How-To

Cranberry Bead Wreath

A fresh cranberry wreath will last just one Christmas, but this beaded version can be used year after year.
Martha Stewart Living, January 2001

A fresh cranberry wreath will last just one Christmas, but this beaded version can be used year after year. We used red to resemble the berries, but any color bead (with matching seam binding and nail polish or enamel paint) can be substituted.

Tools and Materials 
8-inch tubular Styrofoam wreath form
Red nail polish
Red seam binding
Red druk beads in 6mm, 8mm, 10mm, and 12mm sizes (we used approximately 200 of each size)
Flat-head straight pins (one for each bead)
White craft glue
Styrofoam strip
2 yards of red satin ribbon

Cranberry Bead Wreath How-To
1. Paint the heads of the pins with the red nail polish so the silver tips will not show on the wreath: stick the pins into a strip of Styrofoam, and brush the polish along the pin tops. Let dry completely.

2. Pin one end of the seam binding to the wreath form, and wrap it around the form, overlapping it slightly to completely cover the form. Cut the end, and secure with a pin.

3. Slip a bead onto a polish-painted pin, dab the sharp tip of the pin in a dish of craft glue, and push the pin into the wrapped form. Pin the larger beads onto the wreath first, then fill in any gaps with the smaller beads. Cluster the beads so they do not appear to be too evenly spaced. Continue until the front and the sides of the wreath are covered with beads. Leave the back of the wreath plain.

4. To make the bow for a wreath to be placed over a mantel, loop an extra-long piece of satin ribbon around the bottom of the wreath, and tie it into a loose bow, leaving the ends long so they drape naturally.

5. To hang the wreath, glue a piece of double-sided wide satin ribbon to the back of the wreath, and secure with pins.

Reviews (5)

  • sumofit
    22 Nov, 2010

    Made this wreath earlier this year, followed the instructions from this website for the 10 in wreath http://www.landofodds.com/store/druk.htm. Purchased the first 900 from Ornamental Beads http://www.ornabead.com/store/pc/home.asp cost $72 had family visiting CO so were bought at store. Purchased additional 400 ea of 6

  • MrsNaomi
    21 Sep, 2010

    I have searched and searched the internet. After hours for comparing prices, the best prices I Found were ShipwreckBeads.com. I had a wreath left over from other projects purchased from Oriental Trading; it has a flat back so it works perfect!

  • ReneeWright
    8 Nov, 2009

    She's also done a similar wreath using actual cranberrys so the cost is less and if you freeze the cranberrys before you use them they are very easy to attach.

  • TheSliver
    5 Oct, 2008

    No kidding, it cost me over $100 to make this wreath and it takes waaaay more beads than they tell you to buy to make the wreath look nice. I guess they don't want to scare you with the cost. I have been working on this wreath all summer into fall. I have a toddler, and don't get much time to work on it. Almost done, though!

  • mthayer2
    28 Jul, 2008

    This was a very easy project and looks beautiful when it's done (although my fingers got very sore from pushing in the pins). The beads are expensive but it was worth every penny. I am going to make another one for this year!