Melted bead Sun Catchers

I saw this fabulous idea on The Artful Parent's blog (see the link) and thought these sun catchers looked so easy to make but very effective when done so, me and the kids set about making our own.

The post we saw on The artful Parent arranged the beads in muffin tins so all of the catchers were round but we also tried with metal cookie cutters too for different shapes, which worked well, as well as just arranging shapes onto a baking tray freely. This also worked well particularly for flower shapes which would look fab glued onto hair clips or badges!!!

It would also be good to experiment further with different beads so next up we will try the glitter one and glow in the dark.



Here's how:

WARNING - FUMES
Now, there is the issue of melting plastics and fumes especially around children when doing this so I was a little apprehensive to try but we did it on a nice sunny day so all doors and windows were open and the kids were playing out in the garden well away from any fumes whilst they were cooking. I would not be trying this with the children around or in an enclosed kitchen.

I saw another idea to overcome this which was too cook them outside on the BBQ. Not tried it myself but seems like a good idea!

TIP
The recommended time is 30-45 minutes but if your area is particularly large or you are making a thicker sun catcher it may take a little longer. Just keep an eye on them from 30 minutes on. They are ready when the beads have all melted down into each other and are smooth, not bumpy.

Here are some of the ones we made:

Holding them up to the sun

The Earth

The sun

A Rainbow

A pretty pattern

The artful parent drilled into hers to attach cotton to hang them, but being much more lazy I got the glue gun out and popped a small blob on the top to attach the cotton and ribbon.

Source

And the hair clips idea:

Source

So why not give it a go today? Experiment with different shapes and accessories. Create whatever your imagination allows.