Water, Sand and Beads

• Simply adding a natural element to the selected bowl can create a great deal of interest and tie the idea together. Choose a clear glass bowl or a clear bowl of a light color for this project. To create a winter scene, fill the bowl with water and pile blue, white and silver beads at the bottom of the bowl creating mounds. The mounds on the bottom should create a whimsical snow-like winter scene. For additional detail, add a few glass ornaments or paint snow flakes on the sides of the glass bowl. For an illuminating touch, add some white or blue floating candles on the surface of the water.
  
  Along the same lines, a similar look for every season can be created. For autumn, use foliage colors such as oranges, reds, yellows and browns in selecting the beads. Add water to complete the decoration. If desired, selectively place some plastic foliage-colored leaves into the bowl mixed in with the beads.
  
  For spring and summer, use brightly colored and pastel beads. Instead of foliage leaves, use plastic green leaves and plastic flowers and flower petals. Fill with water and use as a centerpiece or accent piece. If desired, add brightly colored floating candles.
  
  In lieu of water, fill a bowl one half to one third full with sand. Carefully place beads, ideally colored green, blue, brown or gold, into the sand. Add a couple of tall candles and a few seashells to complete the beach look.
  
  

Holiday Theme

• To utilize the extra ornaments you no longer have a place for on the tree, place them in a glass bowl along with holiday colored beads. Fill to the top, intermixing the beads and ornaments.
  
  Instead of using ornaments, fill the base of a glass bowl with holiday colored beads. Insert one large or several small holiday colored candles into the beads. If desired, add some decorative strokes of paint to the outside of the glass keeping with the holiday color scheme.