7 Brilliant Ideas For What to Do With Leftover Beads

Here are some fun ideas for what to do with leftover beads from previous jewelry projects.

How many times have you completed a beading project only to realize you have just a few beads left?

There aren’t enough to do a whole other pattern and, of course, you don’t want to throw them away.

Below are some ideas for those leftovers…

7 Ideas for What To Do With Leftover Beads

1. Make Earrings

I love earring patterns. They usually work up quickly and you don’t need a lot of beads which makes them very affordable to create.

So, take advantage of that and use your leftover beads to make some earrings. Slip some onto wire to make cute hoop earrings, string them on a headpin or stitch them together using a bead weaving pattern.

Learn How To Choose The Best Earrings For Face Shape.

2. Use As Accent Beads

Sometimes, a simple focal point real brings a piece of jewelry to life e.g. a pendant or some bigger beads right in the center. Leftover beads are perfect for this use.

3. Create Beaded Fringe

Adding beaded fringe is great way to jazz up jewelry that could be boring otherwise. It can also be functional as it hides thread along the edges of your beadwork.

If you don’t know what to do with leftover beads, use them to create a bit of fringe.

4. Make A Bead Mix

If you have lots of the same size and shape of beads, just in various colors, throw them all together and create a bead mix.

You can actually walk into any bead shop and buy this already done, so why not create your own?

It’s a great way to use up leftover beads and create a unique look that you won’t find anywhere else.

5. Create A Bead Soup

Yes, a bead mix and bead soup are actually different even though people use the terms interchangeably. 

A bead soup is a combination of any size, shape and color of beads.

If you have a few beads from different projects, combine them and use them for something totally new.

I love this Potomac Bead Company tutorial. It’s the perfect project to use up a bunch of different beads and still make it look good. You can substitute the beads that they used for whatever you have on hand.

6. Make A Repair Kit

It’s an awful feeling when a favorite piece of jewelry breaks and you don’t have the beads to fix it.

You could go out an purchase a new set of the beads that you used, provided they’re in stock. But, do you really want to buy a whole tube or string of beads when you probably just need a few?

That’s where a repair kit comes in handy. Place a few of each kind of the beads leftover from a project into a labelled container and store it.

7. Give Leftover Beads Away

Every once in a while, I sort through my beads and get rid of ones I no longer want. This sometimes includes beads that were leftover from old projects.

Typically, I give these away to friends with children old enough to play with them. They make great craft kits especially for the summer months when kids are bored.

Pair the beads with some stretch cord or other types of stringing materials. The children can enjoy endless hours making stretchy bracelets and cord jewelry with these beads.

The next time you organize your beads, think about any kids or even adults that might enjoy items you don’t want anymore.

So, those were my ideas for what to do with leftover beads. I’ve used all of them at some point or the other and they work beautifully.