Accessorise a large plain candle with a ‘necklace’ of glass beads on copper wire for a sparkling, sophisticated look.

1. Starting to thread the beads
Thread a small bead onto the wire about 2.5cm (1in) from the end and twist the wire twice to secure the bead in place.

2. Threading extra beads
Working from the other end of wire, thread on several larger beads. Secure them against first bead with another small bead, twisting wire as in Step 1. Repeat along the length of wire, leaving a gap of wire between each group of beads. Create different ‘patterns’ of beads in each section.

3. Securing the wire
When 2.5cm (1in) from end of wire, finish off with a small bead as in Step 1. Bend one end of the wire and press it carefully into the candle to a depth of about 1cm (1⁄2in) to hold the decoration in place.

4. Wrapping the candle
Now wrap the full length of the wire around the candle. The bands of beads don’t have to be parallel – they look more interesting if they slant and overlap in places. Secure the wire by pressing the second end 1cm (1⁄2in) into the candle in the same way as in Step 3.

Variations...
A beaded decoration looks great on a short square candle. This one is threaded with tiny blue glass beads and the wire is bent to fit closely around the corners.