Golden Lights Christmas Tree Bead Embroidery Kit by Abris Art AB-787

Bead a jewel-box Christmas tree with Golden Lights, a bead embroidery kit by Abris Art. The tree is built from beaded mandalas and snowflake medallions in emerald, rose, turquoise and gold, dotted with slim striped candles and crowned by a golden star. "MERRY CHRISTMAS" is spelled out in pearly white beads across a deep charcoal canvas. You'll work 35 colours of Preciosa Czech glass beads, plus microbeads and faceted red and amber rhinestones that catch the light like real tree lights.

A little stitcher's folklore: needleworkers have long said that a Christmas tree stitched before the holidays brings a full table and a house full of family in the year ahead. The candles you bead are said to be lights that guide good fortune home. Tradition also says to set the last bead before New Year's Eve, so nothing unfinished follows you into January — and with the season still ahead, there's time.

Why this kit: if you love beading but find big solid-fill pictures slow going, this one keeps every evening interesting. Each ornament is its own little medallion, so you finish something beautiful at every sitting and watch the tree fill in piece by piece. The gold beads and rhinestones give it real sparkle, and the dark background makes every jewel tone glow. It suits experienced beaders and patient beginners alike. When it's done, it's Christmas wall art you'll bring out every December, not a decoration you replace next year.

Kit includes: art canvas with printed colour chart, 6,821 Preciosa Czech beads plus microbeads and decorative rhinestones, a bead needle, and step-by-step instructions. Threads, frame and hoop are not included.

Each bead is sewn onto its colour-marked spot on the printed canvas. Start with the flat medallions, then add the candles, star and lettering, and finish with the rhinestones.

Finished size: 28×38 cm (11×15 in). Frame it for the mantel, the entryway or a reading corner as heirloom Christmas decor. Or give the kit to the beader in your life — it's the kind of handmade Christmas present that gets hung up year after year.