These were so much fun to make and all six took under an hour. I love the idea of the markers so much that I'm going to make up some for my Sister. Every time we gather for a holiday we hear those famous words, "Is this your glass or mine?" I'm thinking red & black for her. Deb, I hope you don't see this post. It'll ruin my surprise!
First I chose my beads, wiring and supplies. See how they match my dishes? I used the 20 guage wire. It seemed stiff yet flexible. As you can see, you don't really need to invest in a lot of tools. However, I do highly recommend picking up some round nose pliers. If you plan on using wire for beading, you will use them a lot! Also note that the bigger the beads, the more difficult it will be to wrap around the glass. Mine were just a little bigger than seed beeds.
Next cut a piece of wiring about 8 or 9 inches. At about an inch from one of the ends of wire, wrap it around one of the sides of the round nose pliers using another set of pliers or your hands (whichever you find easier). Snip the excess wire off. This will hold your first bead in place. Try not to make it too big or it will be too obvious.
Now, start beading. I have shorter wine glasses so I beaded about 4 inches up the wire. If you have longer stems you might want to go another inch or so. When you get to the end, wrap the wire around your round nose pliers and snip off. I found that if you make them too snug, the wire will be more difficult to wrap around the stem so leave tiny bit of give, perhaps a beads worth. Enjoy!
