DIY Beaded Snowflake Ornaments

Last year, when I shared my Mom’s wintry mantel decor, I had so many questions about how to make the DIY beaded snowflake ornaments.

My Mom made them many years ago – she actually used to sell them!  I figured out how to make them myself yesterday – and put together this quick tutorial for you.  My Mom made her snowflake ornaments all one of a kind, like real snowflakes!  But I just made one simple design.  Once you learn the basic method, you can add on more beads to create more unique beaded snowflake ornaments.

Supplies for DIY Beaded Snowflake Ornaments:

• 28 gauge wire
• 20 gauge wire OR buy these snowflake forms to make it easier
• Needle nose pliers
• Wire cutters (optional, your pliers should have them)
• Bugle beads
• Small glass beads, large enough to fit 20 gauge wire (like a size 8/0)

How Do You Make Snowflake Ornaments with Beads?

Here’s a summarized tutorial for how to make DIY beaded snowflake ornaments – keep scrolling for the detailed tutorial with step by step photos.

1. Cut 3 pieces of 20 gauge wire to approx. 7 inches long.
2. Straighten the wire.
3. Hold them together to form six spokes, secure in the center with 28 gauge wire.
4. Slide beads onto each spoke and secure by trimming wire and forming a loop.
5. Use the 28 gauge wire to attached bugle beads in triangle shapes in between each spoke.

Here are the more detailed steps.  But if you want to skip some steps, this kit has the “spoke” shape already made (here’s another with just the forms).  First, cut three length of 20 gauge wire.  Start with approx 7″ and then you can adjust to make your beaded snowflake ornaments bigger/smaller:

Straighten the wire as much as you can:

Now use the 28 gauge wire and wrap around the middle point of the wire to secure the center.  You want to create a shape like the inside spokes of a wheel:

Add beads to each of the six “spokes” – I used 18 beads for each.

Trim the excess wire and form a loop at the end of each “spoke” to secure the beads.

Find a point along one of the “spokes” – I chose four beads from the center – and wrap the 28 gauge wire around to secure it.  String on a bugle, one round glass bead, and another bugle and secure it on the next spoke by wrapping the wire around.  Repeat all the way around, wrapping multiple times when reaching the first spoke again to secure the wire.

That’s it!  That’s how you can make snowflake ornaments with beads.

Here are some close ups of the beaded ornaments – old and new.  The metal turned black on my Mom’s, after so many years (I think she made these 20 years ago? Actually maybe longer).

You can add on to this design and change up the size and style.  Here’s a look at how the DIY beaded snowflake ornaments styled on the mantel and also used as Christmas tree ornaments:

P.S. Don’t Forget to Pin for Later!