Add festive sparkle to your Christmas tree with a beautiful beaded snowflake

What you need...

• Beads: 11/0 Miyuki seed beads, matte transparent crystal AB; 8/0 Miyuki seed beads, galvanised seafoam; fire-polished, 4mm, 6mm
  Wire: silver-plated, non-tarnish, 0.4mm; snowflake form
  Tools: pliers, round-nosed; side cutters

instructions

1. Take a snowflake wire form and onto each arm thread three 11/0 beads, one 4mm fire-polished bead and another 11/0.

2. Cut 0.4mm wire, 50cm, and attach it to one of the arms by wrapping it around tightly several times. Thread on some more seed beads and continue around the snowflake, wrapping the wire around each arm and adding on more beads. Trim away the excess wire.

3. Thread more beads onto each arm of the snowflake form – we've used 11/0 and 8/0 seeds, as well as 4mm fire-polished beads. Repeat Step 2, this time using more beads.

4. Add some more beads onto each arm, then take pieces of wire and wrap them around each one. Thread on beads, bring the wire up around a 6mm bead and wrap, then thread on some more beads and take the wire back down to the starting point. Wrap around the snowflake form and trim.

5. Using round-nosed pliers, turn a loop on the end of each arm. Trim using side cutters to finish.

All the beads and tools used in this project are available from http://www.spoiltrottenbeads.co.uk