Blog

Perler Bead Art

September 21, 2021

hey there!
I'm Ashley! A body positive mother, entrepreneur and speaker who has spent the last decade building better body love and empowering others to do the same.
How I Found Peace by Tuning in to True Body Love
13 interactive audio trainings, plus more!
tell me more

(This post contains Amazon associate links)

When it comes to keeping my kids engaged and entertained in the home, each of my children have their preferred activities. One that has caught and kept the interest of all four of them for the past several years has been perler bead art. I seriously cannot convey how many HOURS have been spent in the art room making these. It’s such a fun, yet productive way for my kids to spend their time. I love so many aspects of perler bead art, as it encourages creativity, patience, and development of fine motor skills. 

 

FYI: Obviously, since the beads are very small, this would not be a great fit for toddlers/young children. Also, to create the finished products you need to iron-press the bead work, so adult supervision/assistance is highly advised. 

 

WHAT YOU NEED:

Amazon sells great kits if this is a new hobby your family wants to try! They’ve got these Standard Starter Kits (you can choose the 18-color pack or the 30-color pack) that include the beads, the pegboards, the ironing papers, pattern books, storage containers, and additional accessories–Everything but the iron! 

Once every couple years I’ve purchased this Assortment Bin to add to the collection. Some of my kids like the sorted color system, while others like the task of picking out beads from the bin as they go. 

 

If you want a more specific designing experience, they have the Harry Potter Kit, as well as the Star Wars Kit. These are extra fun if your children are fans of those books/movies like mine are!

 

This How-To Video will demonstrate the safe and accurate way to iron-melt your perler bead pictures so they can be two-dimensional pieces of art. Don’t try and wing it! I made so many mistakes at first and ruined my kids’ pictures, but this video saved me from future accidents! 

 

USING PATTERNS:

We have found some awesome pattern books over the years, both at Barnes and Noble, and on Amazon. These Mario, Avengers, Harry Potter, and Seasonal Patterns books are some of my kids’ top favorites. But I’ll be honest with you, a lot of the time they will just find patterns they like online, and I’ll print them out for them to reference. You know which process will work best for your family!

 

I love how much my kids enjoy this hobby, particularly my oldest son. I’ve watched him light up with confidence when showing off his latest creations. He displays them proudly in his room on both his shelves and in these hanging jewelry organizers. 

If this seems like something your kid(s) would like, take the plunge! I promise it’s worth the investment. And don’t stress, the beads vacuum up like a charm 😉 

XO, ASHLEY

Share this:

add a comment

Reply...

hey!

I'm Ashley Reeves!

I'm a body positive mother, entrepreneur and speaker who has spent the last decade building better body love and empowering others to do the same.

meet ashley

Social media & sharing icons powered by UltimatelySocial