Welcome to the 785th Metamorphosis Monday! Happy New Week! I have a fun spring craft for you this week! I don’t know why but I always get a bit apprehensive when I try to make something I’ve never made before. I think that’s the perfectionist in me coming out. Argggh!
I’ve been working on an idea for a spring table setting, and for the centerpiece, I’d like to use a decorative bee skep. The prices of decorative bee skeps, especially larger ones, are pretty expensive online, so I decided to try making one from scratch. I saw a similar craft online a few years back and I remembered that the crafter started with a larger plastic Easter egg. Not wanting to drive from store to store in Atlanta traffic looking for a big egg, I found one online and ordered it. (All supplies for this bee skep project are linked at the end of the post.) For this project, only the top half of the large egg was needed. I also made a quick trip to the Home Depot near my home for a bit of rope.
To make this bee skep, you’ll need a large egg, some natural fiber rope, a very small amount of black craft paint, a small paintbrush, and a glue gun. I’ll link to the supplies needed for this project at the very end of this post in case you would be interested in crafting your own bee skep.
To begin, I started by gluing a ring of rope around the bottom of my egg to create a nice base. You don’t have to attach the rope to the egg, but I did use a tiny drop of glue to secure it so the rope would stay in place as I worked.
From that point forward, I went around and around the egg, gluing the rope to itself as I went. Note: I tried to just put the hot glue on the rope below and not on the egg itself, but I guess I managed to get a little glue on the egg as I went because once I was done, I wasn’t able to easily pull the egg out of the skep. I’m sure if I worked at it, I could probably remove it, but I don’t mind it being inside since it offers extra support and gives the skep some heft.
Making progress…
Instead of following the exact shape of the egg as I reached the top, I found myself slowly building on the existing rope, moving inward as I went. I liked the shape I saw appearing so I just kept going, tapering in gradually as I glued layer upon layer. I liked the idea of the skep being a bit taller, so I was okay with how this was working. If you make this project, you could follow the exact shape of your egg, if you wish.
As I reached the top, this is how my skep was looking. I was shocked to see that I had used up almost all of the rope! Fortunately, I had purchased two packages since I wasn’t sure how much rope I would need. It worked out just right in the end and I didn’t have to open the second package of rope.
I’ve seen some skeps online that have a hanging loop at the top. I have no plans to hang my skep so I cut the rope leaving a piece large enough to fill the small hole at the top. I tucked that last bit of rope down inside the top to finish off my skep.
This was the amount of rope left once the skep was done.
My bee skep needed an opening for the bees to go in and out 😉 so I painted one using black craft paint.
I started out painting a small hole and just kept adding more paint, widening the opening until it was the size I wanted. You could sketch your circle onto the skep if you prefer, but I just decided to free-hand it.
I cut a piece of the leftover rope to the size needed to go around the opening, then hot glued the ends together to complete a circle. Then I hot-glued the rope circle around the painted opening on the bee skep.
Here’s how the skep looks, as of this morning. I still have a few more embellishments planned before it’s ready as a centerpiece for a future table setting.
I found the cutest, most adorable fuzzy bees online! 🐝 I can’t wait to add more of those to the exterior.
These are the few supplies you’ll need to make this decorative bee skep, along with links to each item.
Large Egg
Everbilt Natural Rope, 3/8 in x 50 feet
DeWalt Glue Gun
Black craft paint
Fuzzy Bees
Update: Here’s how it looks with a few more embellishments. 🐝 🦋 🐝 (Excuse the glare from my bright garage lighting. )
Looking forward to all the wonderful Before and Afters linked for this week’s Met Monday! Pssst: Did you know Between Naps On The Porch is on Instagram? You’ll find me on Instagram here: Between Naps On The Porch. Like to know when a new blog post is up? Subscribe for email updates (it’s free) and your e-mail will never be shared. Subscribe for free post updates here: Subscribe.
Metamorphosis Monday: Metamorphosis Monday is a party that’s all about Before and Afters. Please link up your Before and After projects like DIY projects, room makeovers, craft projects even recipes. Please do not link up Table Settings, save those for our Tablescape Thursday party on Thursday. If you are participating in Met Monday, you’ll need to link your post to the party using the “permalink” to your MM post and not your general blog address. To get your permalink, click on the name of your post, then copy and paste the address that shows in the address bar at the top of your blog, into the “url” box for InLinkz when prompted.
This party has ended, click button below for the links to all who participated.
Your Bee Skep turned out amazing!!! Thanks so much for having us over!
Thanks so much, Debra! Hope you have an amazing week!
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Your bee skep is adorable Susan, and great tutorial, Thank you!
Thanks, Jenna!
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Super cute craft Susan! I see you cut the rope at an angle to glue the ends together for the opening – good idea!
Thanks, Leslie! It was a fun project! I added a few more embellishments and added another photo to the post. Hopefully, I didn’t over do it. lol
Susan, your bee skep came out perfect! I’ve been wanting one myself, but I agree the prices on line are not what I’ve wanted to pay. Thanks for a great tutorial! Will try this!!
