Holiday Craft Tutorial...featuring FELTING!!!

I have had a case of holiday-on-the-brain ever since I cleared the last dish from the Thanksgiving table...

I wanted a cute, quick holiday craft. Something simple, to adorn packages, to give as little gifts to friends and maybe even make something for me.

What better place to gather inspiration than our very own website? I clicked on our FREE classes tab and BOOM! I saw these:

Our FREE Felted Beads class by Gail Crosman Moore.

Aren't they festive? This is what I did...

I grabbed some wool roving from the drawer marked "Felt" in Lisa's office.  (We are that kind of office. You'll never know what you might find stashed away in a drawer or box!)

If you don't have a drawer filled with felt roving at home, check your local craft store. A quick internet search for "felting roving" yielded a whole bunch of results.

I clicked on the FREE Felted Beads class with Gail to review the steps for making the beads. Gail is a super teacher. She is relaxed and thorough!

Then I stood at our sink in our kitchen and whipped up seven felted beads in ten minutes.

We always have a bottle of Dawn detergent at the ready!

My labors resulted in these oh-so-cute beads. (That pink one on the bottom needs a little more felting, but not bad for 10 minutes work!)

My brain is just buzzing with ideas:

• Stitch them in a circle to form a small, colorful wreath. Add a bow on top and voila -an ornament! (Or add a pin back to make a brooch.)
• Slide a headpin through a bead, turn a loop and dangle from a length of chain for a sassy earring.
• Make a few more and string them on an elastic thread for a festive bracelet.

For even MORE great felting ideas, Beaducation offers two more great felting classes from Gail. Felted Acorn Earrings and Felted Treasure Pouch.

I know what I will be doing this weekend. What are your thoughts for these versatile beads? Happy weekend crafting!!!