AdornmentCraft

I remember when, several years ago now, Martha Stewart featured her bead-and-wire snowflake project on her show - and everyone went crazy for it. Wire snowflake forms (also called snowflake armatures) flew off the shelves at craft stores, and bidding wars broke out for them on eBay.

I was just thinking about them again, with the holidays approaching this year, when I spotted the cover of the Martha Stewart Living December 2007 issue at the grocery store. There they were. . . framing Martha’s pretty, smiling face on the cover.
I think this year’s versions are more striking than ever, featuring larger, metallic, fluted beads in soft pastel colors.

The general instructions for making them are available for free on the Martha Stewart website. The directions are not super-detailed, but if you have a little experience with wire, I don’t think you’ll have trouble with them.

You have two options for the wire forms: purchase them pre-made, or make your own. You can find pre-made versions at Fusion Beads , and some folks still sell them on eBay.

If you’d like to try making your own forms, you can use either tinned copper wire or piano wire (also called music wire). After crossing several equal lengths of wire over one another at their middles, you’ll need to either wire-wrap them together (using very fine, 30-gauge wire) or solder them.

I was unable to confirm which gauge of piano wire Martha uses for her soldered forms, but I’m guessing it’s the equivalent of 20-gauge (.032 inch diameter). I’ll pick some up shortly to experiment with and then post my results.

If you’re tired of snowflakes and would like to try something different, the December issue of Martha Stewart Living offers instructions for making other holiday-themed wire ornaments, including little dancing people and simple, yet striking, icicles. (And, as you can see, dragonflies - which don’t really remind me of the holidays, but they are cute nonetheless.)

Again, the instructions are not the most clear, but they do include helpful diagrams like these:

If you’ve wanted to experiment more with beads and wire, the holidays are a good excuse to pick some up and get going. You may even discover ways to use these versatile materials to create decor and gift items that you can use all throughout the year. (If you can’t think of any, then check back! I’ll share some of my own here on AdornmentCraft.)

~ ~ ~ ~

Martha Stewart Living Magazine Martha Stewart Living Magazine was created by the famous television hostess who has become the popular advisor on all things for the home and garden.

~ ~ ~ ~

You may also be interested in:
Wire in Design: Modern Wire Art & Mixed Media (Jewelry Crafts) by Barbara A. McGuire

Click here to browse all of my recommended wire decor project books in the AdornmentCraft Amazon Shop.

1. Martha Stewart » Martha Stewart’s Beaded Snowflakes Says:
   December 3rd, 2007 at 10:53 pm

   […] chettid wrote an interesting post today on Martha Stewartâ??s Beaded SnowflakesHere’s a quick excerptI was just thinking about them again, with the holidays approaching this year, when I spotted the cover of the Martha Stewart Living December 2007 issue at the grocery store. There they were. . . framing Martha’s pretty, smiling face on … […]