I made up this great beaded gift and I gave it to myself this week, because I had just found all these fabulously awesome charm beads recently, and I have (as you know, if you read here often) a TON of handmade jewelry already. So I spotted another item that I could personalize with beads: this super fun bead-able pen. If you’re looking for easy DIY gifts or gifts for beaders – this idea is perfect!
Sparkles. Martinis. Art. Birthstones. And yes, even a unicorn. Seriously, they have beads for just about every interest, and I put them together in a one-minute project that’s great for teachers, co-workers, and anyone who loves beads (and hello, that’s ME)! All you have to do is assemble this baby and it’s ready to go.
I found my supplies at Goody Beads, and I’ll leave a couple affiliate links below in case you’d like to find supplies for yourself. If you shop these links, it supports my blog at no extra cost to you (and thank you, by the way).
- Bead pen
- Up to 8-10 large-hole beads
The number of beads you need will depend on their size. The beadable length of the pen is 2.5 inches (which translates to 63 mm, which is what beads are typically measured in). As you can see I’ve got a pretty wide variety of sizes here.
One thing I will recommend is that the lowest bead or two should be smooth. I noticed that the way I hold my pen, my hand touches that bottom bead. So it was more comfortable to me to have a nice smooth stone bead (though glass would work well, too) even though it didn’t match the others perfectly. The dangling charm is a little much, when you consider how much your pen will be moving as you use it, but hello it’s a unicorn and I couldn’t resist. :)
I know that’s not much of a “tutorial” today but I had a lot of fun putting this together – it’s just so ME. Thought I’d share with my fellow beaders (and those of you who may just be on the hunt for really easy DIY gifts). Hope you enjoy!
My Daughter loves Lemon Ice Box Pie, I will have to try this on her. But I know I will like it for sure. Thanks for sharing your recipe with me.
What sort of pen do you use? I just love it!
I got mine here: https://www.goodybeads.com/store/Add-a-Bead-Pens.htm
This is so pretty! But doesn’t the beads make it harder to write/handle the pen?
Melissa – a little bit. When I first arranged my beads, I had a shaped metal bed on the bottom and that was uncomfortable. When I swapped it out for a smooth bead, it fixed the problem. And as I mentioned, the dangling bead is a bit much (consider how much your pen will be moving, and how quickly) and it’s more practical to choose something that doesn’t dangle.
Beyond those two notes, the only other significant difference is that it’s a bit heaver than, say, a Bic pen. Obviously. If you’re planning on taking notes all day long, it’s probably not the pen for you. If you just fill out a few papers or sign a few things, it’s perfect!
Oh my goodness, I may never leave the computer. The bead link is amazing! I want to see everyone. thank you
sorry, I wanted to also say that I like you pen.