A shining snowflake and a beaded garland are stitched to a stocking to give the classic childhood chimney decoration a sophisticated adult look.

Stocking How-To
1. Print and cut out stocking and cuff templates. Fold metallic fabric in half, and trace the stocking template on one side. Cut through both layers of fabric to create the two stocking pieces. Repeat with cuff template.

2. With right sides of stocking pieces facing, sew around the stocking sides and bottom leaving a 1/2-inch seam allowance. Turn stocking right side out, and press with an iron.

3. With right sides facing, sew together side seams of cuff leaving a 1/2-inch seam allowance. Press seams open.

4. Fold top edge of cuff down 3/4 inch, and press. Sew top hem leaving a 1/2-inch seam allowance.

5. With stocking right side out and cuff inside out, place cuff inside the stocking, so unhemmed edge of cuff lines up with top edge of stocking. Sew a 1/2-inch seam.

6. Pull cuff up, and fold 2 1/2 inches of it over the stocking, covering the seam. Press.

7. For hanging loop, cut a piece of fabric to 9 by 2 1/2 inches. Fold in half lengthwise, right side facing in, and stitch along long side, 1/2 inch from edge. Turn tube right side out, and press. To attach to stocking, fold tube in half widthwise, and tack to inside of stocking at back seam.

Beaded Snowflake How-To
1. With a disappearing-ink fabric pen and a ruler, draw a snowflake pattern, referring to template and photo, on the front center of your stocking.

2. Thread a needle with thread that matches the stocking fabric, and knot end. Starting from the inside of the stocking, pull the needle up through the pattern's center.

3. Thread on beads in the desired pattern. Make sure you use enough beads to cover the length of the marked snowflake line. Then pass the needle back through stocking fabric, from front to inside; knot.

4. To keep the line of beads from flopping around, use the needle and thread to tack down the line, after every few beads. To tack, pass needle from the inside of the stocking to the front, and then back inside again, securing the thread between two separate beads in the process.

5. Repeat with the rest of the snowflake pattern.

Beaded Garland Trim How-To
1. On thread that matches stocking fabric, create a string of beads in desired pattern that is long enough to go around stocking, plus extra for the swag. Knot thread on both ends.

2. Tack one end of thread to a side seam on the cuff. To tack, pass needle from the inside of the stocking to the front, through a bead, and then back inside again; knot in back.

3. To create a garland swag, tack the string of beads to the cuff at intervals (2 1/2 inches works well). Tack end to other side of cuff.

Hang these icicles from the tips of Christmas tree branches, where they can imitate the real thing.

We used leftover beads from the other projects and some vintage beads to create these ornaments. You can duplicate ours using the source information below, or create your own.

Cut an 8-inch length of 20-gauge wire. Using round-nose pliers, make a loop at one end. Slide beads onto wire in desired sequence, or use photographs as a guide. Make a loop at other end of wire for hanging.

Sources
20-gauge tinned copper wire, $2.99 for 6 yards, from Artistic Wire, 630-530-7567 or artisticwire.com.

First Icicle
1/4-inch-by-1/4-inch-by-8-foot silver glass-bead garland (No. 911990; 3 round and 1 long twist), $12.50, from Midwest of Cannon Falls, seasonsofcannonfalls.com. Gold beads: 1 (A-20G), $6 for 12; 1 (A-16G), $4 for 12; 1 (A-14G), $3.50 for 12; and 1 (A-10G), $2.50 for 12; and nine 4 mm silver balls, $3.50 per strand; from Tojo Shoji, 212-868-7465 or tohoshoji-ny.com.

Second Icicle
8 mm silver glass (GC008S), from D. Blumchen & Co., 866-653-9627 or blumchen.com. 12 large silver twists (TS514NK), 35 cents each; eight 4 mm small gold balls, $3.50 per strand; and 1 gold diamond (791G), $5 for 12; from Tojo Shoji, see above.

