# Perler Bead decor



## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

I got pretty fed up with toxic decor, and I was trying to figure out some way to make my own, and not getting any ideas. I was in the closet, looking through my buckets, boxes and tanks worth of stuff to see what I could do for Gruffalo, because he's started tailbiting since his castle went toxic, and i stumble across my fiance's bucket of perler beads.

It mentions aquarium use on the lid of the bucket, so I had to look it up, and the first hit google had, was this thread.

So, I've decided to give it a shot, if others have used it before, and they're advertised as aquarium safe, being PVC, I'm willing to bet that they can't be any worse than what we've been buying.

So far, I've made The Gruffalo a house for his "fairy garden". These perler beads are super buoyant, I had to weigh this down with rocks, and still had to literally wedge it into place to get it to stay put.





He likes it so much, he had to guard it from the camera




I made the doorway big enough for my thumb to fit through, so it's definitely big enough for The Gruffalo to get in


and out.


Lazarus also got a feeding ring that was less tacky looking.


I'll be keeping a close eye on these, and I'll let everyone know how they work out.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Oh, Lord, in my next life I want to be creative!


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

Thank you. I can try to mail you some of mine. Sometimes my brain goes WAY over the top! I think it's my ADHD that does it too. lol

Currently, The Gruffalo is in his cottage. ^_^

PS
I'm sure you're very creative too, probably in a much more practical manner too.


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## BettaLover1313 (Apr 15, 2013)

Wow! Those are awesome! I'm glad to see that your bettas like their new decor so much!


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## Kalari32 (Jan 10, 2013)

You should make and sell these! They are AWESOME!


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## Destinystar (May 26, 2012)

Skye that cottage is so adorable and Gruffalo looks like he is in love with it, what a great idea you came up with I love it :-D


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

Kalari32 said:


> You should make and sell these! They are AWESOME!


I would, but I hated every tedious minute of the making of it! I'm thrilled with the results though, something safe for my fish that makes him feel more secure.

I may make a couple more (I have a few more boys needing hides), and I'll just have to tinker with it.

Also, Thank you Bettalover and Perseusmom!! ^_^


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

Lean-to


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## Flyby Stardancer (Jun 19, 2013)

Those are totally cute!


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

thank you!!

I'm considering making a few and selling them. It'll give me something else to do. lol


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

I think you should definitely make and sell them. They would also make cute Christmas ornaments.


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## Kalari32 (Jan 10, 2013)

I know if you were to sell some, I'd definitely take one or two


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

my other half ordered about 45 different colors before he left for work about an hour ago, we'll see how it goes with the other 3-4 I need to do lol


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## FishyFloorzack (Apr 14, 2013)

:shock: :shock: :shock: THIS. IS. AMAZING. 
I been making marble houses but they never really looked right. This is the most amazing idea i have ever seen. I have millions of those beads! Guess i'm going to get to work! Thank you!!!!! :-D :-D


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

You're welcome!! You'll have to share your finished work here though!  lol


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

my windmill looks like a church... ohwell.


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## Juditko (Dec 28, 2012)

If you used some aquarium sealant and attached a larger-than-the-object-itself piece of the plastic craft canvas at the bottom, it would add a surface that you could cover with gravel to help it stay weighed down. You could even cut that to certain shapes depending on where you want it in the tank (corner, etc.) Just a thought.


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## Juditko (Dec 28, 2012)

A bridge would be neat, too.


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## percyfyshshelley (Feb 26, 2013)

So cute! What a great idea. Your bettas are so lucky! You could make a whole betta village!


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

Juditko said:


> If you used some aquarium sealant and attached a larger-than-the-object-itself piece of the plastic craft canvas at the bottom, it would add a surface that you could cover with gravel to help it stay weighed down. You could even cut that to certain shapes depending on where you want it in the tank (corner, etc.) Just a thought.


