DIY Bead rings

Bead rings mixed with electric cable rings

It's been hell hot in Cape Town the last week. Temperatures of 30'C plus. I've been living in the shift dresses I made year before last - see here

Shift dresses lend themselves to bright coloured summer jewelery. I keep making beaded bangles that I load up on my arms. Click here for the how-to.

I've made them with pearl beads, semi precious stones, wooden beads, hex nuts . . . .

What you need to make the bead rings.

Finding funky rings to wear with my stash of bangles isn't easy. I made band rings from - electric cable - a while back. People often comment on them. They look like beaded rings and then it occurred to me to make rings from actual beads.



Load beads onto thread until it is long enough

These rings must be made from small beads or your fingers will be wrenched apart. You make them exactly the same way as you make bangles - just smaller. If you have enough beads you could make necklaces and bangles and just go mad.

The rings here are made from single colour beads but you can alternate colours, or alternate beads with crystals. Maybe even use larger and smaller beads?

You need: -

• a ring that fits - in the pic you will see three electric cable rings I used to size my rings
• a ruler
• elastic thread
• small beads/seed beads
• scissors

You do: -

Wind the elastic thread around your ring and lie that piece flat against a ruler to see low long your piece of beaded elastic thread must be.

Knot thread a few times and cut away excess thread

My rings were 65mm long and my bracelets are usually 170mm long.

Load up your beads onto your thread until you have the right length of beaded thread.

Wrap the beaded thread around your finger to check your ring fits. If too big, remove a bead or two, if too small, add a bead or two.

Tie a knot to secure the ends. Tie it at least two more times. Cut the excess thread.

Wear.

I'm looking out for neon coloured beads so I can make more of these fun rings to stack on my fingers.

You can find more ideas on the Greenie Fashion Gallery by following - this link - and you can share your DIY's or give Greenie a 'like' by visiting the facebook page.