Everyone loves a good craft idea, and today seemed like a good day to craft up a good one so I pulled out my vast supply of different colored pony beads and got to work! I grabbed my older pizza pan and started pouring different colored pony beads into the pan. I made sure that I added lots of clear ones to give a nice see through look once it is completed. I made sure that I poured enough pony beads onto the pizza pan to cover the entire pan and the beads were close and touching each other. Once I had enough beads in the pan, it was time to melt them!
Set your oven to 425 degrees and get it nice and hot. Once your oven has heated up nicely, carefully place your pizza pan in the oven. Now the waiting begins. Since I have already done this type of craft project last year, I used our gas grill to cut down on any of the stinky smell from the beads melting, but today, I just opened up the windows and turned on the ceiling fan to rid any odor. Just so you know, the melting beads did not create much smell in the house, but since we are having a nice warm day for a change, having the windows open for fresh air was nice.
Watch your beads now closely. You will see the beads starting to melt after a few minutes in the oven, as they will get glossy looking.
Keep watching them as they melt into each other and form a nice flat edge around the pan. You will know when they are done & ready to remove from the oven when you cannot see any “bumps” or “hills” on the top of the melted beads. If you see little bumps, they need a few more minutes in the oven.
Once the top of your beads is flat, remove from the oven. Set pizza pan on top of the stove to cool. In a few minutes, you will hear the strangest cracking noise, but don’t fret, as this is just the plastic cooling and it is nothing to worry about. (it scared me the first time I heard it too, and even the dogs ran and hid)
After a few minutes of cooling, carefully touch the pizza pan to see if it has completely cooled. If it is still warm to the touch, let it sit longer to cool completely. Do not remove your item from the pan until it has completely cool or it could lose its shape. Once completely cooled, you can now turn the pizza pan upside down and your melted beads will now pop right out of the pan!
I made this item today so I can get ready for Spring! I will turn this into a sun catcher and add some wind chimes to the bottom. What a beautiful piece it will be when the sun shines through it. This item that I made can be drilled too! I will use a drill for a hole at the top, and for the small holes to hang the wind chimes on too!
Also, while I was looking at the finished product on my table, I also thought that this would make a neat cupcake platter too! I would probably want a little stand on it, so I could head on over to the Dollar Store and purchase a glass short candle holder for $1 and glue it to the underneath center of the melted beads platter. Whala, instant cupcake stand!
If you have any pony beads just laying around – I encourage you to pull them out the get crafty! I will never think of my pizza pan the same again, as I found out that it is just not for pizza any more!
Nikitaland 
I melted my beads in a toaster oven on my porch so fums were not as bad works great made the cutest chimes. Put them in my yard sale with the jewelry I make. Great sale.
Hi Debbie! I heard a toaster oven worked, that’s awesome! I used our gas grill too and that works too! It is a fun craft project with many uses! I made a night light cover by melting beads in a small loaf pan.
OMG How cute. I saw your Blog on the night light cover I am going to give that a try. What a great idea!! I think I will try a pumpkin design. Halloween is coming soon.I am working on pumpkin sun catchers now. They are looking good.
The sky is the limit on what you can create! Have fun!
Hey I was curious as to whether, after you take the pan out of the oven and the melted beads are still hot if you can swirl the colors with a toothpick or popscicle stick. any thoughts?
No. You will not be able to “swirl” the beads at that point. But, I have never tried that before. They melt pretty fast, so you might be able to do it. Note: When the beads melt completely, the top gets nice and flat, so if you try swirling a toothpick around in the melted beads before taking them out of the oven, make sure that you don’t have any pokey spikes of the plastic sticking up on the top!
How strong are these? I broke the glass in a small outdoor table last year and I’ve been looking for some way to replace is. I can’t cut paper in a circle, so can’t imagine cutting wood. I think a large pizza pan would be just the right size.
Hi Janet! Thanks for stopping by today! When the melted plastic pony beads harden (which is a few minutes after being taken out of the oven or off the grill), the plastic is pretty sturdy. The pizza pan sun catcher shown was made with only one single layer of pony beads, so if you wanted a little thicker top for a table, just add more beads. It will take a little bit longer to melt them, but it will be thicker. I also used a small drill bit to drill a hole for hanging, and the plastic did not break either. I could definitely see a small table top being made to hold a drink or two, that would be adorable.
Brilliant!
Oh man, these are really fun to make! I glued a $1 candle stick holder from the Dollar Store to the bottom of my melted bead platter and made an instant cupcake/treat stand! I also used some of them as sun catchers in our windows and they look so beautiful when the sun shines through them!
