DIY "Enamel" Dots

Hi and welcome to my first blog post! EVER!!

I don't know about you but I absolutely LOVE those colorful little dots/buttons that you can buy to use on scrapbook pages or cards. And I don't know about you, BUT I've found that they're a liiiiittle too expensive for my taste. Especially when you want so many different colors to match all the colors you use while creating. So, I went out in search of a way to make my own colorful dot buttons, and after much trial and error I found a way to make them. Are you ready to save money and still make awesome paper projects?! If so, keep reading...

Here's what you'll need!

     
• Pony Beads
• Parchment Paper
• Scissors
• Pan
• A craft file or piece of sandpaper (optional)
  
  
  Oh and!! You'll need your oven of course :P
  
  Hey don't make fun of my pan! All the pans I have were given to me :P

1.) Preheat oven to 400° F

2.) Pull off a piece of parchment paper

3.) Here's a tip: I use my fingers to push the paper down into the edges of the pan so that I can trim it to the exact size I'll really need!

4.) Thennn you can go ahead and cut it:

5.) Lay it in the pan and begin to put your beads on it... approximately 1 inch apart. They'll spread but not too much so do as many as you can! It's a pain in the butt, but worth it!

6.) Turn on your stove's exhaust fan, open the windows, and send the kids out to play. These beads are STINK-Y when they melt. I won't pretend to be an expert on fumes and comment on whether or not it's safe but just to be sure, take precautions.

7.) Put the pan in oven, top rack.

8.) Set the timer to 30 minutes.

9.) Wait patiently.

10.) When the timer beeps, check them badboys to see if they're fully melted. If not, you can keep them in for 5 minutes more at a time until they're nicely bubbled. Like this!

(Perty eh?)

11.) Let them cool for all of about 5-10 minutes

(The browning of the parchment paper is normal)

12.) After you can't stand waiting anymore, lift up the paper and watch all the colorful dots come right off the parchment paper.

13.) Funky oblong button? No problem! Just use sandpaper or a craft file (maybe even a nail file!) to shape it into a circle! Or hey, if you really don't care, then don't worry about it! These beads are about a dime a dozen and you can make them by the hundreds. My pan held over 100 beads at a time.

                                      

14.) Enjoy your buttons and get crafting!

Here's some more pics :)

                                      

                                                   

Thank you so much for viewing this post and my blog. I hope to have more, and I hope that you'll come back very soon. Feel free to pin & share!

P.s. All you have to do is apply your favorite adhesive to the back of the dots and adhere them wherever you want them to be :)