Use sea glass beads to create this beautiful hanging decoration! This DIY craft project makes a a great keepsake and a high quality home decor craft.

Our DIY sea glass bead project took about 60 minutes to complete and requires just a few basic supplies. The step-by-step instruction below will walk you through how to make a “V” shaped beaded suncatcher using white elastic cord (this project can also be done using other non-stretch 1mm cord). The white cord allows the bead colors to really shine through. This project requires a little patience but the results are timeless and fantastic.

Materials:

• Sea Glass Bead Assortments
  • Sea Foam Green
  • Ocean Wave Blue
  • Burning Sun Red
• Wood Hanger
• White Elastic Cord
• 1mm Black Waxed Cotton Cord
• Suction Cup with Hook (optional)
• Tacky Glue (or clear nail polish)
• Ruler or Cutting Mat
• Scissors

Please read through the instructions first before beginning this project. Be sure to read the tips as well. We used nearly the entire 1/2 pound bead assortment to create each suncatcher. 

Sea Glass Bead Craft Instructions

1. Cut a piece of elastic cord approx. 12″ long. This will be for the center hole on the wood hanger. Counting over from the left end of the hanger, the center will be the 7th hole.

TIP: I did this project with my beads and hanger laid out flat on a cutting mat so I could easily see if my strands were symmetrical to maintain a gradual “V” shape as my project progressed.

2. Make a knot on one end of the cord, and find one of the smallest glass beads in the assortment and thread onto the knotted cord. For instructional purposes, I will refer to this as a “Tiny Bead”. This bead will stop the knot/cord from slipping through the holes.

TIP: The very first and last bead of every strand should be one of these “Tiny Beads”. If you have trouble threading the elastic cord through this tiny bead hole, Try this: Cut a fresh end on a diagonal and coat with glue or clear nail polish without stretching the end and allow to dry for easy stringing.

3. Thread the loose end of the elastic cord through the center hole of the wood hanger. String beads onto the cord until you have a strand that hangs down about 9″ from the hanger. This center strand will be the longest.

TIP: Do not pre-cut strands ahead to length. Instead, cut all strands at least 10″ long so you have plenty of room to tie the starting and ending knots.

4. You will end the strand with a tiny bead. Before you tie the knot, remove the excess slack from the elastic cord. Do this by pulling the cord down and sliding the string of beads up tight against the hanger. This allows the beads to hang nested tightly together. Now you will tie a double knot at the end of the beaded strand and cut off the remainder of the cord, so the end looks neat. To prevent the double knot from coming untied from the weight of the glass beads, dab a little glue on the knot or clear nail polish. Allow to dry before hanging.

TIP: Check to see if there is any slack by holding the hanger up in the air – the weight of the beads will pull it down. 

5. To create a “V” shaped sun catcher, the next two strands on either side of this center strand should each measure about 7.5″ in length when done. Repeat Steps 2 through 4 until you have two beaded strands the same length (about 7.5″) on either side of the center strand. These two strands will be hanging from the 6th and 8th hole of the wooden hanger.

6. Continue to work from the center out, creating beaded strands in pairs of the same length as explained in Step 5, except these next two strands should measure only 7″ in length when complete. These 7″ strands will hang from 5th and 9th holes of the wooden hanger.

7. Repeat this process explained above 4 more times. Cut the cord in pairs that are slightly shorter than the previous pair. So, hanging from the 4th and 10th holes will be 6.5″ strands. Hanging from the the 3rd and 11th holes will be 6″ strands. From the 2nd and 12th use 5.5″ strands. The strands hanging on either end (1st and 13th holes) should measure 4.5″. This creates a finished “V” shape suncatcher.

8. To make a hanger for the suncatcher, cut a piece of the cotton cord 24″ long and tie a double knot on one end. Thread the loose end UP through the 1st hole. You will need to stretch the beaded strand out of the way to thread this black cord through the holes. Again, make sure you thread this cord from the bottom of the hanger to the top.

9. Last, thread the same end DOWN through the 13th hole and tie another double knot and trim off the ends. Brush on a dab of glue or clear polish to each knot and allow to dry before hanging.

10. Use the suction cup with hook to easily display your beaded sea glass masterpiece in a sunny window! You can also hang it on the wall with a thumb tack or push pin. 

The blue sea glass is great for summer and ocean themes. We love the green sea glass for nature themes and a more toned look. The red/orange sea glass is vibrant and eye catching. This is great for the fall season, or representing a sunset.