I really wish I was a craftsy-type person. And you make it all sound so simple! I actually farm my kids out to a friend who loves doing crafts with them. Isn’t that awful?! But I greatly respect your ingenuity and drive to be so creative!
I’ve been checking out you pizza pan/pony bead projects. They’re simply the cleverest craft I’ve seen in ages. And the idea of using a cheap candlestick with a glass dish is brilliant!
It is a really awesome & fun craft to do! You can even put pony beads inside a metal cookie cutter and use them as ornaments for your Christmas tree or gift tags too! I even made a small heart and made a necklace. If you searched my blog for “pony beads” you will see all the things that I made. (Oh yeah, I even made a night light cover!)
I saw the cookie cutter star in your patriotic post. I loved it. I will check out the night light cover too as I’m fascinated to see how you did that. Thanks!
The night light cover was made in a metal small loaf pan and I melted the beds on the grill just to see if you can do this craft outside, and you can. But either way, oven or grill, you need to watch the beads as they melt so you do not burn the beads. (and yes, it can be done) I bought a night light for $1 at the Dollar Store, and attached my neat little melted pony bead cover to the front of the night light – instant cool!
We used a muffin pan for house sun catchers, also used some of the glow in the dark beads mixed in for a different effect. Kids loved it. 🙂
Hi Ruth Ann! Ah, glow in the dark beads – now that is awesome! Don’t forget that you can also use metal cookie cutters too to make sun catchers or use them for gift tags or Christmas ornaments! Ah, so many things you can make. the possibilities are endless. Glad the kids loved them! 🙂
When I tried this on my gas grill,I had a fire,and the project was ruined.
What did I do wrong?
Thanks,Lynn
Oh no Lynn! I have made a lot of mine on the grill during the summer. Perhaps you had the grill temps too high? I would suggest to warm up the grill first, then place your pan on the grill. Leave the lid open so you can watch it melt. Once the top of the plastic looks “smooth” not bumpy and it appears all the beads have melted, remove it immediately. This only takes a few minutes to melt the beads either in the oven or on the grill. If you leave them in too long, they will burn.
What are pony beads?
Pony beads are small round plastic beads used for craft projects, kids use them to make bracelets & necklaces, and lots of other uses. A photo of the beads are on my blog to see.
So cool! I would have never thought of something like that. Definitely going to give this a try one day.
You will be hooked on this craft when you do try it! It only takes a few minutes to melt too in the oven!
Okay, that is TOTALLY cool! What a fun project! I love life in Nikitaland. You are a crafty critter!
Hi Renee! It is an easy craft to do to! And, you can even take your pans out to your grill and melt the pony beads outside. I did most of mine though in the oven. You should try this, and I bet if you did, you would be hooked on it! It would make some great gifts too for the holidays!
I’m wondering if you could make these in a glass pie plate. Have you tried it?
Hi Cathy! No, I have not tried these yet in a glass pie plate. If you do, let me know and I will update my blog post to include it. Also, when you use the metal pans to make these, you don’t have to just use your oven, you can melt them on your grill to outside! Just make sure that nothing flies or drops into the plastic while it is melting outside! Have fun! ~Valerie~
I just did this, I’m going to turn mine into a wind chime. I went to the dollar store and picked up a cake pan and muffin pans. The muffin pan size pieces will be the chimes. They turned out beautifly however my house smells and my smoke detector went off. I suggest a window fan when working on this one.
Yes, melting plastic does make a smell, but it’s not bad if you have your windows open. I have also melted my beads outside on the grill too. Just make sure that nothing flies or falls into the plastic while melting them on the grill. I, as well, turned one into a wind chime too. I bought one $1 cheap wind chime from the Dollar Store and attached the chimes to the plastic! And, I made a pizza pan sized plate too that I hot glued a $1 glass short candle stick to the bottom and made a cupcake platter! You can also find on my blog how I created a night light cover by melting pony beads too! The possibilities are endless! Stop by again!
I think I may break out the heat gun (the one I use for embossing) and see if that would work.
Hi Bonnie! I have never tried a heat gun before! If you try this and it works, let me know. I am not sure it will get hot enough though to melt the beads, as the oven is on 425 degrees and it melts that in just a few minutes. Try doing your “melting” in your metal pans outside on your grill. That works too! Also, have you seen the blog post that I did melting pony beads inside a metal cookie cutter? Yep, I melted beads inside a metal cutter and placed it on a cookie sheet! I made hearts and hung them on my kitchen window! When the sun shines in, it is beautiful! I smile every time I see them! (Also, I had a thought too about the cookie cutters, you can make some for “gift tags” or Christmas ornaments for the tree!
