About

Hey! This is the QDCrafts blog where you can see perler bead creations that I've made and shown on my Youtube channel. 

What Are Perler Beads?

     As you may have seen from my posts, perler beads are these cylindrical little, plastic beads that are arranged together to make a cool design that looks just like 8-bit characters from video games. These are what most people call Sprites. Basically, with a pegboard and a bunch of beads, all you have to do is place them in a specific order to match with any design. To make them into a holdable and displayable craft, you get parchment paper and an iron and simply heat the entire piece so that the beads "fuse" together and melt into place.

 There are many different brands to get your beads from including, Nabbi, Hama, Pyssla, and the one I use for all my crafts, Perler. Obviously, these brands aren't all exactly the same, so I would stick to one brand for a single sprite because beads from different companies (for instance, Pyssla vs. Perler) have different thicknesses and even heights, which may require another method of fusing (such as a different pegboard, lower temperature, faster fuse time).

Can't Get Your Hands On Any Beads?

     When I first started to have an interest in perler bead crafts, I had no idea where to get these beads. The first place I found them was at Toy "R" Us (Canadian site. Prices may vary.) and they were just these small buckets of beads that also came with free mini pegboards. If you check the price on these, they are just over $10 per bucket of beads and pegboards and trust me, you will have a good supply for your first experiences with making perler bead sprites. 

     Later on, you may want to buy individual packets of perler beads if you happen to use a large amount of a certain colour, such as Black. You can always buy individual packs on Amazon (Again this is in Canada, so prices are different, as in way higher. Don't worry prices fluctuate from time to time ;P), although I am sometimes able to get free amazon.ca credit from this site that I am referring you to.

     Other local craft stores like Michael's, Walmart (For those in the U.S., you guys are lucky! Searching "perler" on the Canadian site showed me a bunch of potato peelers T__T) and Target (I have only been there once because yet again....Canada) also carry perler beads for you to buy as sets or buckets.

         I've bought individual 1000 bead bags from a wonderful site called Herrschners.ca and it is an excellent source for perler beads for those in need of specific, individualized colours, such as black and white perler beads.

     And if you find yourself making all sorts of perler bead sprites that you need a huge supply of beads, I recommend getting this giant 22 000 bead bucket! (Available in most places listed above)

Age Range?

    Since these are just beads, anyone can make them and be as creative as they want. However, it is not recommended for very young children because these beads are quite small and if consumed, there are possible choking hazards. So to fix that problem, the brand I use, Perler, actually has their own product for smaller children called Biggie Beads, which are for ages 4+. Otherwise, anybody who has a cool design up their sleeves can make whatever they want!

Don't Know Where To Get Designs?

     Being that this is a blog mainly for perler bead crafts, I suggest stopping by here every once in a while to check out any designs I may have come up with or found online. But if there isn't anything that catches your eye, do what everyone these days does- Google it! Try searching for characters like Mario, Kirby, various Pokemon, Sonic and all sorts of video game characters and you will find tons of designs from people all over the Internet.

 

      If you are looking for something simpler, a lot of perler bead sets (comes with beads and mini pegboards) come with design books with all sorts of simple designs of ordinary things to make. Maybe if you aren't too interested in video game characters, you will be able to find designs on the Perler site and many others as well.

      I hope you now have a better understanding of what kind of crafting hobby this is and if you think you'll enjoy it or you are already enjoying it very much, please take a look at some of my posts to see if you like any of the sprites I have made!

-QDCrafts