Wednesday 15 July 2020

Halloween Aquabead Pin Badges

It tends to be Nanny’s job to “do Aquabeads” with Iris and Bertie …………

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……….. no one else has the patience, but oh boy they are little blighters to work (the beads, not Iris and Bertie!), one false move and the design can become a sticky, unrecognisable mess ……….

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……. and Nanny is called upon to try and rescue them, to make sure such a long period of intense concentration was not all for nothing …….aghhhhhhh!

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These (above) are my own humble efforts, but what to do with them once they are complete?  Usually we draw a little background scene to put the designs on, which is then framed to create a lasting memory and recognises that I and B’s work is valued.  I also have far too many frames under my bed that really need using up ……. but as these have a seasonal theme  I needed to think of something else.

Aquabead Halloween pin badges

In the end I thought pin badges/brooches for my annual Halloween sleepover.  The beads on their own are not all that strong so I applied several thick layers of PVA to both sides, allowing each layer to dry thoroughly which made the shape far more robust. I then added a small pin fastening to the back using an epoxy resin glue again to make the badge/brooch more durable.

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It wouldn’t take much to add a pendant finding to the shape to be worn as a necklace or hung from a Halloween twig tree….. I am also thinking they could also be used to embellishments Halloween crackers for the party table …….. hmmmmmm