Dollar Store DIY Decor: Beaded Towel Ring.

 

Ah ha, another in a series of Dollar Store DIY Decor!  Today it's a beaded towel ring, or towel holder, or towel thingie...ya know, it holds a hand towel.  That thing.  Yeah.

Sometimes it's shocking how such simple materials can turn into something really kinda cool, hip, boho-ish, and spiffy, such as a ring of beads, a piece of leather, and a nub of dowel.

I admit, I did see something, some things, similar around the interwebs recently and thought holy heck, that's so easy to make, let's make one and share the how-to with the world.

Because.  Out of nowhere, I randomly decided to take the towel ring off the wall in Finn's bathtime bathroom.  It was one of those moments again where I saw my hand reach out and before I knew it....the cheap a** flimsy thing is off the wall.

It was where that patch is in the mirror reflection.  And yes, that is a new light fixture as the other was of course awful.

Ah me.

Well, so it was.  I didn't like it.  It was only a matter of time.  Surprised it took me years to do it.

We don't ever use hand towels when we're in here because, well, we're rarely in here.  It's pretty much Finn's bathtime bathroom and that calls for large towels for our very large boy.

But.  As I saw this beaded towel ring, I had to make it and this was the spot it was going to go.

I had painted this room with a water-resistant type porch paint.*  Yes, I know, it's not precisely meant for this scenario but have you seen the size of our big boy?  

When he's soppy wet and does his big post-bath shake-offs, the walls and floor and us are as wet as, well, let's just say it's like a fire hydrant blew its cap in there.  Finn is exactly why wet rooms exist.

Point being, this room is generally devoid of items except related to wet-everything bathtime.  Or acts as temporary storage for say, my shop vac.

As I tend to drive home though, every room, every space including closets or especially small closets, nooks, what-have-yous, they all deserve design love and attention.  It makes for cohesion, for a full design experience, little moments of design joy.  It's totes worth it.

So why not, why not put a little beaded towel ring in this otherwise desolate, untouched bathroom.  I should really dress up this whole space for Finn, truthfully.  He deserves it.

 

I'm designing in my head now....ok, wait, project at hand, project at hand.

Sooo, at the ol' dollar store, you can find a plethora of handy little things to make other things and last I was there, they had these metal rings with wood beads so I bought some.

Side note to self, I have too many "so I bought some" things laying around in need of use, stop.

Anyway, Dollar Store DIY Decor:  Beaded Towel Ring time.

Very easy.

What you need?

• one ring of wood beads*
• wood dowel such as 1 1/4" diameter or larger
• dowel screw*
• wall anchor*
• scrap piece of leather belt
• one dressy screw, like a pole barn screw*
• paint or sealer such as tung oil*

And that's it.  Simple.

If you can't find the pre-made ring of beads, no worries, just get some wood beads* in whatever diameter pleases you and some stiff wire.*  The lower the wire gauge number, the thicker the wire; just make sure it'll go through the bead holes.

Righty-o, let's go.

First, start by undoing the ring of beads with a pair of pliers* or whatever works and take a few of the beads off to make the ring smaller and more stable.  I decided size randomly, a total guestimation.

Pull the wire through the closed loop, pull tight, fold it over, pinch it tight, and trim the excess with a wire cutter.*

Now is a good time to seal up or stain or seal up the beads so they can dry.  Do as you please, my friends!  I myself went with tung oil to preserve the natural wood color and provide some watertightness.

Mmk, now to the dowel nub.  I had a scrap piece of 1 1/4" diameter and eyeballed on the wall for a depth of 1 1/2".  Trim and done.  Go deep enough to hold the hardware but not too deep it catches on people.  Safety first!

You're making a sort of knob exactly like the wood dowel hooks here, so swing by that post if you need extra guidance.  

Drill a small pilot hole on center on one end and twist the dowel screw in.  Or, wait, drill a pilot hole on the other side for the dressy screw then twist in the dowel screw.  I made the mistake of not doing the latter but no biggie if you're like me.

Ok, now onto the leather.  Fold a piece around the beaded ring and decide on a length, then trim.  It can be snug or roomier, up to you, but IMO, snugger is better.

With the leather folded in half, pilot drill a hole for your dressy screw.  Trust me, do this to avoid a struggle when assembling.

And ok, let's install this dollar store DIY decor beaded towel ring!

Head over to your about-to-be-fancy wall and if you can't find a stud, drill out a hole for your wall anchor and pound that sucker in.  Twist in your cute little prepped dowel nub.  Woot, this is cool, yeah?

Then lastly, fold the leather around the ring hiding the looped connection, place your dressy screw through your leather holes, then twist the dressy screw into your dowel nub.

Aaaannnd, voilá!  It's a beaded towel ring!  A shining moment for dollar store DIY decor!

Spiffy, right?!

Even spiffier, here's a little video of the process too!  

Aw, ain't it sweet?!  Finn is so lucky to have me as his mom! 

Yes, I have a mirror frame in the works too.

By the way, an update on our big boy as last I left off, we were devastated and at sea.  He's good.  We tried a chemo pill plan which, for a lot of reasons, wasn't good so we stopped that and are trying a different type.  Unfortunately neither will or can cure him; the goal is to stem the tide and give our sweet fluff nugget more time.  

Needless to say, it's been crushingly stressful and crushingly distressing around here.  He's his normal, weirdo self which is outstanding.  You'd honestly never know the evil lurking within his tummy area.  Sigh.  Poor guy.  I love him so, my sweet shadow.

Thank you for your kind emails, they mean so much.  Keep you posted and I'll see you back here shortly.

*The ring of wood beads is a Dollar Tree affiliate link.  The wood beads and wire cutters are Amazon affiliate links.  The wire link is a Michaels affiliate link.  The porch paint, dowel screws, pole barn screws, and pliers are Home Depot affiliate links.  The wall anchors and tung oil are Lowes affiliate links.  Mwah, thanks!  Please see the "boring stuff" tab for more info.