Some of you may know what Fuse Beads are but the name isn't familiar. I was completely ignorant of their existence until last summer when our neighbor brought some over for the girls to try out. They were instantly hooked so we went and bought our own big bucket of them. I think any big craft store must sell them. I will say that a certain amount of fine motor skill capability is necessary to fully enjoy them though. Allison does them without any trouble and has for quite some time. Here's a picture of the Fuse Bead bucket we have along with the templates (star & square), parchment paper, and a finished star. We also have tweezer type things that you can buy separately to help in picking up the beads and placing them on the template. Once the design is finished simply cover the beads with parchment paper and iron with a warmish iron until the beads FUSE together. Let them cool, then peel off the parchment and VOILA! You can stick magnets on the back to create beautiful refrigerator ornaments or slip a string through one of the beads to create a Christmas tree ornament.
Here's a close up of the beads. They come in lots of different colors!
This is one of the templates that came with our bucket. Many templates come in separate smaller kits as well.
And here's one of Allison's creations sitting on the parchment paper which was also included in the kit.
Now, stay tuned because my next post is all about Allison's creation and his participation in an athletic activity...
