Drew Lowery's Blog: DIY Gemstone Garland

Greetings! Today (as I’ve said a billion times) we’re still traveling outside the country, but I wanted to pop in and share this really simple DIY project that’s easy and festive and adds a bit of bling to your home for the holidays. Before I left, I strung a garland of large beads that mimic gemstones across my mantel.

I was in the mood for jewel tone colors and faceted shapes this season – this garland is like jewelry for your tree or mantel and is made with large faceted beads that mimic gemstones.

To recreate you’ll need large gemstone like faceted beads available on Etsy (see sources below) and elastic stringing cord found in the jewelry making section at Michaels.

The elastic stringing cord comes in a few colors, I chose silver for the season and to complement the blue and green beads. The 1mm size fits perfectly inside the bead so you can string them easily by hand. Notice how large the beads are, they’re over 1½ inches wide.

The technique is so simple: create a double knot a few inches down the cord to start, string the first bead, then create a second double knot on the other side to secure the bead in place so it doesn’t slide up and down the garland. Repeat the double knot technique down the cord allowing about an inch or two between the beads.

It takes some time, so I put on a movie while I made this. I also kept it wrapped around a piece of cardboard (not shown) as it got longer to avoid any tangles.

The elastic cord makes it easy for the garland to drape nicely on a mantel, and the double knots hold the beads in position. It would be equally as pretty strung on a tree! I like that the beads are chunkier and faceted compared to the traditional small circular beaded garland available this time of year.

These large gemstone shaped faceted beads come in dozens of colors, I purchased mine from Swoon and Shimmer and Fox Supply, they’re the kind used for statement bracelets and necklaces.