How To Decorate A Badge Reel
If you are wondering how to decorate badge reels, this quick tutorial will show you just how easy it is!
Because once you start buying silicone beads, it seems like everything can benefit from a little bit of beaded decoration.
I’ve already made a bunch of silicone bead keychain wrislets as well as some beadable bar keychains.
So, a badge reel seemed like the next logical DIY project.
What Do I Need To Decorate A Badge Reel?
Badge reel designs are often similar to a basic lanyard design. Many center around a themed focal bead accompanied by complementary solid color or patterned beads.
These themes usually include:
- professions (e.g., teachers, nurses, doctors, etc.)
- events and holidays (e.g., July 4th, Halloween, Christmas, etc.)
- sports & competitive teams (e.g., soccer, baseball, football, cheer, dance, etc.)
I don’t always use a focal bead if I’m making something school spirit-oriented or something inspired by a person’s favorite sports team. For those kinds of designs, I use solid colors and patterned beads.
Making a badge reel is a great beginner design project, but if you want to do this project with children, a teenager familiar with jewlery making or an adult will need to help with some of the construction.
Materials Needed To Decorate A Badge Reel
You need the following materials to decorate a badge reel:
- One badge reel
- One focal silicone bead (if you are making one with a specific theme)
- Handful of solid color or patterned silicone beads in various sizes
Tools Needed To Decorate A Badge Reel
- Blue painter’s tape or masking tape
- Pliers (these can be jewelry pliers or simply pulled from the toolbox in the garage)
- Small scissors
- Lighter
- Small needle or weeding hook (optional)
Recommended Products
As an Amazon affiliate, I may receive a small commission if you buy a product using any one of the links below.
- Retractable badge reels
- Focal beads (this is a link to a list of focal bead options)
- 15 mm solid color silicone beads
- 14 mm solid color silicone beads
- 12 mm solid color silicone beads
- Jewelry pliers
Video Tutorial: DIY Decorated Badge Reel
I imagine that after watching the video a couple of times, you should be able to make these easily.
Plus, I shared some of my lessons learned below the video in the hopes that I spare you some of the initial frustration I experienced in my first couple of attempts.
What You Can Learn From My Mistakes
- Don’t rush any of the steps.
- When you are extending the badge reel cord to tape in place, pull out just a little bit more then you think you need.
- Take your time securing the cord.
- Make sure to use a big piece of tape so the cord is very well secured.
- After cutting the cord, make sure the original knot (inside the little black piece) falls out. If you don’t see it, use your weeding tool or needle to poke through the hole and push out the little piece of cord still there.
- When reattaching the badge snap, place the reel on a table so that you don’t have to tighten the metal attachment while it’s hanging loose. Working with it on the table gives you a stable surface and will allow you to use both hands easily.
Decorate and Donate
The thing about silicone bead crafts is that, per piece, items like lanyards and badge reels are very inexpensive.
After all, you buy a large spool of cord or a whole bag of badge reels, but rarely use it all up immediately (or even months later).
So regardless of the time of year, if you’re making any of these silicone bead crafts as gifts, why not make an extra handful more to donate to a local school or community organization?
This small gesture will make someone’s day!
