What we did and DIDN’T do, wish we did, and would do again….
Fuse beads. Ahh…. the never ending world of melty bead crafting. If you’re not careful, it may suck you down its rabbit hole for good. You’ve been warned.
Each holiday season, my boys and I pick a craft to create and gift en mass. This year, rather than selecting one craft, we choose a medium: Fuse beads (a.k.a. perler beads, melty beads, hama beads). We may or may not have bitten off slightly more than we could chew.
Therefore, here is lesson #1: One craft, versus one media… with multiple crafts and multiple processes…. is a completely different commitment. In our enthusiasm, we did not accurately gauge the amount of time this would take, and while we got it all done, it was more rushed than I prefer it to be. We may have needed a fuse bead detox by the end of it.
Other than that, I regret nothing. It filled our at-home remote learning and Covid-19 quarantining December with a fun family craft, and the outcomes were MARVELOUS.
So without further ado, let me let you in on what fuse bead projects we planned to do, did in fact do, would do again, and would never again touch with a 39.5′ pole… to quote the Grinch, which feels appropriate for the 2020 holiday season…
What we planned to do…
For a full detailed run down, check out my previous post here. In short, we planned a variety of traditional (fridge magnets, bag charms and such) and various more challenging fuse bead projects (molded bracelets, 3-D boxes, etc.)… some got scrapped along the way as we fine-tuned our gift list.
What we actually did do…
Here’s what we ended up completing…
3-D Rubik’s Cube Boxes
Vintage Super Mario Coin Box
Molded Bracelets
Themed Fridge Magnets
Bag Charms
Ornaments (and snowflakes, not pictured)
Wine Charms (Christmas & Summer Themed)
Cookie Earbud Organizers
National Park Coasters
Disney’s Cars Mobile
“Christmas Card” Magnets (i.e. Our faces in Perler beads in lieu of a Christmas card… we couldn’t resist!)
That about sums it up. Somehow I didn’t snag a picture of the tetris fridge magnets or giant snowflakes we made… which is a bummer, because they were definitely some of my faves… Stay tuned for new posts that will give a more thorough run-down of how to complete each of these projects.
What I’d do again…
- Start with a multi-pack of colors. Its fun and inspiring to start with all of those colors and let your imagination fuel your creativity!
- Buy off brand peg boards. Ours were definitely lower quality (they felt more brittle and apt to crack) than the Perler bead brand boards. But they functioned totally fine, and we were able to get more variety (think: round, hexagonal, etc.) for less money. The variety of styles allowed us to do all the kinds of designs.
- Work with tweezers. They’ll save lots of time, upended bead patterns, and your sanity.
- Bead organizer box. Of any kind. They can be found on the cheap at crafts stores. This is totally worth it. Makes clean up that much more simple, but most importantly, you can accurately gauge how much of a color you have to work with before beginning on a project.
- Go for the 3-D boxes. ALL. DAY. LONG. Even though they are the most time-consuming project, the end result was is soooo worth it. Functional, (somewhat) rearrangeable, and just plain cool.
- Keep all your materials handy, but organized in some sort of container. Perler beads and dinner don’t mix well, but having everything on hand (including the iron!) during your project time makes the process significantly less work and that much more enjoyable. No one wants to up-end an un-fused design while you traverse to get the iron.
Things I’ve learned NOT to do with fuse beads…
- Attempt to rush a fuse bead project. They are tedious (which coincidentally can also be therapeutic). End of story. Allow plenty of time.
- Buy off-brand beads AND Perler brand beads and mix them together in one design. They don’t melt at the same rate and are not the same height. The result can look haphazard.
- Force your 4 year old (or any year old) to follow a pattern. Even though they said they’d cooperate, and they picked out the pattern themselves… (argggh!) it is always more worthwhile to let them explore. Take it from an old art teacher…. you never know what kind of genius you’ll end up with (a uni-brow angel ornament!? wouldn’t trade it for the world…). If you want a particular pattern or craft done that badly, do it yourself.
- Cool your designs without a weight on top. A heavy book, or a stack of em, on top of your cooling design will help keep the design crisp and flat. Left unweighted, the plastic will begin to curl up slightly along the edges as it cools.
- Mix too-similar colors together. They are nearly impossible to tell apart until you’ve ironed your design, and oh boy, is THAT annoying! For example: these are the colors that may all be categorized as blue, but one’s a little more transparent and another is a little more of the turquoise variety. Not a big deal, just nice to avoid. That is, unless you’re a major Type A like myself. In which case, it may be the end of the world.
- This feels like it goes without saying, but my 6 yo was adamant that we include it on the list: Don’t leave the iron on too long! Either on the table where limbs can bump, or on your melty-disintegrating-as-you-grab -a-mug-of-coffee-design. Iron safely my friends, iron safely…
- Work with cheap jump rings. It seems nice to have all materials come in one pretty delivered to your doorstep package, but they aren’t of the hardy variety. And bag charms for use with children need to be able to withstand some tug and pull. Grab a basic package from your local craft store’s jewelry aisle. They got you covered.
What are your favorite kinds of fuse bead projects? What tips or tricks have you learned from your adventures? Share a pic, I would love to see/hear!