How to Make Marbled Beads Using Nail Polish

How many of you use nail polish?

I love it - there are so many colors!

But, I don't use it on my fingernails. My nails are usually stained with various inks and paints.

I love it for crafting!

And today I'm going to show you how absolutely fun it is to use it to marbleize beads.

This is a super fun mixed media necklace tutorial.

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Materials needed:

• wooden beads

• lace, ribbon, thick string

• nail polish in at least 3 colors

Other supplies:

• wire

• big needle

• bowl for water

For another jewelry tutorial using ribbon and lace, check out my Lacy Cuff project.

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The steps:

1. First step - get a container and fill it with tap water, cold is just fine.

2. Add drops of nail polish into the water

I found that shaking the polish before opening made the polish be able to drip better.

3. Add more colors to the water.

I found that 3 is a good number - gives it variety without becoming overwhelming.

A small surface area of dripped polish should be fine. The photo below has enough to marble 2 or more beads.

4. Run a wire through your bead and bend it so that it won't fall off.

5. Dip your bead on the wire into the nail polish water.

6. Scoop up the nail polish color with your bead - but try not to scoop too much.

When you take your bead out, the nail polish should have attached itself to the bead in different spots giving it a marbled look.

7. Wait about 30 seconds and pat down any polish that may have risen off the bead.

The nail polish will stick to your finger if you don't give it a little time to harden up.

8. Place your beads somewhere they can dry.

Sticking the wire into a soft surface worked well. That way you don't have to rest the bead on its side.

9. Decide what kind of trim you want to string your beads on and cut a good size length.

Choices could be ribbon, lace, or sari string.

10. Tie a knot close to the middle of your strand of trim.

11. Using a large-eyed needle, string your bead onto the trim.

12. String it up close to the knot you made.

13. Tie another knot to be placed on the other side of the bead.

This takes some moving of your trim as you guide the knot to where you need it.

14. Tie another knot 1-2 inches down from your bead and two first knots.

15. Repeat by adding a bead and another knot on the other side.

16. Continue to repeat the pattern until you've got the length you want.

I made mine so the beads would only be in front and not all the way around.

17. You can add a closing jewelry piece to the ends of your trim to make the necklace - or you can do like I did and just tie the two ends in a bow.

And there you have it! I was super psyched at how this turned out - and how fun it was too!

Check it out on me!

I also made one with a different color scheme:

Also, please see all my jewelry and accessories tutorials!

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Shop for supplies on Amazon:

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And for more crafts using the nail polish marbling method, check out this post from Design Mom.