PERLER BEAD BOWLS

I love art glass. My favorite artists are Lino Tagliapietra and Steven Main… and Mya, of course. But since she’s not getting near a 2000 degree kiln anytime soon, we went a safer, way less expensive direction. I call this little activity “Chihuly on the Cheap” because this is the closest craft to resemble art glass that you can do with a toddler.

You don’t need much… just a few items and an over-eager kiddo. The blue princess crown is optional (although Mya would tell you differently.)

WHAT YOU NEED
perler beads
non-stick cooking spray
pyrex glass bowls

WHAT TO DO

1. Spray the inside of the glass bowls with non-stick cooking spray. This allows the beads to stick to the side of the bowl.

2. Sprinkle the perler beads to cover the inside of the bowl. (We bought our beads at Ikea for $6, but you can get them at any craft store.) Ours were only one layer thick. Use your fingers to slide them around and butt them up against each other to create a solid arrangement of beads. You really don’t have to fuss too much over it. As long as they’re close together, they will fuse together in the oven.

3. Bake at 375 degrees for ~15 minutes. Check every couple minutes and remove glass bowls from oven when all beads are melted.

4. Let the beads completely cool before removing them from the glass bowls. You might hear some small “popping” noises while they’re cooling as the plastic beads pull away from the bowls.

5. Remove your colorful bowls from their glass molds! The smooth side of the bead bowl will have some residual cooking spray on it, so clean it with a damp paper towel and a little dial dish soap.

We ended up making three different sizes. I like the irregular jagged edge, but if you desire a smoother look, just use some scissors to cut the rim straight.

 I liked the look of the largest one as a centerpiece.

However, it would just end up getting filled with Mya hair ties, playmobil people, and bouncy balls. So we went a different route and hung them up with some command strips.

I love the little cluster of them on the wall. And unlike our “Sappy Sign“, Mya was pretty proud of this project. She even had to take some of her own pics.

And here are her photo skills. Not bad for a little goofball.