I actually ordered some sealant this morning, so I'm waiting for it to arrive. I have 2 issues with Canvas.
1) It would be almost too bulky for small tanks like mine.
2) Does not work on sand (I tried lol)

So for the time being, I'm doing perler "tile" floors, and gluing gravel on top to keep it down. Once I get the sealant, the rocks could probably go on the bottom of the floor piece to offer a smoother place to rest on.

Also, a bridge is a neat idea!!


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## Kalari32 (Jan 10, 2013)

I love this so much, I just can't get over it! /please/ sell some!


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

I'll let you know how I'm feeling once I finish two for my fish, and one for my sister's boy that she adopted from us! lol


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

Don Quixote's windmill in his tank (yes, I topped this off after the photo)


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## Juditko (Dec 28, 2012)

Yes, you'd need rocks for sand ...great fix!


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## Juditko (Dec 28, 2012)

Could you do a floating cube like the floating logs?


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

Eventually lol
I don't know the status on our bead order just yet, or the silicone.


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## HeadlessLegoMom (Jun 30, 2013)

Very nice. I guess I just didn't know what those type of beads were called. Haven't used them since childhood, and don't tell anyone, but I don't even own an iron! I would be interested in hearing if they float like the floating betta log because someone said that those have to be periodically replaced. If so, I may need to invest in an iron! Is making them very cathartic? I LOVE the windmill!


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

They are very buoyant! Lol I have to weigh them down with rocks, and they still try to float away!

It is quite tedious, but worth it. You'll need silicone to glue your pieces together.


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## HeadlessLegoMom (Jun 30, 2013)

I read that you can use superglue in tanks. Also, my pet store sells these little metal strips you can use to weight decor down.


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

I just glue rocks to the bottom piece of the house. I don't know if super glue would work on it, but I do know that hot glue is safe, and it does hold well to the beads, since it's all melted PVC


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

I'm just gonna go ahead and toot my own horn for a hot second here:



I made a perler bead hammock! lol


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Do you take custom orders? I want one.


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

lol I should add them to my sale thread! So far, I only have mesh ones listed.


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## Juditko (Dec 28, 2012)

Good job!


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

"Is it food, can we eats it?" My girls seem to think that this super bright (and somewhat tacky) hammock must be made of food. lol


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## HeadlessLegoMom (Jun 30, 2013)

Can't believe you outdid the windmill! I want one!!!


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## HeadlessLegoMom (Jun 30, 2013)

I wonder if you could make a whole maze of tunnels with them for a betta obstacle course!


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> Do you take custom orders? I want one.


here's the one RussellTheShihTzu ordered:


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

HeadlessLegoMom said:


> I wonder if you could make a whole maze of tunnels with them for a betta obstacle course!


I -could-, but it's probably never going to happen! lol The main reason being that I come awful close to burning myself with every tube I make. I have to use a full sized clothes iron to make these, and when you have a big iron on a little tube, and nothing to use as a mandrill to make it round other than trying to bend it with your hands before it cools, you kind of let it do what it does. :-D

Because of the risk of injury, these will be priced higher than mesh hammocks.


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## CritterNut (Jul 15, 2013)

This is incredible! I have a ton of these in my craft room from when I was a kid! I'm going to start playing with them now!


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## HeadlessLegoMom (Jun 30, 2013)

Why don't you invest in a pair of those work gloves that puppeteers use for hot gluing?


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

HeadlessLegoMom said:


> Why don't you invest in a pair of those work gloves that puppeteers use for hot gluing?


partially because I've never heard of them before! lol

I'm actually working towards a smaller iron to reduce some of the burn risk.


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## HeadlessLegoMom (Jun 30, 2013)

Besides, what's a little seared off flesh between fin loving friends?


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## CritterNut (Jul 15, 2013)

Skye, get those "ov gloves" I got my mom one, they're made of the same material firemen use, I can touch the inside of my oven when wearing one. I think they'd be worth it if you're making and selling!


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

HeadlessLegoMom said:


> Besides, what's a little seared off flesh between fin loving friends?


