Pony Beads

This started with a craft kit my girls received at Christmas.
It was AWESOME (is that word even current anymore?).
Well, it was.
It came with these tiny plastic beads that you could melt into dishes.

 The girls made fancy patterns with the beads and then I put them in the oven for about 15 minutes.

They came out in a flat disk, the shape of the pie pan.

You were then supposed to pick a metal or glass item (that wouldn't melt) and lay the disk over top and put back in the oven for another 5 minutes.

Something like this:

After it cooled you could remove it from the jar and it would look like this:

A cute dish for jewellery or change or whatever.

Well you know I couldn't leave well enough alone…. I had to have one for myself as well.

I saw these super-cute cake stands on Pinterest and had to give it a whirl.

Ben Franklin Crafts & Frame Shop

I bought the larger pony beads from the craft store.

I decided to try it with the pie pan like the girls had done and another in a corning ware dish (which was broken, so I didn't mind if it got destroyed).

400 degrees for 30 minutes:

(be prepared for the smell of melting plastic)

A smidge burnt.  (oops)

Okay…

400 degrees for 20 minutes:

Let them cool and then pop them out.

Okay, so not as cute as the girls.

You need the bigger pony beads to make something that will actually work as a cake stand, but the smaller ones are much easier to shape into bowls etc during the second melting.

Clear coloured ones make a cute sun catcher.

Workman Family

IF this had turned out as I'd hoped - I would have been able to buy a dollar store candle stick and glue the melted pony bead plate to it.

I may try this again…

after all, my 6 and 7 year old could do it?

  Have a great one!