1. Start by filling a jar or cup with rice and set aside.

2. Thread a beat onto the flat end of a wooden skewer to hold the bead in place. Using nail polish in the colour of your choice paint the bead until entirely covered. Opaque polishes are best for this as they won’t streak as much as the sheer kind. Stand the skewer in the jar of rice to dry.

3. Repeat Step 2 for as many beads as you are using. You will want three beads per stirrer. Each stirrer should have two fully painted beads – one in a lighter shade and one darker. (I made mine in all different colours but if you have a colour theme keep the beads in those shades.)

The third bead you can polka-dot with the tip of the nail polish brush – be sure the brush is not too heavily loaded with polish or else the spots will run. I wasn’t too concerned if the dots were perfect, but if you are you can use the end of another skewer to stamp onto the bead instead.

5. Once the beads are fully dry remove them from the skewers and sort into threes as detailed above. Any skewers with polish on them can be put aside for future craft projects, the rest can be used in the next step.

6. Thread three beads onto each skewer –darkest first, followed by the lighter bead and topped with the spotted bead. The beads should fit snugly onto the skewer, if you find they slip - try a different skewer as each will be a slightly different thickness. This may take a little patience to find the right bead/skewer combination. I find it better to leave the beads un-glued so that I can remove them after use and thread them onto fresh skewers.If you want to secure the beads permanently, carefully place a drop of super glue into the first bead as you thread it, making sure that the glue does not come into contact with the end that will be going into your drinks.

7. Done! Thread slices of lemon or fruit on the skewer (or leave plain) and pop them into your drinks for an extra fun and colourful touch to your table!