My fish aren't spoiled.... you can't prove it... 
<_<
>_>

......

as far as the ov gloves, I need to be able to use each finger separately, since as you can see, I have big hands (especially when they're puffy like they are today), and only can only use my fingertips to form the tube and hold the seam together.


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## CritterNut (Jul 15, 2013)

Well the glove has individual fingers, it's not a mit. But the material is pretty bulky.  I'm going to try to make a floater. I will let you know if I discover a good technique!


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## HeadlessLegoMom (Jun 30, 2013)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1Pairs-WORK...884?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item58a2afd704


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## HeadlessLegoMom (Jun 30, 2013)

Oh there are also special heat resistant gloves for hairdressers like:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Hairdre...Styling_Tools_Accessories&hash=item3cd24395c5

or just the thumb, middle finger, and index:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Hairdre...Styling_Tools_Accessories&hash=item3a81c42b7b

But if your hands are large, then the first like I posted for the ones with the dots all over them are probablyt best!


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

i bid, thanks


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## Elsewhere (Dec 30, 2012)

My jaw dropped. Those are absolutely fabulous! I too wish I was that creative, all I can do is clay figurines XD Seriously, Skyewillow, if you sell them I will definitely be trying to convince my mother to let me order one!


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## percyfyshshelley (Feb 26, 2013)

Wow Skye, that multicolored betta log is astounding! And Don Quiote and his windmill lol!
So, are the multicolored ones any harder to make than a single color?


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

Elsewhere said:


> My jaw dropped. Those are absolutely fabulous! I too wish I was that creative, all I can do is clay figurines XD Seriously, Skyewillow, if you sell them I will definitely be trying to convince my mother to let me order one!


I'm actually selling them, they'll just be priced differently than the mesh for difficulty.

Percyfyshselley, the mixed one was easier, because I just kept grabbing handfuls of beads from my handy "mixed crud" bucket. It was a test to see if an idea that I'd had would actually work or not. Which it did, obviously lol.


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## Kittiesdragons (May 1, 2013)

I love love love it! I would buy them in a heartbeat! Just don't hurt yourself!


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

I'm trying to work on an idea that would keep my fingers on the outside of the project, I'll try it out on the next order. ^_^


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## HeadlessLegoMom (Jun 30, 2013)

By the way, my two year old daughter saw your floating perla hammock and said, "Mommy what is that? I like it!"


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## HeadlessLegoMom (Jun 30, 2013)

Did you know that they make BIGGER perler beads?!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Perler-Bigg...389?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4d0f9ae9a5


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

HeadlessLegoMom said:


> Did you know that they make BIGGER perler beads?!
> 
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/Perler-Bigg...389?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4d0f9ae9a5


Yep, our Walmart has the big bead kit, but I can't find where they're sold in packs of specific colors. :-(


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## percyfyshshelley (Feb 26, 2013)

Well I'd like to get a hammock but I'm so scared you'll lose a finger or something making mine. I didn't realize you had to iron them!


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

I got smart and clever and figured out a slightly safer way to do it for the time being. ^_^ lol


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

RAINBOW!


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## HeadlessLegoMom (Jun 30, 2013)

OMG I love the rainbow one!!! If you get gloves and decide to sell them, then I want a pastel rainbow for my daughter/Buttercup. Poor fish may lose his last shred of masculinity, but come on, his name is Buttercup!


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

HeadlessLegoMom said:


> OMG I love the rainbow one!!! If you get gloves and decide to sell them, then I want a pastel rainbow for my daughter/Buttercup. Poor fish may lose his last shred of masculinity, but come on, his name is Buttercup!


I actually ended up changing one of the steps, and instead of ironing the seam, I'm using hot glue, it's still AQ safe, but it's also a lot safer for me too! And, you don't have that big ugly stripe down the side like the ironed seam. (I did that on the rainbow hammock if you need an example)


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## HeadlessLegoMom (Jun 30, 2013)

Smart thinkin'


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

It looks much nicer. I also have a mesh hammock as a mandrill! Now I just need a smaller iron to eliminate 90% of the burn risk overall.


