What do you do with your beads after Mardi Gras?

Question

I give mine away because I don't like them.

Answer 1

give them to krispee kreme and get a free half a dozen!

Answer 2

It's been a while since I got any, but most recently I gave them to the kids in the family, particularly the ones from out of town. Even kids who have never heard of Mardi Gras are impressed with a half-Schwegmann's bag of beads.

When I was a kid we'd use them and the doubloons as treasure - whether the play context was pirates, Raiders, or D&D. We'd also use them when we made shoe box floats. (Now that's something the out-of-town kids just do not understand.)

If the beads are round and the right size, type (molded onto the string), & spacing, you can make little doggies out of them. Twist off a string of four beads, and three pairs, then pop the pairs onto the four-string between the beads. Adjust the positions with a little twisting & turning and you've got a cute lil puppy dog. If you have one of those strings with a plastic tubular "clasp" you can use one of the stemmed end beads as the end of the four-string to make a tail.

The ones that come loose off the string can be put in the bottoms of cupcake cups and melted in the oven into paper weights.

Answer 3

Depends on how cool they are. Mostly they end up in a giant Rubbermaid tote in my basement. Then when someone we know says, "Hey, we're having a Mardi Gras themed party. Do you have any beads we could use?" We can say, "We sure do!" Some are in a curio with other Mardi Gras items (photos, masks, throws).

Answer 4

Salvation Army and Amvets will accept donated beads. They sell them to krewe members for next year. You can also put up an ad on craigslist New Orleans to sell them. There are always people who buy beads all year long to prepare for the next Mardi Gras.

Answer 5

You can keep the ones you really like. And the others you can save for next year if you are in a parade. Some people use them to make a Mardi Gras wreath...

Answer 6

Let's see... The easiest thing to do is make beaded curtains, if you're into that. I've had a few friends make a skirt and/or a top out of it. That's a bit more complicated, but easier to do when the strand is already broken. Some just glue the beads on to the fabric. Others use twine, fishing line, or string to tie necklaces together to make the skirt.

Answer 7

I just moved from New Orleans a year and a half ago after having been there my whole life. I brought my beads up to Pennsylvania when I moved, and I give them away to people here. I keep my and my wife's favorites, but the others are given away to people I work with.

Answer 8

1. Keep the best ones for yourself.
2. Donate them. There are some orgainzations that will accept your used beads.
3. Sell them. Pack the good ones by twelve, wrap a piece of paper or tape around them to keep the twelve intact. Find somebody who annually rides in parades (the people that ride in truck parades are the best for this) and try to unload your beads on them.

Answer 9

WE COLLECT THEM AND PACKAGE THEM UP AND SAVE THEM FOR NEXT MARDI GRAS BECAUSE WE RIDE IN ALLA E VERY YEAR SO MORE WE SAVE LESS WE HAVE TO BUY ON BEADS WE CAN USE THAT MONEY ON STUFFED ANIMALS OR SOMTHING.........

Answer 10

Hang them along with the fuzzy dice from the rear view mirror.

Answer 11

Do something good! Please donate them to Beads for Books or Beads for Hope, or some other worthwhile cause that you may see fit.