Tracy's decluttering and decorating her tree at the same time!
Okay, who doesn’t have a bazillion mardi gras bead necklaces strewn around the house when the kids are young?!?! We cut several strands (to make strings of beads instead of necklaces), hot glued them end-to-end and presto, instant Christmas tree garland!
If you don't have enough beads to make a workable garland, you can still use them to add glitter and color to your Christmas tree: cut the necklaces into smaller pieces and attach them to the tree with ornament hangers.
Or glue them in spirals inside small plastic caps (think tops of Pringles cans or yogurt containers) for toddler-friendly Christmas decorations.
Any other ideas for repurposing those mardi gras beads?
More: Christmas hacks
My mom brought back a bag of those necklaces from New Orleans for my daughter and I spent more time untangling them than she did wearing them. So I looped two together and then hung one end from a small dowel rod and repeated until dowel rod was full. Then, I put two small hooks in the upper window frame corners, put the dowel rod in them and (voila!)…instant “bead curtain” ala 1960’s