So, these Bead Sun Catchers turned out way better than I expected.
I these sun catchers on Pinterest several times and thought it looked like something Zoey would enjoy. She loves bright pretty colors and being crafty.
So I got the beads some time ago, thinking we would get to this pretty quickly. That was probably 2 months ago.
This weekend I had both grandkids and one of the cousins over to spend the weekend. It seemed like the perfect time.
I told the girls about the bead sun catchers and pulled out the bag of beads. Showed them the muffin tin I planned to use and told them to create whatever design they liked. They were thrilled.
Then I remembered some aluminum pans I had in the cabinet. You know the kind you buy 3 or 4 in a pack that can be thrown away after you use them? I had 8 inch square pans. But they have several different shapes and sizes to choose from.
The girls had a ton of fun creating and re-creating. They mixed the beads and then separated them and then mixed them again.
They made designs and then dumped them then made new designs, until they finally came up with something they liked.
Once they had the first batch done, they had a better idea of what they would look like. Then it became easier for them to come up with new designs.
Heating the sun catchers outside instead of in the oven was a better idea.
When I got ready to melt the beads for the sun catchers I used the gas grill. I’d read in a few articles of people using the oven inside and it turning out bad. I decided I didn’t want to try that.
I tried to find what temp they needed to “cook” at looking at different websites to find a temp. I couldn’t find anything.
So I faked it and started at 450F. One article I read said it took about 10 minutes. At 450F it took about 30 min. I figured I was doing it wrong so for the second batch I let the grill get to 550F.
That worked much better. It still took longer than 10 minutes, but was still much faster.
Once they’re melted, just set them to the side to cool. I was worried about getting them out of the pan, but didn’t need to be. They popped out real easy.
There are a few things to remember next time.
I did discover, however, that while all the scalloped edges of the pan were a cool part of the design, the writing on the bottom of the pan also transferred. Not the cool design I was hoping for. I’ll have to figure a way to make that not show up.
If you can think of a way to get rid of the raised writing in the bottom of those pans, please let me know in the comments. I haven’t been able to figure that out yet.
Some of them melted smooth and a few didn’t. The ones that still had a little texture from the lump of the bead looked really cool I thought.
But those all came out of the same batch, so I’m not sure what the difference was so we can recreate the effect. Next time I’ll try and pay more attention to that to figure it out.
Give this one a try when you get a chance. I guarantee your kids or grandkids will enjoy it. Share your creations here and post your pictures in the comments. I’d love to see them.
Until next time-
Health, Wealth & Blessings ~ Tracey