We came up with this craft idea while we were brainstorming Mother’s Day gift ideas, but of course this project would be great for birthday gifts, holiday gifts, or a pretty gift for yourself! I love making DIY jewelry because it is an opportunity to create wearable art that is customized to your exact style. Plus it is a chance to explore your creative side! Here are some simple tricks for creating a beautiful painted wooden bead necklace to use as a gift idea for the ladies in your life. 

To make a wooden bead necklace for yourself or your mom, you will need acrylic paint, wooden beads, and leather cording. We found a combination of round beads and polygon shaped beads on Amazon for our necklaces (see Shop this Project below for the exact beads!). We used a super easy technique for making our necklaces look polished and professional. To paint the beads evenly and precisely, we stuck them onto skewers, and then stuck the skewers into a piece of foam to hold them in place. Using this trick, we could hold the beads in place while we painted. Using any type of acrylic paint, paint the entire beads or paint cute patterns like polka dots or color blocks! To paint the color blocks, we used blue painters tape to tape off half of the bead. This created the clean lines that we were hoping to achieve. For cute and consistent polka dots, we used a pencil eraser, but a cotton swab would also work well. Once the beads are dry, simply string them onto some leather cording or pretty ribbon and your wooden bead necklace is ready for wearing! 

If you are making a painted wooden bead necklace for Mom for Mother’s Day, why not make a matching one for yourself! I love the idea of making matching mother-daughter jewelry to symbolize your special bond. There is no relationship quite like a mother-daughter relationship! Or, get a group of your girlfriends together, grab a bottle of wine (or two), and plan a crafty girls night to make these necklaces! For more Mother’s Day ideas, browse our occasion section. If you are interested in other fab DIY jewelry projects, check out our gorgeous copper necklaces or cute washer bracelets. And don’t forget to share your crafty photos with me! I love admiring all of your impressive creations, so share your photos with me via email or by tagging me in your Instagram photos. I love sharing my favorites on Facebook! See you soon~ Lia 

Round Wooden Beads | Polygon Wooden Beads