Make Beaded Snowflakes and Ice Flowers with Bugle Beads
Make beaded Christmas ornaments inspired by the patterns of ice crystals. We show you two designs using round seed beads, bugle beads and fine copper wire: a red Christmas crystal with golden details and a blue ice flower. Hang them on the Christmas tree, in a window or use them in a table decoration.
Original printable guide for both designs (PDF in Danish)
The printable guide shows the original designs. Use the lists on this page when choosing your current materials and tools.
Go straight to the design or material option you would like to see:
- Red Christmas crystal: materials and tutorial
- Blue ice flower: materials and tutorial
- Optional beading kit
Optional Beading Kit for Christmas Crystals
You can also choose a kit with a selection of seed beads, bugle beads and wire in a storage box. The colours follow the assortment shown for the kit and can produce different variations from the red and blue examples below. Choose the kit or the materials for a particular design to suit your project.
View the Christmas crystal beading kit
Tools and Optional Hanging Materials
You will need side cutters for both designs. Add a ring and a thin hanging cord if you wish. Tools and hanging materials are not included in the material buttons.
All-purpose side cutters for jewellery making
The tutorial and material buttons use gold-plated copper wire measuring 0.3 mm. As in the original guide, you can also choose a different thickness:
Red Christmas Crystal with Bugle Beads
Materials for One Ornament
- Approx. 1.5 m of gold-plated copper wire, 0.3 mm; sold as a spool of 20 m
- Miyuki bugle beads, opaque red, 6 x 1.7 mm
- Miyuki size #11 seed beads, Duracoat Gold, 2 x 1.5 mm
The button adds a full spool of wire and one full pack of each bead type to your basket. You will have materials left over for other projects. Tools, hanging materials and the optional kit are added separately.
Add red Christmas crystal materials to basket
Both material buttons include a spool of 20 m wire. If you buy both designs, one spool covers the lengths stated for both ornaments. Adjust the quantity in your basket accordingly.
Cut about 1.5 m of 0.3 mm wire. Leave a wire tail of about 10 cm when you form the first circle; you will use it to finish the ornament. In the next steps, golden beads are the small seed beads and red beads are the bugle beads.
Make the Centre
First, you string 1 golden bead and 4 red bugle beads on the wire.
Pass one wire end through the golden seed bead again to form a circle. Leave a wire tail of about 10 cm for finishing.
Tighten the wire.
String 1 golden bead and 3 red bugle beads. Pull the wire through the last red bugle bead in the first circle and then through the golden bead in the second circle - from top to bottom. Tighten the wire.
Make the next circle in the same way.
Make five circles first. Now begin closing the centre: add one golden seed bead and pass the wire through the first red bugle bead in the first circle, from bottom to top.
String 2 red bugle beads and pull the wire through the last red bugle bead in the fifth circle - from top to bottom. This closes the final circle in the centre.
Pull the wire through the golden bead in the fifth circle and then through the red bugle bead (see picture)
Make the First Short Branch
Now you are going to make the first short "branch". String 2 red bugle beads and 1 golden bead.
Skip the golden bead and pull the wire through one bugle bead. Tighten the wire.
String 1 red bugle bead and a golden bead. Skip the golden bead and pull the wire back through the one red bugle bead. Tighten the wire.
String 1 red bugle bead and 1 golden bead.
Skip the golden bead and pull the wire back through 2 red bugle beads.
Pull the wire through one more red bugle bead (see picture). So you can add the next "branch" to the crystal.
Make the Long Branch
String 2 red bugle beads and 1 golden bead. Skip the golden bead and pull the wire back through 1 red bugle bead.
Add one red bugle bead and one golden seed bead. Skip the golden bead and pass the wire back through the bugle bead to form the opposite side tip.
String 2 red bugle beads and 1 golden bead. Skip the golden bead and pull the wire back through 1 red bugle bead.
