Create a set of fancy Victorian-style tinsel ornaments with just a few supplies. Our completed ornaments measure about 3-1/2" long including the tinsel puff, while the Santa style comes in at 4-1/2".

Supplies: Wired Tinsels (Mini and Bushier Strands), Glass Beads, Beading Wire (26 or 28 Gauge), Paint Brush or Pencil, Scissors

Step 1: Cut an 8-9" length of mini wired tinsel.  Bend in half and twist center around a paint brush handle to make a loop hanger.  Make a second decorative loop below the first.

Step 2: Bend tinsel 1/2" at ends.  Hook ends together and gently form into a rounded shape.

Step 3: Cut a 12" length of beading wire and loosely bend in half.  Loop wire through lower decorative loop, positioning it snugly downward into the tinsel.

Step 4: String beads over both wires.  Adjust tinsel as needed so beads fit evenly within shape.

Step 5: Wrap wire ends around the bottom of the tinsel shape.  Twist wires together several times to secure.  Bend wires upward and trim excess.

Step 6: Cut a 5" length of bushier tinsel.  Bend 1/2" "hooks" at each end. Place "hooks" at front and back of ornament base and gently pinch to secure.

Step 7: Working in 1/2" increments, bend and twist bushy tinsel upward to make a tight tinsel puff.

Tips: If using larger beads, simply cut a longer length of mini tinsel.  For the Santa ornament we cut a 10-11" length.

Make a two-tone tinsel puff -- for example, cut 2-1/2" gold + 2-1/2" silver and wind them together before adding them to your ornament.  Winding them together ensures colors are evenly distributed.

You don't need a lot of beads to make an elegant ornament -- we used 2 or 3 beads for all of our styles.

If you want to add beads directly onto the tinsel, the RED is the only tinsel soft enough to allow beads to slide over.  We were able to add 8mm beads, but repeated sliding will cause the tinsel to shed some.  The gold and silver are way too rigid to allow beads to slide.