You can cover a plain ceiling light fixture with strands of crystal beads to dramatically change your room's décor. This simple craft project will add elegance, color and style to the lighting in a hallway, bedroom or other living area. Select colorful crystal beads to add translucent color to the ceiling or clear crystal beads for a simpler design. You can find crystal beads in many different shapes and sizes at your local craft store and from online retailers.
Instructions
1. Measure and cut 14 strands of beading wire 3 inches longer than the desired length of your light fixture cover. Beaded light fixture covers should be at least 8 inches long to cover the light bulb, but you can extend your beaded cover beyond that if you like.
2. Wrap 1.5 inches of the end of one wire strand around the craft ring. Thread a crimp bead onto the opposite end of the wire strand, push it up to the craft ring and slip the short end of the wire into the crimp bead. The should fit over the two sections of wire that fold around the ring. Hold the crimp bead against the craft ring and press the crimp bead with your crimping pliers. The crimp bead will bend to hold the wrapped wire around the ring.
3. Thread beads onto the wire all the way to the craft ring. Make sure that the beads fit over both sections of wire exiting the crimp bead. Stop adding beads when you have 1.5 inches of wire left at the end.
4. Thread a crimp bead, followed by a top drilled bead. Bend the end of the wire around the top drilled bead. Feed it back through the crimp bead and into the center drilled beads on the strand. The wire tail will disappear into the beads. Crimp the bead to hold it secure.
5. Repeat Steps 2, 3 and 4 with the remaining 13 strands of wire. Make sure that the wires are evenly spaced around the craft ring.
6. Attach ceiling anchor hooks into the ceiling around the light fixture. Space the hooks in a north, south, east and west position so that the craft ring will fit into each hook.
Tags: crimp bead, craft ring, , light fixture,