inches, then ball the wire into a random shape. Allow more space, then wad up the wire, and so forth. To do this, you’ll need to allow a much longer piece of wire to begin the project.

To use the candle beads all you do is wrap the wire around the candle in any way that you wish. Wrap the entire strand only around the bottom of the candle or wrap them from bottom to top on a taper. Place a group of three pillars together then wrap the beads around the center of the group.
To burn the candle simply remove the beads.