Victorian Beaded Poinsettia

Supply List:

• packet of red seed beads
• packet of green seed beads
• 7-8 gold or yellow seed beads (or Rocailles) for center of poinsettia
• .3 mm gold beading wire
• Scotch tape
• floral tape - optional
• pin back - optional
• barrette - optional

Instructions:

Cut a 16 inch length of the wire for each petal/leaf. This will be twelve pieces of wire, if you make 7 red and 5 green. The middle of the flower requires one eight inch length.

To begin, string 3 red beads on the wire and run the 2 ends of wire in opposite directions through the 2 end beads and this will make the middle bead the "pointed" part of the petal. Make sure you pull the wire snug so there won't be gaps between the beads.

After you have done this, string 4 beads onto the wire and run the wire back thru the beads, making sure you end up at the top side so you can then string 5 more, and do the same. For row 6 do the same. You will make 3 rows of seven beads, and then start decreasing to 6, 5, 4, then 2 for the last row.

Continue making the petals and leaves in both colors. For the gold center of the flower, string 7-8 beads, then run the wire thru the beads to make a circle. (I used Rocailles.)

When finished, group 2 red and 1 green, and so forth, then arrange the groups and use the Scotch tape to hold your flower into place, then wind the floral tape onto the leftover "stems" of wire.

You can then make a barrette or pin, by curling the ends and hot gluing them onto a barrette or pin, or just tie a single poinsettia onto a gift with some pretty ribbon.

By CDC from FL