How to Make Beaded Cell Phone Charms
Beaded cell phone charms accessorize an otherwise plain electronic device. Besides making a fashion statement, charms are useful for grabbing hold of the phone from a purse or case. With the wide variety of glass and metal beads available, making unique beaded cell phone charms for gifts or profit can be an enjoyable pastime. Beaded cell phone charms are a creative way to use beads leftover from other bead projects and recycled beads from broken or vintage jewelry.
- Difficulty:
- Moderately Easy
Instructions
Things You'll Need
- Wire cutters
- Needle nose pliers
- 22-gauge jewelry wire
- 2 crimp beads
- 1 jump ring
- Size 11/0 glass seed beads
- 1 fused glass bead
- Assorted beads (shaped glass and metal)
- Cell phone strap
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1
Cut a 12-inch piece of jewelry wire with wire cutters. Slide the jump ring onto wire and bend wire over the ring approximately 1 inch from the wire's end.
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2
Slip on a crimp bead onto the wire, pushing up onto both layers of wire until it's flush with the jump ring. Gently squeeze the crimp bead with needle nose pliers until it holds wire snugly.
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3
Slide small glass and metal beads, with seed beads between, in a pattern of your choice about two inches in length. Be sure to slide onto both layers of wire until the shorter end is hidden.
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4
Slide on a crimp bead, followed by a one-inch pattern of seed beads and glass or metal beads slightly larger than seed beads. Follow the 1-inch portion with a fused glass bead and then repeat the one inch pattern again.
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5
Bend the end of the wire back upward to the crimp bead most recently strung. Cut all but one inch of extra wire off with wire cutters. Slide the tip through the crimp bead and up through the string of beads.
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6
Squeeze the crimp beads tightly onto the wires, creating a string of beads with a looped end containing the fused glass in the center.
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7
Slide the jump ring through the jump ring at the cell phone strap end to attach the charm.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Be sure to get crimp beads tight to prevent wire from sliding free. Some beaders prefer flattening the crimp bead, while others fold the crimp bead.
Eye pins can be used in place of jewelry wire by sliding on a few beads, bending the pin's end into a circle and wrapping around the pin twice. Attach additional smaller charms to the bottom circle.
Small beads and wires can be a choking hazard for small children and pets.
