Ombré Wooden Bead Garland

Supplies:
1″ wood beads
Approximately 2 yards of suede cording per strand
Paint colors of your choice (and white paint to lighten the color)
Paint brush
Scissors

Directions:
Separate your beads into three equal groups. Each of my strands were about 18-21 wooden beads per strand. Paint one group the original paint color, then add a bit of white to the paint to lighten it up to paint the second group of beads. For the last group of beads, add more white paint to the original color and paint that color onto the beads. The progression should be from dark to light to achieve the ombré effect. You could also pick 3 different shades of the same color (as seen with the blue strand pictured) and get your gradient colors that way. I painted each wooden bead with 2 coats of color and allowed it to dry completely between each coat.

Tie a knot about 10″ – 12″ away from the end and insert one wooden bead, create a knot after the bead, and insert another wooden bead, create another knot after, and insert another wooden bead. Continue this until all the beads from the same color are on strung on the cording. Remember to insert it from lightest to darkest (or vice versa) to get the ombré effect. Once the last bead is on the strand, knot it one last time, and cut any excess cording. Continue this for each strand per color. Once all the strands are complete,  gather all the ends together and knot, and repeat for the opposite end.
This would definitely be fun if you wanted to make a whole ombré rainbow, but that would take a lot of wooden beads. If you happen to have a lot stashed away (or a lot of time), I say go for it! I’m sure it would be one stunning garland.

This one is our springtime garland! It’s fun to make one every season to hang on our mantle or over the girls bed. I have another one I want to make with them soon, so we will probably end up with two springtime garlands.