How to Make Cards With Beads

Take your custom-made greeting cards to the next level with an assortment of beads to add charm, dimension, texture and pizazz. Plain accents will go from ordinary to extraordinary with a sprinkling of colorful micro, seed, glass and shaped beads.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Glass microbeads
• Seed beads
• Liquid adhesive
• Double-stick tape
• Adhesive dots
• Shaped beads
• Medium-sized beads
• Needle
• Thread or wire
• Scissors
• Ribbon

1. Add sparkle and texture to accents like die cuts, stickers, chipboard shapes and stamped images with microbeads and seed beads. Simply add liquid adhesive or small pieces of double-stick tape to areas where you'd like beads to appear, then sprinkle and press the beads onto the surface.

2. Use shaped beads (glass flowers, leaves, hearts or letters) as dimensional accents for your cards. Affix them with adhesive dots, liquid adhesive or hand stitching for a homespun look.

3. Highlight stamped or handwritten sentiments by running a thin line of liquid adhesive around the text, then sprinkling with microbeads or seed beads.

4. Create dimensional centers for paper, silk or stamped flowers. Adhere a layer with liquid adhesive or sew to attach—just pull a threaded needle or piece of wire up through the flower center, add the beads, push the needle down through the hole and knot in back.

5. String a length of larger beads to adhere along the bottom or side as a decorative border.

6. Make a dangle by punching 2 small holes along the spine of your card, pulling a piece of ribbon up through the holes and knotting on the outside. Add beads to the ends of the ribbon, then tie small knots to secure.

Tips & Warnings

• While tiny microbeads may not affect make a card too bulky, larger beads may affect shipping. Consult your local post office about mailing regulations, card sizes and postage information.