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Mardi Gras Beads

Happy Friday!  The weekend in our home means time for crafting, so let's get started.
In the Tampa Bay area, we have our own "Mardi Gras" celebration called the Gasparilla Pirate Invasion.  There are parades with beads, parties, floats, and all sorts of mayhem.  After being here for 10 years, we decided it was high time we went to one of these events.  Of course, we picked the tamest one so we could take the kids - the Gasparilla Children's Parade.  We joined up with some of my co-workers and their families, so it was an all around good time.

We had perfect weather and the kids caught lots of beads.   
So, now the question begs..what do we do with all those beads?!?!  
Bead Wranglers
The girls had an idea.  They wanted a bead curtain to hang over their doors.   Hmmm...ok.  But how?  I didn't want anything permanent.  Sure the beads are fun now, but I am sure they will lose their value in due time.  A trip to the Home Improvement store gave me an idea.  Don't worry, we already needed to pick up some hang some curtains, so I wasn't just roaming the store.  That's it!  Pressure mounted curtain rods!  Perfect.  They are about $4 each, so this would be a cheap project that the girls could do themselves.

Make sure you get the kind with the adjustable spring because it has a channel to slide the beads in. 

1) Cut between two beads on each necklace.
 2)Pull the two pieces of the curtain rod apart and slide one bead into the channel without the spring.
 3) Repeat.
 4) Keep going until you use all the beads.  That's it!  All that's left is to hang it in the doorway.
Awesome, huh?  They are so proud of their creation.  We will probably take it down in a month or two and then next year we will connect the next parade set of beads to the ends of the other ones and hang them back up for awhile.
 Happy crafting this weekend!

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Comments

Michelle said…
That's such an awesome idea! They look really cute. Now I wish I still had those Mardi Gras beads from when we lived in Louisiana.
1:31 PM, February 24, 2012
Unknown said…
Great idea! Recycle~Reuse, better than the landfill, for sure, plus it is SUPER cool for a young lady. Found you at Make the scene Monday
ps~Your thumbnail didn't show up, but your title was interesting
7:10 PM, February 28, 2012
Favorite Little Princess said…
Thanks for stopping by Lori! I'm bummed that the thumbnail disappeared. It was there Monday. I'm glad you still decided to come check it out :)
7:44 PM, February 28, 2012
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