Thanks, Sheryl! I know, I’m always so surprised by how expensive they are online. Looking forward to spring!
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That’s really cute. Love the bees. After looking at it, if you cant find an egg, it looks like the shape of those air freshners. I am trying to stay out of Dollar Tree, but in the past they had large eggs.
Thanks! You know, I haven’t been shopping in Dollar Tree in ages…I need to make a trip there and see what they have in stock. Thanks for that reminder, Myrna!
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Thank you for the easy to understand tutorial and supply list. Your bee skep is sooo cute. I know it will look adorable in a spring tablescape.
Thanks so much, Gail! It was fun to get back into crafting again for this project.
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Susan,
Love this sweet bee hive!! Thanks for sharing!!!
Thanks again for hosting this wonderful party! I know how much time goes into doing so and I want you to know that I truly appreciate it!! I hope you will have a great week! Thanks for all the inspiration!!!
Hugs,
Deb
Debbie-Dabble Blog
Thanks so much, Deb! Have a wonderful week and stay warm and dry. It’s been pouring all day here today…watering all the soon to be spring flowers.
Oh that is so cute Susan! I love the fuzzy little bees too! I can’t wait to see this on your table. Thanks for the great tutorial, and thanks for hosting, as always! Hope you have a wonderful week!
Thanks so much, Barbara! Hope your week is awesome!
Hi there Susan. Hope you’re having a great Monday so far. Thanks for hosting.
Thanks, have a great week, Esme!
Well to start, I didn’t know a bee hive was called a bee skep!! Thank you for that bit of information. And what you created is DARLING! I can’t wait to see your tablescape! It will “bee” so fun!
Thanks so much, Toni! I didn’t know that word either until just a few years back. Such a funny name! I need to look it up and learn more about its origin. Ha! Yes, it will fun to create!
Oh my goodness, that’s adorable! I love everything about it. Particularly the fuzzy little bees. What a fun project (that I never would have thought of). Thank you, Susan.
Thanks so much, Pam! It was fun to make, minus the occasional hot-glue burn. Ha!
Susan, I really like your bee skep. Turned out really nice. I think you could probably make napkin rings to go with it, a little bee in your bonnet!
Thanks so much, Teresa! I recently found some bee napkin rings that surprised me when they arrived. They were so much cuter in person than they even looked online. So I have some really cute napkin rings, but they would be fun to make, incorporating in the little fuzzy that I found.
OMG!! I love your bee skep! It couldn’t be cuter. Bravo, Susan!!
Rosie @ the Magic Hutch
Thanks so much, Rosie! It was a lot of fun to make!
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That is the bees knees, Susan. Just adorable!
Thanks so much, Rita! Itching for spring now!
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Oh, this is so cute Susan and what a great job you have done! This looks fantastic and I can’t wait to see it on a table that you create. Such a great tutorial and I almost feel like I could make one myself. Almost. Thank you for the inspiration and for hosting. Hope you had a great Monday!!
Thanks so much, Kim! You could definitely make it, I promise. Just have to watch out for that hot glue. That stuff is painful when you get it on your fingers. Have a fabulous week!
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Adorable bee hive Susan, you did a great job with it. Yep, I see crafters all over making them and thought I should make a little one for my tiered tray, but haven’t yet. Love your sweet little bees too and of course I can’t resist gingham or buffalo checked ribbon! Hugs, Brenda
Thanks so much, Brenda! Yes, you should definitely make one for spring. 🙂
Susan I love this so much. I want to try and make my very own bee skep.
Thanks for the step by step tutorial.
Thanks so much, Jo Ann! You’re so welcome! Happy Valentine’s Day!
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Love, love this! I have a set of bee dishes I bought on amazon and this would be just perfect. Susan, how tall is your finished project? Was it hard to do the roping above the top of the egg?
That’s where I purchased my plates last year, so we may have the same ones. 🙂 I just measured it and it’s approximately 8-1/2 to 9 inches wide and 11 inches tall.
It gets a little trickier as you go up higher above the egg, so you just need to keep an eye out as you add additional layers so that you aren’t developing a dented-in spot. The nice thing is if you see that you need to go back and redo a spot, since the glue is still pretty fresh, it’s not that hard to pull it back up. I actually went an inch or so higher initially, but the skep was getting too pointed at the top and I didn’t like how that looked, so I pulled a row or two back off. Again, just keep an eye on how it looks alllllll the way around as you’re adding each layer and you’ll catch it if it starts to get off shape too far. By nature, I think bee skeps are never perfectly symmetrical, so a little wonkiness is probably fine. lol
A friend made one of these for me and put twinkle lights inside it.
That sounds so cute, Deb! I purchased some bee lights online a week or so ago but not sure how or if I’ll use those. I couldn’t resist though, they are so cute!