String 1 red bugle bead and 1 golden bead. Skip the golden bead and pull the wire back through 1 red bugle bead.
String 1 red bugle bead and 1 golden bead again. Skip the golden bead and pull the wire back through 3 red bugle beads this time.
Pull the wire through the next red bugle bead (see picture)
Continue Around the Crystal
After that, you make the next short "branch" as you made the first. Continue like this assembling alternately short and long "branches" all around the crystal.
Secure the Wire Ends and Add an Optional Hanging Ring
When you make the last long branch, you can incorporate a ring before you pull the wire back through the last 3 red bugle beads.
Pull the wire through the next red bugle bead on the left.
Wind the wire around the lower end of the short branch a few times. Then you can cut off the excess wire.
Take the wire tail of about 10 cm that you left at the beginning. Pass it through two red bugle beads in the short branch.
Wrap this wire tail around the branch a few times, then trim the excess.
Your red Christmas crystal is done.
Blue Ice Flower with Seed Beads and Bugle Beads
Materials for One Ornament
- Approx. 1.2 m of gold-plated copper wire, 0.3 mm; sold as a spool of 20 m
- Miyuki bugle beads, matte steel blue/gunmetal, 6 x 1.7 mm
- Miyuki size #11 seed beads, matte gunmetal, 2 x 1.5 mm
The button adds a full spool of wire and one full pack of each bead type to your basket. You will have materials left over for other projects. Tools, hanging materials and the optional kit are added separately.
Add blue ice flower materials to basket
Alternative in Light Blue
For a lighter version, replace the two bead types in the blue material list with this combination:
- Miyuki bugle beads, light blue silver line, 6 x 1.7 mm
- Delica size #11, luminous ocean blue, 1.1 x 1.7 mm
The photos show the original steel blue/gunmetal version. Delica beads differ in shape and size from round seed beads, so the finished appearance may vary. The blue material button adds the original combination. Choose and adjust the beads in your basket if you prefer the alternative.
Cut about 1.2 m of 0.3 mm wire. The small beads in the following steps are the round gunmetal seed beads. The flower has five branches, and each small beaded loop starts with 11 seed beads.
Make the First Branch with Beaded Loops
First you string 11 seed beads on the wire.
Pull the wire back through the first bead.
Pull the wire tight and leave a wire tail of about 10 cm for finishing.
Now you string 1 bugle bead + 11 seed beads.
Pull the wire back through the first bead.
Tighten the wire.
String 1 bugle bead + 11 seed beads once again.
Pull the wire back through the first bead.
Tighten the wire.
String 11 seed beads and pull the wire back through the first bead.
Tighten the wire.
String 11 seed beads, pull the wire back through the first bead.
Tighten the wire.
Then you pull the wire through the bugle bead.
Tighten it.
String 11 seed beads and pull the wire back through the first bead.
Tighten the wire.
Pull the wire through the next bugle bead and tighten it.
String 11 seed beads and pull the wire back through the first bead.
Tighten the wire.
Join the First Branch at the Base
Pull both wire ends through a bugle bead.
Make the Remaining Branches
Next, you string 2 seed beads + 1 bugle bead + 11 seed beads.
Pull the wire back through the first of the 11 seed beads.
Tighten the wire.
Continue like that in order to assemble the rest of the "branch".
Close the Centre and Secure the Wire Ends
When you are done with the fifth branch, you string 2 seed beads.
Pull the wire through the first bugle bead of the first branch.
Tighten the wire and wind it around the branch a couple of times. Then you cut off the excess wire.
After that, you take the other wire end. Pull it through a bugle bead and make a few windings before you cut off the remaining wire.
Your Christmas ice flower is done.
More Beaded Christmas Decorations
- Stars with Delica Beads
- Christmas Decorations with Wooden Beads
- Christmas Decorations with Beads and Flowers
- 3D Peyote Stars
- Christmas Decorations in Copper and Gold
- Beaded Mistletoe
- Mini Beaded Angels
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