A few weeks ago I shared with you our awesome Navi in a bottle made from Perler Beads. At the time, Wonder Boy also came up with the idea to make a 3D Perler Bead Journal 3 and suspend it in a mason jar.
Easy instructions on how to make this fun Journal 3 craft made from Perler Beads
I’ve again teamed up with the amazing folks over at Geek Blogs Unite. Our April theme is “Between the Pages.” So I’m literally going to show you how to make between the pages of a Perler Bead book. If you’re geeky like us and have your own blog or vlog you should come on over to Geek Blogs Unite! I’m sure our leader, Michelle, from A Geek Girls Guide would be thrilled to have you join us.
If you aren’t familiar with Journal 3 it’s a mysterious journal written by Stanford Pines in the Disney animated series Gravity Falls. In the series, the book contains information on all of the paranormal secrets of Gravity Falls, Oregon.
Wonder Boy binge watched Gravity Falls twice while he had the flu, and he just fell in love with it. So much so, that one of the few things on his wish list for his birthday was the book “Journal 3”. It’s a great book for all fans of Gravity Falls. He’s spent hours with it.
Anyway, he’s into Gravity Falls so he wants to make crafts about Gravity Falls. That’s really how we roll at my house. We follow our fandoms to make new exciting things.
So, he set off to make his Perler Bead Journal 3 while I made a fairy.
Create a fun 3D Journal 3 from Perler Beads
Supplies needed to make a floating Perler Bead Journal 3
- Perler Beads and all things needed to make Perler Bead creations
- Mason Jar (or any other large mouthed jar with a lid)
- Water Beads (we got ours from the Dollar Store, but you can also find them at craft stores)
- Water
Making Journal 3
You’ll want to start the project by making a Perler Bead Journal 3.
Wonder Boy found a post on Amino from QDCrafts, and then changed it a bit to suit his needs.
His changes were to add another layer of the Perler Beads that were pages so it would be thicker, and then he also made the pages one row shorter so that it looked like it was more like a book.
Below are the patterns he made (you’ll need to make 2 of each). You can grab the pattern for the hand in the image above.
You will need 2 of each of this pattern to create your Journal 3 from Perler Beads
If you want to see the original from QDCrafts check the link on her name. She’s even got a video that you can watch. Oh, one other thing Wonder Boy did differently was not fill in the center of the book with Perler Beads. To quote him, “No one sees that part anyway.” He’s right.
Here’s the completed Journal 3 before drawing on the lines for the 6 fingers.
Once we had all 5 pieces. We glued the Perler Bead Journal 3 together with E6000 glue. Not only because it is our “go to” glue for Perler Bead Crafts, but also because it’s waterproof. You can really use whatever glue you like, just make sure that it is waterproof.
To complete the Perler Bead Journal 3 we used a Sharpie to draw on the fingers of the 6 fingered hand.
Adding Journal 3 to the jar
Once he created his Journal 3 masterpiece, all that was left to do was to suspend it in some water beads.
I’m pretty sure that 70% of the fun in this craft is playing with the water beads. So don’t be afraid spending some time for this step. They bounce around everywhere and are very fun to play with and pick up.
- Take your mason jar and fill it about a quarter of the way full with the water beads.
- Next, place your Journal 3 on top of the beads. Hold it upright and then pour more water beads around the Journal 3 to fill the jar all the way up.
- Once you’ve done that you’ll need to fill up the mason jar with water. Warning: before you fill up the mason jar, you’ll barely be able to see the Journal 3 through the water beads.
- Put the lid on the mason jar and you’re finished.
If you want to see more detailed instructions on suspending Perler Beads in a jar check out my post: DIY Navi in a Bottle.
Perler Beads Suspended in a glass jar.
I loved the way Wonder Boy’s floating Journal 3 came out. It gives the book that mysterious touch that it deserves. I also am always thrilled when he takes an idea that I’ve come up with, like the Navi in a bottle and takes it where he wants to go. You can do the same with your kids. Think about the things that they love. Wouldn’t they love to see them suspended in a bottle? There are so many possibilities.
Between the pages with Geek Blogs Unite