Bugaboo Wednesday Tutorial - DIY Enamel Dots

Good morning!

Bugaboo hosts a tutorial on the

Catch The Bug Challenge blog

on the last Wednesday of the month.

This month I get to share an easy project with you!

Do It Yourself Enamel Dots

I really like the look of the enamel dots

that have been so popular recently.

With limited craft stores in my area 

it was fabulous to find to a way to make

my own enamel dots.

I started with a small package of Pony Beads

and Perlerbeads.

I did a quick Google search and found several instructional

videos.  The instruction I found for the perlerbeads

recommended using a 275 degree oven for 30 - 35

minutes. They seemed to melt very easily for me.

I started by lining a small aluminum cookie sheet with parchment

paper and spaced the beads out to allow for spread 

while melting.

After the beads have melted to the desired size let them cool.

I used a plastic Pampered Chef scrapper to gently scrape 

them off of the parchment paper and into ziplock baggies

for storage.

I used the same basic steps for the pony beads except

increased the oven temperature to 425 degrees.   

Beware-

the pony beads can have a strong chemical odor while melting.

I opened a window and ran the vent fan. 

 I began by leaving them in the oven for 10 minutes.  

Each oven is different and the brand of Pony Beads may differ as well.

So, I checked every 10 minutes until they were the 

desired size that I needed.

Below are the melted Pony Beads:

Both types of beads can be found at your local craft store.

A pack of 500 Pony Beads was around $2.50 at my

local Wal-Mart store.  They had a large selection of 

colors and several variety packages.

Of course, I have used these fun embellishments

with a Bugaboo image:

Bugaboo's JJ Tequila and Shoes - Birthday

I hope you've enjoyed my quick tutorial today.

Although it takes a little baking time I now

have enough enamel dots for MANY 

future projects.  I hope you get a chance 

to try the process then share your creation

with the Bugaboo team!