Once upon a time, beaded curtains were all the rage but over the years, we began to notice them less and less. During those years, though, people who loved the beaded curtain dreamt up all kinds of ways to make them unique and different. Nowadays, beaded curtains arent necessarily heavy creations which costs a fortune to make or buy. As a matter of fact, beaded curtains dont have to be for doorways anymore! Theres a unique way to make something similar to a beaded curtain using Styrofoam balls. The balls come in various sizes and are white in color. Small balls are sold in packs of many; slightly larger ones selling in packs of two or three. You can sometimes even find large bags which contain an assortment of smallish Styrofoam balls.
With a large needle you can string the Styrofoam balls onto strands of clear nylon thread, or monofilament. The thread virtually disappears when you hang it. Unless you really look hard, you cant tell the thread is there, holding the "floating balls". This makes it fun to use the strands of balls as window decorations or as curtains.
Styrofoam balls are generally white but can be painted with ordinary acrylic paints. The paints dry quickly and let you get back to the business of stringing them. As you string them create a random design or a specific pattern. That choice is yours. There are so many ways to combine the different sizes - or same sizes - into just the perfect beaded curtain for you. String the balls onto the length of nylon thread needed to reach from the floor to the top of the door frame. String them so that no two strings has the same pattern, or so that all the strands have the exact same design. Each will have a unique look when finished. Try patterns that feature two different size balls, close together, with another size a few inches away. Three to four different sizes is usually adequate. More sizes tend to make the curtain look too busy. You can, on occasion, string a larger ball that stands out from the crowd. There is literally no limit of the various designs you can make. You can even add other things to the strands of nylon thread which give this curtain a look all its own. For example, you can tie a tiny satin ribbon, here and there, on each strand. Or, you can glue on a small, fake jewel, several to a strand, between the Styrofoam balls. Each look will be different than the last, and best of all, it really doesnt take that long to make a beaded curtain. Of course, pushing the balls together on the strand will cause you to use more balls and will take longer to make, but spacing them out will make the project ultra-simple. Consider painting the balls with white glitter paint and hanging them over a window for Christmas. The look is beautiful and glittery. Or, make a more permanent version for all year long by painting the balls different colors and adding your choice of craft supplies to the strands. Styrofoam balls are very lightweight making the beaded curtains perfect for younger kids rooms. Each strand is easily hung by creating a loop in the thread and using a tack to hang. Or, you can put two pieces of wood together, trapping the strand ends between them. You can also create a cornice out of Styrofoam sheets and hang the strands from inside the cornice. Styrofoam is fun and easy to work with and the beaded curtain project is just one of many unique projects you can make using Styrofoam. Youll find the Styrofoam balls at craft stores, discount department stores, and even dollar theme stores.
No comments:
Post a Comment