Plastic Bead Numbers
Difficulty: Average
Parental supervision is recommended

Catch the autumn sun with these plastic bead numbers. This craft is great for proud Girl Scouts who are looking for a colorful way to display their troop numbers in their rooms.
What you'll need:
- Pattern (see below)
- Drinking straw
- Clear plastic lanyard (Rexlace)
- Scissors
- Green transparent beads (7mm) (See Note)
- Clear transparent beads (7mm) (See Note)
- Tacky glue
- Suction cup (with a hook or with a slit)
How to make it:
See pattern layout. Choose the numbers from the pattern for your troop number and count the number of clear beads. You need enough green to go around the numbers and to put 1 row of green between each number.
- Cut strips of clear Rexlace, one for every row in the pattern, that are 10 inches long.
- Fold each strip of clear Rexlace in half so that they curve towards each other. (Rexlace has a natural curl in it.)
- Fold each strip around the straw and string the beads over both layers of clear Rexlace in the order the beads go on the pattern. Do one column at a time.
- After each column is finished, tie a knot at the end.
- Put a drop of tacky glue in each knot to help it stay.
- Let all of the knots dry and then cut off the extra clear Rexlace at the ends.
- Trim the straw so that it is a little longer than the suncatcher on both ends.
- Run a piece of Rexlace through the straw and make a loop to hang the suncatcher from. Tie a knot at the end and put a drop of glue in the knot.
- Hang it from the suction cup and enjoy!

