2 Ways to Hang a Starfish Ornament

| |

I love these gorgeous embellished starfish ornaments! Includes pics and instructions on 2 ways to hang a starfish.

My Christmas decorating theme this year is a Coastal Christmas. As I was planning this theme one of the things I envisioned was a Christmas tree decorated with seashells. Of course, that would include a Starfish Ornament!

Starfish are beautiful on their own, and they don’t need much in the way of embellishment. The bigger problem I ran into was how to hang a starfish ornament on the tree. After researching options and trying several techniques, I found 2 ways to hang a starfish ornament that not only worked great, but had an elegant look that I was going for.

2 Ways To Hang A Starfish Ornament

Method #1: Bead Caps

The starfish I used have several different names: White Starfish, Spiny Starfish, Finger Starfish or Pencil Starfish. They have long, slender fingers and are very durable which makes them perfect for craft projects.

To make these Starfish Ornaments you’ll need: 

NOTE: Before you go out and buy jewelry making tools, check to see if you already have pliers that will do the same job. If you’re considering purchasing jewelry making tools, look for a set containing all the pliers listed above. You can get a great starter set for around $20.

Directions

  1. Rotate the starfish and decide which finger you want to be the top. Select a bead cap that closely fits the size of that finger. Do a dry fit, but do not attach it yet. The bead caps are bendable, so press and squeeze it to fit the starfish finger. It doesn’t have to fit perfectly.
  2. Remove the bead cap and insert a head pin as shown above.
  3. Here’s where those jewelry making tools come into play. You’ll need round nose pliers, chain nose pliers, and a side cutter. Since I’m not a professional jewelry maker, I’m going to refer you to this video: The Top Four Jewelry Making Techniques. Start watching the video at 4:40. She gives detailed, easy to follow directions on how to make a coil top dangle. (If I can do this, you can, too!)
  4. Your finished bead cap should look like this.
  5. Hold the bead cap with pliers and turn it upside down. Squirt a good amount of hot glue in there. Make sure hot glue covers each side of the inside of the bead cap. Still holding it with pliers, press it onto the end of your starfish. Hold it in place for about 30 seconds so the glue starts to set. You want some of the glue to press through the holes in the bead cap. This will ensure it holds securely when it dries.

Now it’s time to embellish your starfish. Even though these rhinestones come with adhesive, I added a dot of hot glue to them just to be sure they stayed on my starfish. The bent chain nose pliers worked great for holding the rhinestones and placing them onto the starfish.

Hold the rhinestone in place for 10-15 seconds, then let go. If you get some “hot glue strings” when you pull the pliers away, wait for it to dry then break them off. If you pull them while they are still hot you’ll be pulling and pulling and pulling.

I love these gorgeous embellished starfish ornaments! Includes pics and instructions on 2 ways to hang a starfish.

Here is the finished Starfish Ornament! Isn’t it beautiful?
I have one more for you. This next one is super simple.

Method #2: Wrapped Wire

To make wrapped starfish ornaments you’ll need: 

  • Spiny Starfish in different sizes (I used smaller ones for this technique)
  • A pencil about the same diameter of the starfish fingers
  • Jewelry Making Wire 22 Gauge

Directions

  1. Select a pencil with a diameter similar to the fingers of the starfish you’ll be working with.
  2. Wrap wire around the pencil 8-10 times.
  3. Slide the wire off of the pencil.
  4. Slide the wire onto the finger of the starfish that you want it to hang by. You may need to loosen the coils a little to get the wire onto the starfish.
  5. Position the end of the wire so it is on the back of the starfish.
  6. Place your thumb on the end of the wire to hold it in place while you tighten the coils to snuggly fit the shape of your starfish finger.

Bend the end of the wire into a hook shape. Finish off the end using round nose pliers to make a tiny loop.

I love these gorgeous embellished starfish ornaments! Includes pics and instructions on 2 ways to hang a starfish.

And here it is hanging on my Christmas tree!
I decided not to embellish these smaller starfish. Simple and beautiful!

There you have it! Two simple and elegant ways to hang a starfish ornament.
If you have questions, please leave a comment below and I’ll do my best to respond.

Pin these Starfish Ornaments for later!

I love these gorgeous embellished starfish ornaments! Includes pics and instructions on 2 ways to hang a starfish.

You might also like:

20 holiday date ideas you can really do. I like this list!
20 Holiday
Date Ideas
Hot Chocolate Bar
with Printable Labels
Mini Eggnog
Cheesecakes

3 Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.