How to Dye Wooden Beads

It’s the end of September, it’s officially fall, and we are in PEEK COZY CRAFT MODE, friends!!!!

When thinking about what we wanted to make this fall, we kept coming back to projects using wooden beads — a simple and sophisticated addition to all the fall fiber crafts.

And what’s better than wooden beads on all the things? Colorful dyed wooden beads on all the things!

This post will teach you the easiest way how to dye wooden beads.

(Spoiler: The whole process takes 1 hr and 15 minutes, and only 15 minutes require you to actually do anything. WIN!)

Last year, our friend Rachel of The Crafted Life shared the most stunning tutorial for how to make a dyed bead holiday garland using Rit brand dye. Here at TNTP we always have Tulip One-Step Tie Dye in our stash, so — with wood beads on the brain — we knew had to test out our version of dyed beads with a TNTP twist!

Tulip One-Step’s vibrant dye colors and “just-add-water” process are a winning combo for a super-easy and family-friendly craft! Whether you have leftover Tulip One-Step in your own stash or you’re inspired to snag some with our new wooden beads in the TNTP shop, you’ve gotta try this seriously simple and satisfying DIY!

Let’s dye-ve in!

HOW TO DYE WOODEN BEADS

YOU’LL NEED:

• Raw wood beads
• Tulip One-Step Tie Dye
• Glass jars with lids
• Water
• Gloves
• Plastic spoon
• Bowl
• Towel or paper towel

Fill a lidded mason jar large enough to hold each color of beads with water 3/4 of the way. Remember, the beads need space in there too!

Wearing gloves, pour a single pack of dye into the water (1 pack for each 6oz or so!) and stir or shake your jar until the dye has dissolved. (You can use less dye powder if you’re hoping for a lighter shade.)

Note: I used the jars I had available, which were definitely bigger than I needed for the number of beads I put into each one. If I were to do it over again, I would have filled the jars roughly halfway and used only 1 packet of dye — this ratio would result in the same color intensity. One dye packet works with ~4-6oz of water, for reference!

Add your beads, twist on the lid tightly, and give your jar a shake!

Let beads sit for about an hour. Periodically, give them a shake to make sure all sides get an even dye coat.

Once your beads are done soaking, put your gloves back on and remove your beads from the jar however you like — just don’t use any cooking utensils that you normally use for food! I used a plastic spoon and plastic container that I use for crafting.

TIP: You can reuse the leftover dye, just note that the color may come up lighter on your next batch of beads or whatever you dye with it. Be sure to reuse the dye within 48 hours for optimal color brightness!

Rinse your dyed beads in cold water until the water runs clear, then lay them out on an old towel or paper towel to dry. It will take about 24 hours or so. Your beads will look dry and slightly lighter/brighter in color when they’re ready!

Now your dyed beads are ready to be used however you like! Make a tassel garland, bag charm, necklace, or anything else you can dream up!

Dyeing beads is also an awesome craft to do with kids. They’ll be so excited to see how they turned their plain wooden beads into colorful ones with just a few easy steps. Bonus: you’ll get a second activity out of them once they’re dry. 😉

We hope you give this tutorial a try, especially with the holidays right around the corner! Be sure to share what you’re planning to make in the comments below!

Peace, love & neon,
Marisa