Easy DIY Wood Bead Garland – Step-by-Step Tutorial

These DIY wood bead garlands look more expensive than they really are. They are such an easy way to add a bohemian touch to your farmhouse decor! 

Follow this simple tutorial to create easy-to-make beaded garland. All you really need for natural wood bead garland is wood beads and twine. Here’s how to make this pretty craft.

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I made this wood bead garland strand for about $3.50!

What kind of string do you use for wood bead garland?

Use a sturdy string for your wooden bead garland to ensure it is durable.

I chose jute twine that I already had, but you could also use embroidery floss, leather cord, cotton string, yarn, hemp cord, or other natural twine.

Jute twine has a fun, boho vibe that adds nice texture to a room. 

How many wood beads do I need for Garland?

Determine the desired length of garland you want to help you determine how many beads you will need. 

My finished garland measured 42 inches without the tassels, using a total of 60 natural wood beads.

The size bead you use will have an impact on how long the tassel will measure. I used beads that were 20 mm each. While I love this garland, I would like to use even larger beads if I make any more.

I had purchased a wood bead garland from Amazon a while back and it had 84 beads which measured ~50 inches long without the tassels. Those beads were a tad smaller at 16mm. 

Where you use your wood garland will also have an impact on how many beads you will need. If you are simply wrapping around a small candle it can be fewer. If you are draping across your mantel, you will need more.

What size wood beads do you use for Garland?

I have seen wood beads of all sizes used in wooden bead garland.

As I mentioned, the garland I purchased from Amazon was made with small beads measuring 16mm  or 1.6cm and my homemade garland that you see in this tutorial was created with beads 20mm each. 

Large beads are often paired with smaller beads to give some variety.

On to the tutorial.

How to make wood bead garland?

After you determine the desired length of your garland, select the number of beads you will be using.

For a 42 inch garland (not taking into account the tassel length), using 20mm size beads, you will need 60 beads.

I found it easiest to just count out the beads I was using, then get started threading them onto the twine.

Paint beads if desired

I opted to leave my beads the natural wood color. But, if you are making wood bead garland for a specific holiday or just prefer a bit of color, take a moment to paint your beads.

Many determine a pattern and paint accordingly. 

For example, if you were making wood bead garland for your Christmas tree, you could do a pattern of natural, then red, then green beads.

Acrylic paint and a small craft paintbrush would work really great for these beads. Allow 30 minutes dry time after painting.

I also highly suggest painting the beads prior to attaching them to the twine. To paint the beads, slide them on a chopstick, skewer, or end of a craft paint brush so you can reach all sides of the bead to paint it.

How do you attach wooden beads?

You can certainly use a needle to thread the beads onto the twine, but I didn’t find that necessary.

Wrap a piece of tape on the end of your twine to make it thread through the hole more easily. 

I kept the twine attached to the spool while I threaded the beads, then ensured the end of the twine was several inches long on either side after all the beads were threaded.

After attaching all of the beads, put that aside while you make the two tassels.

How do you make a tassel for the farmhouse bead garland?

1. Determine the length you prefer for the jute tassel. I made my tassels 5 inches long.

2. Use a piece of cardboard and place the end of the tassel at the bottom of the cardboard. Wrap around the cardboard several times. I wanted bulky tassels, so I wrapped mine 22 times!

3. Slide the strands of the jute loop off of the cardboard and use of piece of jute string to tie a knot at the top of the tassel.

4. Then wrap a piece of twine around the top of the tassels and tie in a tight knot. 

5. Cut the end of the loops at the bottom of the tassel and trim away any excess.

6. Attach the top of your tassel to the wooden bead strand by tying them together in a tight knot. Once again trim away any excess string.

7. Make a second tassel and do the exact same steps with it!

As I mentioned, I had purchased a wood bead garland from Amazon a while back. I used that as a guide, but mine didn’t look quite as flawless. But it truly was good enough.

BUT, I wanted to share a picture comparing the one I purchased vs. the homemade to help you tweak your tassel when you are attaching it to the garland.

Ensuring it was secure was key in my opinion. It didn’t need to be perfect.

Below I have the garland sitting on our charging cabinet beside our reverse canvas sign.

How do you display wooden beads?

If you’ve been wondering what is the deal with farmhouse beads? Now you know! The pack of 300 beads I purchased will allow me to make 5 total wood bead garlands this same size.

SO many possibilities on where to display them in the home.

What a great idea for a gift, craft night with friends, or to decorate in various rooms in your home.

There are so many fun ways to display wooden beads. I’ve literally moved mine around several times and I’ve loved them in each location.

How to make wooden bead garland for christmas tree?

Make wooden bead garland for your Christmas tree! They can be varied based on the decor colors you use to decorate. 

If you prefer neutrals, go with what I created in this post. BUT, you could easily paint some of the beads other colors (i.e., think red and green).

Another fun idea would be to add a pretty Christmas ribbon to the top of the tassel! Hot glue could secure it into place.

To attach the wood bead garland to a tree, I would just hang it like any other garland!

If you love wood beads, you can also make a fun natural wood bead keychain! It literally takes just a few minutes!