Melted Bead Sun Catchers

These pretty sun catchers will look great hanging under your porch, patio, even inside in front of a window. As the light shines through them they’ll spread colored light everywhere! You can make them for several uses: as large sun catchers, smaller ones to use a coasters, and even smaller ones to hang together to make a beautiful wind chime. This is so easy to make, all you have to do is gather your supplies.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Bright colored plastic Pony Beads
• Pearlized colored plastic Pony Beads
• Large container the size you want your sun catcher to be, like a cake pan or tin pan

It’s your choice of color options for the pony beads, depending on the outcome you want.

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Arrange one layer of beads in pan (you can make a random design or arrange colors to create a specific shape, letter, etc.)
3. Put pan into oven, careful not to let your beads move around in the pan.
4. Bake until your piece is at your desired consistency (usually 20-30 minutes). The longer you bake, the flatter your piece will become as the beads melt down.
5. Remove from oven and allow to thoroughly cool.
6. Gently flip the pan over and the piece will release from the pan.
7. Drill a hole close to the edge of the disk. Tie a string through and hang your lovely sun catcher on a porch, in a window, or wherever you’d like to add that spark of color.

Because these are plastic they will give off a smell as they melt. If you are concerned about this then open windows and maybe set a fan to blow to circulate the air to the outside. You could even do this over an outdoor barbecue, as long as you can control the temperature closely enough.

To make smaller designs, say for a coaster or wind chimes, then follow the same process using coffee mugs or something small that is the size you want.

For coasters, put in two to three layers of beads, because you want them to be a little thicker when they are done. For chimes, you will probably want them thin like the sun catcher, so just do 1-2 layers deep.

Because they are layered and therefore deeper, it will take longer for all of them to melt so bake for up to 60 minutes, monitoring whether they’re finished or not. Let them cool and then they will come out of the mug or glass.

To hang them as a sun catcher or wind chime, simply drill a small hole near one edge to put your string or wire through.

Enjoy!

Project and Image Source: FunDIYIdeas