How to Make A Crystal Suncatcher
The First Ingredient
is
MAKE IT FUN!
 Have you got bits and
pieces of leftover beads that you don't know what to do
with?
Do you like things that
sparkle?
 Do you enjoy blending amazing colours together?
Do you need something soothing to do at night to wind
down from a tense day?
Imagine sitting back,
relaxing with a nice cup of tea and surrounding yourself with the
gorgeous delights of beading colour. Then blending the beads
together to create a beautiful Decorative Suncatcher. This to me
is one of my favorite things to do.
My own favorite items
are:
The list goes on.
Imagination is all you need!
Over the
years as my hobby became my business, I have gathered tips and
tricks to work designs into precious keepsakes for friends and
family. They are great gift giving ideas and more importantly,
they are handmade by you. People love it when the thought and
time is put into the gift they have received. I would like to
share these ideas with you.
A few handy hints to get you
started:
- I always
place the suncatcher component / beads in front of me and move
them around in place, before I string them.
- I like to use
different beads and
colours
to create a
sparkle effect.
- Often I
go wild and use vibrant colours as this brightens up my
mood. If I’m feeling
mellow, I love subtle colours - ones like blues, greens,
turquoise. You will know what colours you want to work with, as
it often depends on the emotional mood that our body, mind and
spirits are in.
- When
you're happy with the layout, then go ahead and thread with your
beading wire.
You will need these essential materials:
Tigertail - the beading wire used to thread your
beads and crystals. I use a smooth, silver nylon coated thread,
that doesn't kink. My favourite brand is
Beadalon. Yes, we have
stock available for you. And you don't need to order a big reel
of it either. You can order it by the metre to get you
started.
Crimp Beads
(Crimps) -
these are little metal beads in
gold or
silver.
They are used to secure your thread. Basically it avoids tying
knots. The wire is threaded through the crimp bead, around the
clasp loop or through the top of the crystal pendulum and then
back through the crimp bead.
When you
have your crimp in place, you compress it with Crimping Pliers,
which curls/bends the crimp bead and seals the
connection. Alternatively, if you don't have Crimping Pliers, you
can use Flat Nose Pliers. The difference is that the Flat Nose
Pliers wont curl the crimp around the wire, instead your crimp
will lay flat.
 Craft Charms
- If you would like to add a little bit
of character.
Glass
Dragon Tear Raindrops are available in assorted
colours & sizes.
If you're just getting started, why dont you take a look at our
"Seconds". This
stock has arrived to me from the factory, slightly damaged,
chipped or has minor defaults. The stock has never been used.
Sometimes these defects occur in transit during the shipping
process. It cant be helped. It has been heavily reduced in
price and is a great economic alternative if you've just starting
beading. Just to get the feel of it all, without spending all
your dollars at once. This category is updated regularly and
they sell out very quickly. So keep this page
bookmarked in your favourites!
Have a look at a few of our designs
Crystal Suncatchers are the ideal handmade craft to create and
sell at your local market stall too!
It's really as easy as
that. There is absolutely no right or wrong way to make a
Decorative Suncatcher, and anyone can make them. Its an Easy
Craft Idea for kids, mums or dads, grandparents, anyone! And
more importantly, its enjoyable and relaxing.
Happy
Beading!
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