After my last post, I’ve been dying to get my hands on some perler beads. Then, when I stumbled across this perler bead piranha plant on the Internet, I knew I had take a stab at making one for myself. If you’re not into Super Mario, you could easily use another type of flower. They’re fast, they’re simple, and they make perfect desktop decor.
Here’s what you’ll need:
Small flower pot
Iron
Green paint
Perler beads
Toothpick
Tweezers
Styrofoam
1. Paint your flower pot green so it can be drying while you work on the rest of your piranha plant.
2. First outline the design, then fill in using the perler beads.
3. Cover the design in perler ironing paper (also sold at Hobby Lobby) using extreme caution not to disrupt the beads.
4. Lay the iron on the perler beads and count to 15, leaving the iron still. Only heat the design on one side so that the piranha plant will look pixelated.
5. Let the beads cool onto the ironing paper before peeling your design off.
6. Trace the opening of the flower pot onto a piece of Styrofoam and cut out the circle.
7. Place the Styrofoam in the pot, making sure it’s somewhere near the top
8. Slowly insert the stem into the foam.
9. Cover the foam with brown and black beads, so it will look like soil.
10. Break a toothpick in half, and use it to prop up your flower from behind. They have a tendancy to curve after being ironed.
Tips:
1. Hobby Lobby sells a rainbow pack of perler beads for $10, and if you download their app you can get a 40% off coupon.
2. Do not move the iron in a circular direction like the package says.
3. If you have a shortage of beads, paint the foam tan instead of filling the pot with beads.
4. Follow my blog for more awesome posts and crafts!
As Told by Laura 