If you are looking for inexpensive and fun ways to decorate your studio apartment, purchase some Mardi Gras beads and use them to create curtains, ornaments, and floral centerpieces. Beads can be used in both their intact form and as separate decor pieces and will brighten up any area in your dwelling that is lacking color and texture.
Beaded Curtains
A beaded curtain can be made by cutting Mardi Gras strands open so that they are each one continuous strand. Each necklace will be long enough to extend from the top of a window to the sill that is underneath it, and beaded strands can be connected together to former longer strands that are going to be used to create a makeshift curtain that will be covering a doorway.
Use a wooden dowel or strip to secure the top of each strand. To do this, use a wood-burning tool to create holes along the length of the wooden piece. Insert each strand through the wood and use a metal grommet to secure the top bead from each strand.
After aligning all of the strands, use hardware to secure the wooden dowel or strip to the top of a window or a doorway. If any of the strands contain kinks, gently pull downward on them to straighten the rows of beads.
Ornaments
Add loose Mardi Gras beads to clear glass or plastic bauble-style ornaments or use glue to secure single beads to the outside of foam shapes. Colorful beads will play off of the light strands that you wrap around a holiday tree.
These types of ornaments can also be used as everyday decorations. Use ornaments to highlight the woodwork in your home or to adorn a potted plant that is accenting a corner of your studio apartment.
Floral Centerpieces
If you are looking for a different element to add to a vaseful of faux flowers that are being used as a centerpiece for a table, use scissors to separate the beads from a few Mardi Gras strands. Place the separated beads in a bowl and use your hands to mix the different bead colors.
Purchase a few glass vases and insert the stems of some faux flowers into small foam pieces. Place one foam piece in the bottom of each vase and arrange the flowers so that they are spread out around the top of each vase. Add an equal amount of Mardi Gras beads to each vase.
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