Fun Perler Bead DIY Earrings

These Fun Perler Bead DIY Earrings are the perfect project for you and your kids. Perler beads are such an easy and inexpensive craft. All you need is an iron and the peg board and you can create some fun DIY jewelry for your kids. Have them create a bunch of small patterns out of the beads, and add them to the earring studs. It's that easy. Your kids will love being able to make their own on-of-a-kind earrings. Plus, they'd make great homemade gifts or party favors for the next birthday party.



Materials:

• Craft perler beads and bead peg board (usually comes with perler bead set)
• Stud earring findings (buy from Michaels or online)
• Iron
• Kitchen parchment paper
• Glue (I used non-toxic Weldbond)

Instructions:

1. Place the perler beads on the pegboard so the holes in their middles sit on the pegs. Make sure all the beads are touching at least one other bead so they can be fused together.
    
2. Pre-heat the iron to a medium-heat setting. Do not use the steam function.
    
3. Place a piece of kitchen parchment paper over the design and apply the iron to the parchment paper and rub gently for about 15-25 seconds until you can see through the parchment paper that the plastic beads have started melting together.
    
4. Set beads aside with the paper still attached, and allow to cool (5-10 minutes).
    
5. Lift the parchment paper off and check to make sure all the beads are fused together (if they aren’t, repeat step 3 but for a little less time).
    
6. Now take your stud earring base and place a small amount of glue on the end, just enough so that it doesn’t bleed out over the edge of the base too much. Press gently against the back side (the side you used the iron against) and nudge the earring base into your preferred position.  Allow to dry completely (I definitely didn’t wait long enough and the finding came off when I tried to put it in her ear so try to be patient).