Even if you're new to dollhouse miniatures, you can create wonderful bead ornaments for your Hitty's Christmas Tree!
Hitty's
Tree!
Making Bulbs for Hitty's
Christmas Tree with Beads and Craft Wire
by: Sara Cole
photographer: Robert Cole
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For This
Project You Will Need:
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Because of the Materials and tools used, this Project is only appropriate for Children under Close Adult Supervision.
| If you're familiar with miniatures, you've probably seen the multitude of lovely miniature Christmas trees, ornaments, lights, garlands and other decorations available. Luckily, these mini Christmas decorates are usually perfectly appropriate in size for Hitty, even in 1/12 scale, but unfortunately, they're not very affordable for your average "Hitty on a Budget." But with a little effort and some common crafting items, you and your Hittys can enjoy a wide variety of Christmas tree decorations in miniature! In this project, I hope you will enjoy making tiny bulbs for Hitty's tree! |
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Step 1 : Glueing One of the simplest ornaments to make begins with one large bead and two small ones. I use seed beads, and for this ornament I'm using a large faux pearl from an old necklace. Slide all three beads onto the end of the wire leading off the spool. Slide the beads to the very end, so that they are flush and the end of the wire is just inside the bottom bead. Apply a tiny drop of glue to the opening on the bottom bead, and it should seep in and glue the bead to the wire. Then apply a drop of glue to the top bead. Set the entire spool of wire with beads glued to the end to the side to give the glue a chance to dry. It may help to work from several different spools or long lengths of wire at a time, so you can be glueing your next ornament while the first one dries.
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Step 2 : Shaping the Hook The hook as illustrated may seem large, but it is usually necessary to use out-of-scale hooks if you wish to reuse your bulbs, tree, and other decorations instead of storing the tree fully decorated. Use your needle nose or beading pliers to gently shape a hook, by, bending the wire first sharply to the side, about 2mm above the top bead, and then gently shaping the round part of the hook around the tip of the pliers. |
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Step 3 : Clipping When your hook is shaped, use your wire clippers to clip the completed 'bulb' away from the spool. If you are using needle-nose pliers there may be clippers built in. Use caution when employing wire clippers! You can use this simple method to create a wide variety of Hitty Ornaments. Use your imagination! Look for bags of old bead necklaces at flea markets or garage sales in the summer, and you will have an ample supply. Many strings of beads may be just right for Hitty's "Garlands!" ~Happy Holidays from Sara Cole and Hitty Henrietta~ |
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Practical Hitty Newsletter * Christmas Supplement 2002 * Copyright (c) Sara Cole 2002
