After Mardi Gras, what do you do with all the beads? These KPRC 2 readers have some creative suggestions

beads (Pixabay)

Beads. They’re a mainstay of Mardi Gras festivities but what do you do with all of them once Mardi Gras ends? This is the questions we posed to our KPRC 2 readers. Here’s what they had to say:

Mardi Gras decor galore

Recommended Videos



“Put them on my Christmas tree for Mardi gras season,” wrote Johnny Trlicia.

Johnny Trlicia (KPRC 2)

" Incorporated into my mantel decor," wrote Melissa Reddy-Tremblay. “And a front door wreath.”

Melissa Reddy-Tremblay (KPRC 2)
Melissa Reddy-Tremblay (KPRC 2)

Kid’s love 'em, teachers use them

“As a teacher, I put them in my goodie prize box,” wrote Lisa Newbern

“My mom always gave hers out at Halloween with the candy,” wrote Shirley Avilez Grazier.

" I have three little granddaughters who play with them," wrote Pam Jackson Farmer. “They wear them. They even use a plastic colander I gave with a big soup spoon and pretend they are making soup and serve it to you. Those beads have given them hours of entertainment.”

“I bring them to local elementary school for the teachers to use however they want,” wrote Jeri Daniello.

When in doubt, make a lamp shade

“I made a lamp shade,” wrote Teri Anguiano-Ramirez.

Teri Anguiano-Ramirez (KPRC 2)

Don’t want to craft it up? Recycle them

If you’re not a whiz with the glue gun or can’t think up a way to reuses your beads, recycle them. Surfrider Galveston collects unwanted beads and distributes them to organizations who will reuses the beads. Click here for a list of drop-off donation locations.