Beaded Cocktail Pick Tutorial ~ these pretty and festive cocktail picks are so easy to put together, you’ll want to make a bunch of them to get you through a year of elegant entertaining!
I’m a closet crafter and I get that irrepressible urge to try to make myself what I can’t find, or can’t afford!
These little bejeweled picks would cost a fortune at a store like Pottery Barn, so let’s get after it and do it ourselves 🙂
I used my party picks for my Drunken Cranberry Meatballs and they were a big hit with guests.
I had a lot of fun making them, and I even made a couple of extra sets to give as host and hostess gifts. You can make these with any random assortment of beads you have around the house, or pick up some at a craft store. I actually went a little glam and used semi precious beads I had leftover from a jewelry making phase I went through a while back. But gaudy plastic beads will work just as well for this. They give a dressed up look to your appetizer platter.
I used these picks the other day with with bite sized mini cheese balls. Roll out tiny scoops of goat cheese and then coat with crushed walnuts or pistachios.
These be-jeweled picks add a special touch, even if you’re just serving cubes of cheddar.
This idea is so easy you don’t really need a tutorial, but here goes:
What you’ll need to make cocktail picks:
- toothpicks
- assorted beads
- glue, you can use household glue, or a stronger superglue type. The stronger the glue the more sturdy your picks will be so I recommend superglue. But if you are working with children, plain old white glue will be fine.
- a container of grains like rice or quinoa for supporting the drying picks
How to make beaded cocktail picks:
- Dip the tip of a toothpick into the glue.
- Add a bead to the end. Glue a smaller bead on top of the base bead.
- Stand the toothpick upright in a container of rice or grain so it will remain vertical while it dries.
I’ve seen picks like this sell for lots of money in fancy little cheese and wine stores, and they’re not nearly as pretty as these. Hope you have fun!
23 Comments
Donna
January 2, 2019 at 2:58 pmI just read the post about these being for one use. Could the tips be washed and used again? Seems a shame to pitch them after only one use.
Sue
January 2, 2019 at 3:35 pmI do wash them and re-use, Donna. And I think another reader mentioned you can get washable/reusable bamboo toothpicks, which would be ideal.
Donna
January 2, 2019 at 2:53 pmI made some of these today as a “trial run”. I want to make some to take to a get together at a friend’s house later in the month. I had so much fun making them! I want to go back to the craft store to get more beads right away and make even more! They are easy, and make a nice hostess gift.
Thanks for the instructions!
Sue
January 2, 2019 at 3:36 pmI’m thrilled Donna, I want to do more crafty posts 😉
Christine
December 30, 2018 at 10:54 amThese are beautiful and a great idea! Just curious how you packaged them to give as gifts.
Thank you!
Laura (Tutti Dolci)
December 11, 2014 at 11:12 amSo pretty, the perfect holiday touch!
[email protected]+Floating+Kitchen
December 10, 2014 at 2:54 pmThis is such a cool idea! I can see dressing up some plastic cocktail stirrers too! Love it! Thanks for sharing.
[email protected]+Riffs
December 10, 2014 at 9:52 amWhat a fun tutorial! These cocktail picks are wonderful — so pretty! And so, so useful. Good stuff — thanks.
Kitchen+Belleicious
December 9, 2014 at 7:38 pmyou are soo cool! I mean really, honestly you are so cool- I love that you thought to do this. I mean it is creative and fun and beautiful
Abbe @ This is How I Cook
December 8, 2014 at 8:42 pmI love this idea! And what I love even better is that I have a ton of beads. Now I just have to do it!
Sue
December 9, 2014 at 6:49 amFantastic — you’re going to have such fun!
[email protected]+The+Café+Sucré+Farine
December 8, 2014 at 7:59 pmThese are adorable and you’re right, they’re horribly expensive in the gourmet shops. Wonderful idea!
Amy
December 8, 2014 at 6:59 pmLove these! I could do this. I don’t have a lot of patience for most craft projects but this looks fun and makes them look so festive. I wondered about the toothpicks in the meatball recipe! Very nice!
Sue
December 8, 2014 at 8:21 pmThis is a low patience project, Amy, promise!
Tricia @ Saving room for dessert
December 8, 2014 at 6:06 pmBravo Sue! Another fantastic post – these are beautiful, so creative and easy – even I could do this! Haha – lovely gift idea too. Thanks 🙂
cheri
December 8, 2014 at 12:11 pmSo clever Sue, perfect for entertaining!
[email protected]+Diethood
December 8, 2014 at 8:51 amThese are SO awesome!! Beautiful idea!
Sue
December 8, 2014 at 8:55 amThanks Kate, I love little projects like this, especially during the holidays!
Monique
December 8, 2014 at 5:26 amVery cute Sue.
mimi
December 8, 2014 at 5:17 amThese look like a lot of fun to make and to use! Probably a silly question,,, but these are a one time only usage, right? I’m trying to decide how I feel about tossing out used ones that have such lovely beads. So it seems like I should only make these with beads I don’t mind throwing away afterward. Is that right?
BTW – made the graham cracker gingerbread houses over the weekend with a 7 year old friend – lots of fun & great outcome! Thank you for that!
Sue
December 8, 2014 at 7:28 amHi Mimi — here’s the deal, they are pretty much one use, so I use beads I don’t care about, but, having said that, I have recycled them myself and it’s fine.
Thanks for the report on the houses!
Dana
December 30, 2018 at 12:18 pmReading this four years later and admiring these picks, you can buy bamboo toothpicks now which are practically unbreakable, plus bamboo is washable. Just don’t use water soluble glue or the beads will probably come off. I’m gearing up to make some of these right now!
Sue, I just adore your blog in every way imaginable! Unbelievable recipes, drop dead gorgeous photography, articulate and entertaining chit chat; it’s the first email I open. It’s like getting getting a letter from an old friend.
Sue
December 30, 2018 at 1:32 pmI want to frame this comment and hang it over my desk for those ‘down’ days Dana 🙂