Beads of Courage

A Sturdy and Adaptable Bead

Suitable for Beads of Courage

by Eileen Robbins

I must have been dreaming about making beads one night, because when I opened my eyes in the morning, this elephant bead was front and center in my thoughts. After my morning “wake up and get the day started” routine, it was still on my mind. I headed out to my studio shed to to see if I could make one. Being pleased with the results, I made some more to add to my Beads of Courage donation bowl.

After making several elephants over the course of a few days, it dawned on me that by making a few changes on the details this basic bead would be suitable for a variety of 4-legged animals. So far, I have tried lions, bulls, and even a unicorn with butterfly wings (a special Dream Bead request – children’s imaginations are so creative!)

Here are some photos of the process and a written tutorial for anyone that might want to make some elephants and other animals.

I hope you find this tutorial useful, and have fun making some beads for the kids!

For a lion, make just a few changes:

• a change of glass colors
• make a twistie for his mane
• I made modifications to the head and face, to suit your idea of a lion
• added a bit of glass to the front legs for feet
• made a bolder tail with a bit of that mane twistie as a tuft on the end

And now you have a cute little lion!