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

Giant sized



compared to a standard hammock


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## Mashiro (Dec 2, 2012)

I LOVE these! So cute! I'd love to buy a house with the same pattern as the rainbow hammock!

Chimneys would look so adorable as well. <3


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## BettaLover1313 (Apr 15, 2013)

Merlin would love that giant one! I'd never see him since he'd be hiding in it!


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

well, if y'all are serious about ordering, I can do a rainbow house (I can try on a chimney), and a giant hammock.

PM me for more details.


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## BettaLover1313 (Apr 15, 2013)

I wish I could order that giant hammock, especially after the stunt Merlin just pulled with his babysitter -.-', but alas, I can't really order anything


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## HeadlessLegoMom (Jun 30, 2013)

You literally read my mind on the giant one! *What is a mandrill?*

I'll bet you could do really cool patterns on these like polka dots, checkers, hearts, and stars if you had a lot of patience. What am I talking about? You MUST have a lot of patience!

I'd order my own supplies, but I think even the large ones are a choking hazard for my toddler. :'/


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

"Mandrill" is a wire working term, it's a tube or rod that you wrap wire (or in this case, perler sheets) around to make rings. (I dabble in chain mail)

I have a toddler too! Mine's 3 and wants to help lol

Also, I have a giant who needed a pretty hammock.


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## HeadlessLegoMom (Jun 30, 2013)

I guess it is okay with good supervision, but my daughter is two and a half and horribly spiteful. I have visions of perler beads in every nook and cranny of my apt. if I turn my back for a split second!!!


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

yea, my son is the helpful, sweet, and friendly type lol


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## HeadlessLegoMom (Jun 30, 2013)

My daughter is that way with anyone else but me! In all fairness though, my mother did always tell me that I would grow up to have a daughter just like me...


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## Ilikebutterflies (May 19, 2012)

> My daughter is that way with anyone else but me! In all fairness though, my mother did always tell me that I would grow up to have a daughter just like me...


This is true. I have one that acts just like my husband when he was young...and it is soooo unfair to me. I was a good kid:-? ;-)


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## HeadlessLegoMom (Jun 30, 2013)

*sings* Why do good girls, like bad boys (Sorry to hijack your thread!)


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

XD my son is dramatic like my ex (his words, I just agree lol). I was a really good kid. Although I swore in the church when my mom remarried, I was a year old!

Going to get back to work today, yesterday was crazy busy, birthday party, and totally rearranging our bedroom, so my boys, and the wilds I'm hoping to get, will be all in one spot. Moved our sorority, readded crazy Maizy too, moved the frogs and the resident giant into somewhat better tanks. Whew! And there's still more left to do!


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Received the perler bead hammock today. I think Little Willie will love it once the Panda Guppies stop congretating in it.  They are doing the same thing to the mesh hammocks in the smaller sections.

Little Willie has chased them out of the perler bead hammock and Si has been resting in his mesh.

So thanks so much! You guys can't go wrong buying the perler hammocks.


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

Our guppies love the hammocks here too, it's mostly the ladies trying to get away from those nasty boys. lol I've even had my African Dwarf frog hang onto them to stay near the surface. So they're not just great for bettas.

I'm glad to hear that the Pandas like it, and hopefully, Willie will get to try it out soon! LOL


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## HeadlessLegoMom (Jun 30, 2013)

Russell: PICTURES!!!


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## FishyFloorzack (Apr 14, 2013)

Agreeing to pictures! How many tanks do you have all together?!?


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

I have one tank. A 20 long that's divided and heavily planted. I'll see about photos but I'm not too good at "focus on fish" photos.


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

I should get photos of mine hanging in the hammocks at some point today too.


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## HeadlessLegoMom (Jun 30, 2013)

So many plants, Russell, we can't even SEE the hammocks! *giggle*


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

And on that point you are absolutely right.  The Bettas finally have access but when they can, the Panda Guppies seem to really like being in them. And the perler bead one looks especially nice and blends in with my "natural" decor. It and the shrimp tower are the only things not live or Cholla or driftwood.


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