Third Icicle
1/4-inch-by-1/4-inch-by-8-foot silver glass-bead garland (No. 911990; 2 long twists), $12.50, from Midwest of Cannon Falls, see above. Similar vintage bead, from KD Vintage, kdvintage.com. Six 4 mm silver balls, $3.50 per strand, from Tojo Shoji, see above.

Icy dewdrops -- actually sprays of clear beads -- deliver glimmers of brightness to an arrangement of silvery faux branches.

To make an anchor for the arrangement, cut a piece of floral foam to the size of the vase, cover in pink fabric, and then insert it into the vase. To make the spray on the gift box, see the napkin boutonniere how-to.

1. Make pink beaded flowers according to the instructions below.

2. Tightly wind an 8-inch piece of 24-gauge wire over and under the petals of each beaded flower, at the center, to create stems.

3. Using 30-gauge silver wire, attach each stem to a store-bought spray of clear, teardrop-shaped beads.

4. Arrange beaded sprays and artificial greenery in the vase as desired, inserting stems and wires into the floral foam.

Pink beaded flowers
When making a flower, refer to our illustration.

1. Make the first petal: Cut a 12-inch length of 26-gauge wire. Slide a 2 mm bead onto the wire. Secure bead by looping and twisting wire as shown in illustration A. Slide a long petal-shaped bead onto the wire, below the first bead.

2. Make additional petals (see illustration B): Pull wire back against the long bead, creating a V shape. Slide a long petal-shaped bead onto the wire, followed by a 2 mm bead. Using chain-nose pliers and your hands, feed the wire back through the long bead and out the other end. Repeat the process until you have made five petals total.

3. After finishing the last petal, wrap excess wire around the base of the first petal; secure by continuing to wrap the wire over and under the bases of the other petals. Cut wire near base.

4. Make flower centers (see illustration C): Cut a 3-inch length of 30-gauge silver wire. Slide a 2 mm bead onto the wire, stopping at the wire's halfway point. Twist the wire at base of the bead to secure. Slide one flower-center bead over wire until it abuts the small bead. Secure with a dab of glue.

5. Insert wire into middle of flower petals. Wrap wire under base of petals, and trim excess. Repeat process to make more flowers.

Sources
19th-century French clear cut-glass vase, from Hirschl & Adler Galleries New York, 212-535-8810 or hirschlandadler.com. Wire for flower centers: 30-gauge tinned copper (TC), $2.99 for 30 yards; wire for petals: 26-gauge tinned copper (TC), $2.99 for 15 yards; and wire for stems: 24-gauge tinned copper (TC), $2.99 for 10 yards; from Artistic Wire, 630-530-7567 or artisticwire.com. Silver greenery (No. 6574F57278980), $3.59 per bunch, and petals: clear-pink beads (No. 733421568452), $3.99 per strand, from Michaels, 800-642-4235 or michaels.com. Flower centers and petal tips: 2 mm silver balls, $2.50 per strand, and large silver clusters (CC1133NK), $1.50 for 12; and glue: 527 multipurpose cement, $3; from Tojo Shoji, 212-868-7465 or tohoshoji-ny.com. Clear-glass bead picks (B24252), $3.99 per bunch, from Jamali Garden Supply, 212-996-5534 or jamaligarden.com.

This beaded flower resembles a pretty snowflake. Display it on a tree or hang it above the table.

When making the wire flower, refer to our illustration.

1. Bend 3-mm-thick silver Leonian wire to form a 1 3/8-inch petal. Continuing on the same length of wire, repeat to make six petals total. When necessary, secure petals at center of flower with 30-gauge tinned copper wire.

2. After forming flower, cut six 5-inch lengths of 24-gauge wire. Attach an end of one wire to the inner tip of one of the petals. Slide beads onto the wire according to the pattern in photo and illustration. Wrap end of wire around the curved end of the petal, and trim. Repeat for remaining petals.