Cookie cutters are a good idea, will have to try that. I only have a charcoal grill so I’m not sure it will work as well. If/when I try the heat gun I’ll let you know how it works.
Were you able to find the “cookie cutter” post I did on my blog? If not, there is a round button on the sidebar that will take you directly to that post. Cookie cutters work well, just make a single layer of pony beads and don’t try to “fill up” the cookie cutter with beads. Thanks! I am curious now as if the heat gun will work.
My daughter in law and I made smaller ones last year but I thought a pizza pan size would work great to hang across the porch. We usede the spacers for jewelry for the holes. No drilling required. Love the way these turn out.
I have heard of that too! I bet it works awesome! Thanks for stopping by!
I have tons of pony beads with glitter in them, will these work as well?
Absolutely! The glitter would actually sparkle nicely in the sun when making a sun catcher!
This pizza pan sun catcher is such a neat idea. I wonder though, could I use those aluminum disposable pans? I was thinking of doing this with my granddaughter and a couple of her friends and the disposable pans would be so much easier to do multiple ones at the same time…maybe a little smaller.
For my first one, I used a disposable aluminum pan and it did work, however, the grooves in the disposable pan showed up on the bottom of the plastic. Even if you have a scratch on your pizza pan, it will show up on the bottom. Make sure as well that if you use your oven, open your window and turn on a fan lightly as it makes a little smell, but it’s not bad. I have also used small cake pans too!
I thought about the grooves in the pan after I wrote that. I may have to go to the dollar store and pick up some smaller baking pans so I can do this. Thanks for sharing!!
Hi Bonnie! I also made a night light cover too in a small loaf pan that makes a lot of little loafs. I hot glued the piece of melted plastic to a $1 night light cover I got at the Dollar Store. Definitely use a pan that does not have any scratches or grooves, as the plastic when being melted picks up all of these in the plastic. Have Fun!
Hi, Valerie!
I am the editor of AllFreeKidsCrafts.com, and I’d love to feature this tutorial on the site. If you are interested, please contact me via the email provided. Feel free to browse our site to get a feel of what we’re all about. I look forward to hearing from you!
Best,
Jaclyn
Thank you so much Jaclyn for this wonderful opportunity!
wow…I like it..
Aw, thanks! The photo in the blog really does it no justice as it is more beautiful in person. The colors are so beautiful. This fun craft still blows me away when I make something and it just “pops” out of the pan! It is soooo cool! I hope you try this craft project one day! By the way, I have always wanted to ask you….what is your name?
I am not really a fan of cooking..I am more fan of eating..:) I wish I could try yours..haha!
My original first name is Alex..but everybody call me Flobo!
It’s a nickname that doesn’t mean anything at all..:P..
You would be in luck because I am a great cook too! 🙂 Nice to meet you Alex!
This looks great! It’s huge! 🙂 I need to make some more….
I am hooked on this craft! The one I made is now sitting in one of those plate holders until I can find some wind chimes!
The colors are so amazing after they are baked!! I think this would make for a great turntable when you are entertaining for coffees, creamers etc. What do you think?
I love that idea! Yes it would be good for entertaining purposes! The colors are beautiful. Thanks for sharing your idea!
It’s amazing that it just pops right out of your pan. So you don’t spray it or anything? Wouldn’t it be cute at a baby or bridal shower to have all your platters matching? Do you thing they are safe for food without a glass dish or something on top? I saw an idea on Pinterest at Christmas where you put hard candies in the oven to melt in a similar fashion and it makes an edible plate. You’re a clever girl to substitute your spare beads.
I knew someone would ask about that! No, you do not need to spray the pan with anything! Just drop the pony beads onto the pan and melt them in the oven are on the grill! I was amazed too the first time I did this craft that the beads do not stick to the pan! Not sure if it would be food safe, but it would be nice to make smaller ones from small cake pans for a party! BTW, I saw that post too on Pinterest. It was with those green and white peppermint candies and they melted them in the oven. Neat stuff!
Oh ya, green and white. It might be cool with just those hard clear suck candies you get in the bulk bin. They even come in sugar free. Hey do you have a link to your Pinterest here? Am I blind? I can’t see it. xoK
Yes I have a link to Pinterest. It is on the right side of the blog page. Scroll down a little to see it. 🙂
Oh thanks Val…geez it’s right there, I don’t know how I missed it. BTW, I love how your header constantly changes photo’s. Every time I visit, I think “oh that’s a cute one”
I love the new header too! I just love the new design with this theme! It is so neat that on every page you visit, a different photo shows up and rotates so you don’t see the same one either! Love this feature!