I ordered my 3 inch pins on ebay. I believe they were called floral pins. I mistakenly ordered 2 inch ones first and they were too short to use. So, now I have really pretty topped pins for every day use! lol
You can get decorative/colored beads from walmart for a really reasonable price, as well as seed beads.
www.Firemountaingems.com is a terrific web site for more specialized beads. I found
www.artbeads.com wonderful, too.
I use a thicker glue called E6000 Jewelry & Bead to attach the beads, it doesn't seem to smell as bad as super glue and a little teensy dab seems to do the job. They are really fun to make and look so elegant when you are done.
I had never made them before I joined the Pin Cushion/Needle Case swap. The ladies there were kind enough to help learn. I watched several youtube videos, too. Most important part, have FUN and be CREATIVE! lol