Looking for a creative way to upcycle old jewellery and add a touch of charm to your garden? These DIY beaded garden stakes, made with recycled jewellery and charms, are the perfect project! Not only do they make an eye-catching addition to flower beds and plant pots, but the beads beautifully reflect sunlight. These unique garden decorations also make fantastic gifts for garden lovers. I loved how mine turned out so much that I couldn’t resist sourcing more materials online to create a garden collection and gift to friends and family!
Read more: Beaded Garden Stakes
The possibilities for creating these beaded garden stakes are endless! I started by rummaging through my jewellery stash, much of it gifted by friends and family over the years. My local charity shop also sets aside broken jewellery and odd bits for me, knowing I love incorporating them into my Mixed media art projects.
I’ve used everything from wooden bead bracelets and broken brooches to single earrings and glass pieces from a shattered chandelier. For an extra creative touch, you can even make your charms using silicone moulds and resin. I’ll show you how to do this later in this tutorial!
Today, we’re excited to join the Do It Over Designers Blog Hop, hosted by Ann of The Apple Street Cottage. In this collaborative event, a group of bloggers transforms old or unused items into something fresh and new. Whether these treasures come from closets, barns, garages, yard sales, or thrift stores, we breathe new life into them. Be sure to explore the other creative projects linked at the end of this post!
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Beaded Garden Stakes from Threaded Rods and Recycled Jewellery
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Materials Needed
- 5mm threaded rod (length depends on preference)
- Glass door knobs (with screw attachments)
- Nuts and washers (5mm, to secure beads)
- Assorted beads (glass, wood, or metal)
- Charms and beads from recycled charm bracelets
- Pliers
- Charm Spacer beads
Assemble the beaded garden stakes
To begin, I cut my threaded rod into 35cm lengths using a grinder and filed down the ends to remove any sharp edges, ensuring they were safe to handle. After completing my first garden stake, I discovered that pre-cut threaded rods in various sizes are available on Amazon. This is a great alternative for anyone who isn’t comfortable using power tools or wants to save time.
After some quick planning, I decided to add 20 beads to each stake, ensuring there was enough exposed threaded rod at the bottom to anchor it firmly into the soil.
Next, I attached the glass door knob to the top of the rod. Using a pair of pliers to hold the rod steady, I carefully tightened the door knob securely in place.
For my first garden stakes, I used beads recycled from old Lovelinks and Pandora-style bracelets that were all the rage a few years ago. However, be sure to double-check your stash before using the beads—some might be original and quite valuable! I discovered a few branded with the 925 silver stamp, indicating they weren’t cheap. It seems the charity shop that donated the beads didn’t sort for these hidden treasures, so it’s worth taking a closer look.
Start by sliding a few beads onto the stake beneath the glass door knob, followed by a spacer bead. These spacers will serve as attachment points for the charms you’ll add later. I chose to add two spacer beads to each garden stake, but you can customize this step based on your style and preference.
Attaching the charms
To attach charms to the spacer beads, use a pair of pliers to gently open the metal rings. This method worked perfectly for me because I have chunky fingers!
I replaced the original charms with ones from my mixed media art stash, along with repurposed pieces like old earrings, broken brooches, and glass beads from a shattered chandelier. These unique additions gave each garden stake a one-of-a-kind look.
Add the remaining beads to the garden stake and secure them in place with a nut. Be careful not to tighten the nut too much, as this could crush or shatter the glass beads. Just tighten it enough to hold the beads securely without damaging them.
My Completed beaded garden stakes.
Making resin embellishments for the beaded garden stakes
I loved these beaded garden stakes, but I wanted to take the idea a step further. I decided to experiment with creating custom embellishments using silicone moulds and epoxy resin, adding mica powders to give them a beautiful shimmer. This way, they would reflect the sunlight even more, making an even bigger statement in the garden. Because I am a huge Steampunk fan I chose to use this steampunk dragonfly for my beaded garden stakes.
I used polyurethane casting resin for my first attempt because it set in under 10 minutes. While it worked in terms of speed, the colours didn’t come through as I had hoped. This resin turns white as it sets, which distorts the colours and affects the overall look.
Adding Mica Powder to resin
For my second attempt, I brushed a layer of mica powder into the surface of the mould before adding the polyurethane resin.
While this improved the result, it still wasn’t quite the look I was aiming for.
Slow Dry Epoxy Resin
I decided to try a different approach and picked up a clear resin kit from Kmart for $12. I added some glitter and mica powder, and the result was much closer to what I had envisioned. However, the downside was that the resin took 24 hours to fully cure.
I began by marking where I wanted the bead with the dragonfly to sit, making sure to leave enough space above for the other beads to fit in. It’s important to measure carefully, as failing to do so could create a gap between the beads and ruin the overall look. My initial plan was for the resin to attach to the textured bead, allowing me to simply slide it onto the threaded rod. However, this didn’t go as expected. The resin also adhered to the threaded rod, which made the bead more secure, but it also prevented me from being able to move the dragonfly around.
Although this last attempt gave me the look I was aiming for, I did lose some of the definition of the dragonfly. To restore the details, I rubbed silver wax paste over the surface, which really brought the intricate design back to life.
Where you can use Beaded garden Stakes
Decorative beaded garden stakes are versatile and can add charm and personality to various areas around your home. Here are some great places to use them:
Flower Beds – Add a pop of color and sparkle among your flowers and plants.
Potted Plants – Insert them into indoor or outdoor planters for a stylish touch.
Herb Gardens – Use them to label herbs or simply decorate your kitchen garden.
Garden Borders – Line them along pathways or borders for a whimsical look.
Patios and Balconies – Place them in potted plants to enhance your outdoor seating areas.
Planters Indoors – Brighten up your indoor greenery with a decorative stake.
Succulent Arrangements – Add height and interest to a succulent display.
Window Boxes – Make your window gardens more unique and eye-catching.
Terrariums – Use small stakes to add detail to terrarium arrangements.
Special Occasions – Use them to decorate plants for weddings, birthdays, or seasonal holidays.
Do over designers’ blog hop
As I mentioned, this is the ‘Do It Over’ Designers Blog Hop, and there are some great projects to explore! Be sure to check out the links below for some inspiring ideas.
If you’re interested in any of the items used in this project, we’d appreciate it if you used our affiliate links. Clicking these links earns us a small commission at no extra cost to you, helping us create more inspiring and exciting projects to share. We’d also love to hear your thoughts—feel free to leave a comment or share this post!
