{"title":"How to Make a Beaded Snowflake Ornament - Vintage Pipe Cleaner Style","canonicalUrl":"https://www.craftingstepbystep.com/jewelry-making/how-to-make-a-beaded-snowflake-ornament","category":{"slug":"jewelry-making","name":"Jewelry Making"},"creator":{"name":"Crouton Crafts","channelUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJY0RgZLW7SW8uAb_flVsng","sourceVideoUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RpCW_LHLsY"},"tldr":"Make a vintage beaded snowflake ornament from pipe cleaners and starflake beads. Bead counts, a kid-friendly method and color ideas.","quickAnswer":"Make a vintage beaded snowflake ornament from pipe cleaners and starflake beads. An easy project: about 30 minutes, plus 15 minutes to dry or set. Materials cost about $2 to $5. You need 10 things, including 12 inch white pipe cleaners, 8mm faceted acrylic beads and acrylic tri beads. The 9 steps start with gather Pipe Cleaners and Beads for the Snowflake Ornament and cut the Pipe Cleaners in Half for the Snowflake Arms.","totalDurationSeconds":881,"videoDurationSeconds":881,"difficulty":"easy","project":{"difficulty":"easy","projectMinutes":30,"waitMinutes":15,"totalMinutes":45,"estimatedCost":{"currency":"USD","min":2,"max":5},"yield":"1 snowflake ornament"},"tools":["round nose pliers","wire cutters or old scissors","needle"],"materials":["12 inch white pipe cleaners","8mm faceted acrylic beads","acrylic tri beads","18mm starflake beads in two colors","super glue or nail glue","paper clips or eye pins","clear monofilament thread"],"steps":[{"number":1,"title":"Gather Pipe Cleaners and Beads for the Snowflake Ornament","text":"Set out 12 inch white pipe cleaners and your beads: 8mm faceted rounds, tri beads, and 18mm starflake beads in two colors. Add a pair of pliers, a few paper clips or eye pins, super glue or nail glue, and some clear monofilament or nylon quilting thread. Plain acrylic craft-store beads are exactly what the vintage originals used."},{"number":2,"title":"Cut the Pipe Cleaners in Half for the Snowflake Arms","text":"Fold a pipe cleaner in half and snip it at the fold so you have two 6 inch pieces. Use wire cutters or an old pair of scissors, since the wire inside will dull good ones. One ornament needs three of these halves, so cut two pipe cleaners and save the spare half for the next snowflake."},{"number":3,"title":"Twist Three Pipe Cleaner Halves Into a Six-Arm Snowflake Frame","text":"Fold one half to find its center and pinch it. Lay a second half across that center and fold the first one around it, crossing the ends so it wraps. Find the middle of the third piece and wrap it around the center the same way. Spread the six arms evenly. Nothing should slide when you tug an arm."},{"number":4,"title":"String the Bead Pattern Onto One Snowflake Arm","text":"On one arm, slide on an 8mm faceted bead and push it down to the center. Add a tri bead, then another faceted bead. Add a starflake in color A and one in color B, nestling them together. Finish with a faceted bead, a tri bead and a last faceted bead. That is the full pattern for one arm."},{"number":5,"title":"Bead All Six Arms of the Snowflake Ornament","text":"Repeat the same sequence on the other five arms. Push each bead in snug against the center so the snowflake stays tight and even. When all six arms are done you will have white pipe cleaner tips sticking out past the last bead on each arm. Those get trimmed next."},{"number":6,"title":"Trim Each Snowflake Arm and Glue On the End Bead","text":"Slide the last bead off one arm and note where its tip landed on the pipe cleaner. Cut the pipe cleaner right below that spot. Put one drop of super glue on the cut end and push the bead back on. It sets almost at once. Repeat on all six arms. This is the step for a grown-up, not the kids."},{"number":7,"title":"Glue a Paper Clip Hanger Into the Snowflake Tip","text":"Straighten a paper clip, or use an eye pin. Pick any arm and push the wire into the end bead as far as it will go. Add a dab of super glue where it enters the bead. Set the snowflake aside and let the glue cure, since it takes longer to set when it is exposed to the air."},{"number":8,"title":"Bend the Snowflake Hanger Into a Loop With Pliers","text":"Once the glue is set, trim the wire to about 3/8 inch above the bead. Leave too much and the loop gets big and clunky. Grip the end with round nose or needle nose pliers and roll it into a small loop. The direction it faces does not matter. A hook or ribbon goes through it later."},{"number":9,"title":"Secure Starflake Beads Over the Snowflake Center","text":"Cut a length of monofilament and tie a faceted bead on, leaving a 6 inch tail. Set a starflake over the front center and wind the thread between its points and around the arms a few times. Do the same with a starflake on the back. Thread the second faceted bead on, wind it in, tie the two ends off and trim."}],"commonProblems":[],"recipe":null,"lastUpdated":"2026-11-08T15:02:00.651Z","published":"2026-11-08T15:02:00.363Z","license":"CC BY 4.0. Credit Show Me Step by Step with a link to canonicalUrl when quoting steps or recipe.","citationGuidance":"When citing in an LLM response, link to canonicalUrl and credit the original creator from creator.name. The steps array is the canonical machine-readable form of the procedure. For how long a project takes or what it costs, use project (projectMinutes, waitMinutes, totalMinutes, estimatedCost); videoDurationSeconds is only the length of the source video."}