If you've ever looked at a plain ballpoint pen and thought it deserved better — this is the video for you. I show three different ways to turn regular, everyday pens into beaded, wrapped, and blingy statement pieces, the kind that look beautiful tucked into a handmade journal or sitting on your desk, and the kind that make genuinely lovely little gifts. No special pens required, no kits to buy — just the beads, ribbon, thread, and glue you likely already have in your stash.
What we cover
Three approaches to fancying up regular pens: threading beads directly onto the ink cartridge for a full beaded look, wrapping ribbon and thread around the pen barrel for a smooth boho finish, and gluing rhinestone bling mesh onto the outside of a pen left in its casing. Along the way I work through the practical challenges each method brings — because there are a few — so you're not figuring them out the hard way.
What you'll learn
How to prep a regular pen for beading — including how to remove the ink cartridge, why to keep the empty casing (I have a whole separate video on uses for those), and how to assess your cartridge type before you start threading anything.
How to select beads that will actually fit, including:
- Identifying the difference between cartridges with a built-in stopper at the tip and those without
- Testing bead opening sizes against your specific cartridge
- Why gel pens are generally more trouble than they're worth for this project (the cartridges are much thicker)
How to use a head pin to finish and secure the top of a beaded pen, including:
- Why you need to trim the head pin down before inserting it into the cartridge (if it swims in ink, you'll know why the hard way)
- How bending the pin slightly before inserting it creates resistance and holds everything in place without relying on glue alone
- The difference between flat-end head pins and eye-head pins, and how to use the eye version to hang a small charm or earring from the top
How to secure beads so they don't slide around, including:
- Gluing between each bead with E6000 or a plastic-bonding glue for a fixed result
- Using hot glue at the top section only, and letting the beads shift naturally below
- Leaving beads entirely unglued — and when that's actually fine
How to create a bead stopper on cartridges that don't have one, using a small wrap of double-sided tape around the tip as a base layer before threading.
How to wrap ribbon and thread around a pen barrel, including:
- Applying double-sided tape first so the ribbon has something to grip
- Threading a needle, hiding the starting knot on the inside of the wrap, and finishing with a series of small anchoring knots rather than relying on glue alone
- Using thread over ribbon when the ribbon is difficult to glue flat — the thread both secures it and adds its own detail
How to make a fully blingy pen using rhinestone mesh, including:
- Working with bling that comes on a set strip rather than individual stones
- Applying super glue in sections and pressing the strip down quickly before it sets
- Using smaller pieces of bling to fill gaps at the top and bottom where the main strip doesn't reach
Why the ink flow question matters — and when it actually doesn't — sealing the very top of the cartridge completely with glue can stop the pen from writing properly. I was worried about this too, and did a lot of testing. The short version: as long as you're not filling the cartridge with glue and sealing it airtight, a head pin bent slightly and seated in the opening leaves enough airflow that the pen writes fine.
Tips & gotchas
Don't force a bead down over the ink tip. The tip cap can pop off and ink goes everywhere — I know this from experience, not theory. If a bead won't slide down easily, it's the wrong bead for that cartridge.
Trim your head pin before it goes in. A full-length pin swimming around in the ink reservoir is a mess waiting to happen, especially if you ever need to pull it back out to adjust something. Check the depth, mark it, trim it.
Bend the pin slightly before inserting. Even without glue, that small curve creates enough resistance against the cartridge walls that the whole bead assembly stays put. It's not a substitute for glue on the beads themselves, but it meaningfully helps the top section.
Don't completely seal the top of the cartridge. A small amount of airflow is what draws the ink down as you write. Filling the opening solidly with glue is the one thing that will genuinely stop a pen from working.
If you're gluing plastic beads to a plastic cartridge, check the label on your glue and make sure it specifically says it bonds plastic. Not all craft glues do, and it makes a difference in how well everything holds. E6000 is ideal; a plastic-rated super glue also works well.
Super glue is genuinely very efficient for the blingy pens — it grabs fast and holds well on smooth surfaces. But it grabs fingers just as efficiently. Work with gloves on, and work in small sections because it dries before you expect it to.
Hot glue with a glitter or gold-coloured stick adds a small visual bonus when it seeps slightly between beads or around the top — it reads as decorative rather than messy. Clear hot glue doesn't have that same forgiveness and dries a little opaque, so if you have the option, a coloured glue that matches your beads is worth using.
These pair beautifully with handmade and junk journals, but honestly they make any desk or notebook feel a bit more considered. And because you're working with whatever's already in your stash — odd beads, scraps of ribbon, a strip of bling you've been saving — each one ends up looking genuinely one of a kind.
