Wedding Shower Ideas: Beading and DIY Parties!

Are you in the process of planning your wedding right now? If so, congratulations on your engagement from all of us at Cosmopolitan Beads! Planning a wedding is very hectic and stressful from choosing the perfect dress, church, DJ, flowers, and reception hall. One thing that many brides don’t think about during the planning process is how well your bridesmaids know each other. 

Oftentimes you have family members, a longtime friend, or new friends from work stand up with you. These ladies will be spending a whole lot of time together over the coming months so we suggest doing some activities that will help break the ice and get everyone a bit more acquainted with each other. 

“Beaded Weddings: 75+ Fabulous Ideas for Jewelry, Invitations, Reception Decor, Gifts and More” by Jean Campbell is a great find for a bride on a budget. (It is only $24.95 if you click the link above.) This book offers great ideas for the DIY or crafty bride. The misconception that many people have with beads is that you can only use them in jewelry. Beads can be a great accent to your centerpieces, invitations, gifts, thank you notes and more! 

Beaded Weddings gives you step by step instructions on how to make each of these projects. With having the helping hands of your bridesmaids you will be able to make a great assembly line and you will be able to mass produce whichever items you wish, all while having a great time bonding.

How to Size and Organize Beads for DIY Projects

Making a great beading project comes down to having the right materials, and having the right materials always boils down to organization. Maybe you found the perfect charm or accent for your piece, but you have no idea where you put it. The first thing you need to do, is separate your beads, and organize them according to shape and size. In order to do that, you need to understand how to size and identify beads.

When you go to pull the piece, you'll be able to tell right away if it will be the right size or shape for your project, and that is how you can make your life a lot easier.

Here's how you size out a bead - 

1- compare its length to inches, and you have to have a general understanding of bead sizing. Smallest beads are 2mm, and larger ones are often 25mm. 

2- you can use a long strand, preferably about 15 inches.  You can put varying sized beads next to each other to see if they will work or if you need to change them out. 

Separate the ones that work well together, so that when you go for a bead of a certain size, you have more to choose from. This is how you can get attractive projects done in a timely, organized fashion.