3. Cover the center of the flower with lametta tinsel, wrapping through the centers of the petals.

Sources
Steifkantille extra-stiff 3 mm silver Leonian wire (KB52S), $7.75 per yard, and wide lametta tinsel wired roping in Silver (J922S), $10.75 for 10 feet, from D. Blumchen & Co., 866-653-9627 or blumchen.com. 24-gauge tinned copper wire (TC), $2.99 for 10 yards, and 30-gauge tinned copper wire (TC), from Artistic Wire, 630-530-7567 or artisticwire.com. Beads: twelve 2 mm silver balls, $2.50 per strand; twelve 3 mm silver balls, $2.80 per strand; twelve 6 mm silver balls, $4.80 per strand; six 8 mm silver balls, $8 per strand; and 12 cones (TN-89NK); from Toho Shoji, 212-868-7465 or tohoshoji-ny.com.

This wood-veneer basket looks lovely hung from -- or positioned below -- a holiday tree.

Wired directly to the branches of a tree, this butterfly will look as though it's flown in and landed.

Refer to the gold-dragonfly illustration when making a butterfly. To see a larger version of the illustration, click here. Please note that some of the beads will vary; refer to the photo as a guide.
Dragonfly

1. Make the body: Fold a 12-inch length of 24-gauge wire in half. Slide a 4 mm silver bead toward the folded end, followed by a twisted silver glass bead, a 4 mm bead, and a round glass bead for the head.

2. Make the antennae: Push apart the two wire ends sticking out of the head. Slide a 12 mm glass bugle bead onto each. Trim wires to 3/16 inch above beads. Using round-nose pliers, make a loop at end of each. Fit ends into tops of bugle beads to secure.

3. Make the wings: Cut a 12-inch piece of 24-gauge wire. Slide on a 35 mm silver bugle bead; bend wire at a 45-degree angle. Add eight 4 mm silver beads; bend wire again, and add another 35 mm silver bugle bead. Twist wires together once to lock in place. Make the other wing in the same way.

4. Make the decorative wing-interior detail: Cut two 4-inch lengths of 24-gauge wire. Slide eight 4 mm colored beads onto each. Twist ends together to form a circle, and trim. Next, twist a 5-inch length of 24-gauge wire around the center of the short side of one wing. Add a colored-bead circle by twisting the wire around one side of it, and then slide on an 8 mm silver bead, which will be in the center of the circle. Twist wire around the other side of the circle. Add four 4 mm silver beads. Repeat this twist-and-add technique in reverse for the other wing. Finish by twisting the remaining wire around the center of the short side of the wing. Trim excess.

5. Attach wings to body. Wrap remaining wing wire tightly between the body and neck beads. Bring wire around to the center of wings. Slide a 12 mm bugle bead onto wire. Trim wire to 3/16 inch above bead. Using round-nose pliers, make a loop on the end. Fit end into top of bead to secure. Hang ornament from this bead.

Sources
24-gauge tinned copper wire (TC), $2.99 for 10 yards, from Artistic Wire, 630-530-7567 or artisticwire.com. Head and body: 1/4-inch-by-1/4-inch-by-8-foot silver glass bead garland (No. 911990), $12.50, from Midwest of Cannon Falls, seasonsofcannonfalls.com. Body: two 4 mm silver balls, $3.50 per strand; antennae and hanger: three 12 mm silver bugle beads (No. 132 Matsuno), $5 per bag; wings: two 8 mm silver balls, $8 per strand; twenty-four 4 mm silver balls, $3.50 per strand; and 16 pink or green glass beads (FP-4MM and 5052-4mm), 60 cents for 12; from Toho Shoji, 212-868-7465 or tohoshoji-ny.com. Four 35 mm silver-lined bugle beads in Crystal (No. 1192GB), $2.25 for 10 grams, from Ornamental Resources, ornabead.com.

Create this glittering decoration by trimming a noble fir wreath with silvery ornaments and sprigs of seeded eucalyptus.

Fill the plastic balls for your pink Christmas tree with butterflies, beads, or a handful of glitter. Then tie a ribbon around each to hide the seam and create a loop for hanging. "Fillable" balls, from $1 each, sunshinecrafts.com