By Amanda Murphy, Advocacy/Development Assistant

With Mardi Gras fast approaching and Mardi Gras bead storage space in short supply, I turned to my 20-pound bag of last year’s beads and asked myself, “do I need these?” The answer (to the disappointment of my overflowing closet) was a heartfelt “yes!” Like a magpie, a pirate, or a dragon, I am hopelessly drawn to the shiny golden Mardi Gras beads. But from a practical standpoint I realize that my treasure trove really does little except take up space.

Poking around online, I found directions to turn my collection of Mardi Gras beads into a cool chandelier. You can find the directions at Dollar Store Crafts. I made a few modifications to include a hanging light so that my chandelier also serves a practical purpose as a light fixture. The project cost me approximately $17 for the wire basket, wire, and light kit and about 8 hours stringing beads. Well worth it to turn my Mardi Gras memories into a practical reuse project!