Hama bead Spring napkin rings

Spring is definitely in the air now, with flowers starting to appear and dare I say it a little more sunshine! So I thought that I'd embrace the season and get out the Hama beads to make some cheerful, colourful napkin rings to decorate the table for Spring. 

To make these Hama bead Spring coasters I used beads from the Hama beads pastel tub (affiliate link). It's worth keeping an eye on the prices of these 10,000 bead tubs as they can vary widely week by week, and when I see them on special offer I make sure to stock up! I really like the colours in the pastel set, they make a nice contrast to the more solid colours and they all work really well together.

To make the napkin rings you need to make strips of beads. I found that the width of the large board was the perfect size, and I created designs with a height of 7 beads.

When you have laid out the beads on the board you need to iron them. Iron well on one side so that the beads fuse together, then pop the strips off the board. Turn them over one at a time and iron on the reverse, again making sure that the beads are well fused, but do make sure that the holes in the beads are still open.

While the beaded strip is still hot, gently wrap it around a cardboard tube so that it cools into a curved shape. This should be easy to do, and if you have ironed the beads well there will be no cracks.

Leave the curved designs to cool, don't worry if they come apart a little while they are cooling as you'll still be able to bend them back.

To keep the strips of beads in a circular shape, I use some coloured thread to sew the ends together. As long as you haven't over ironed you should still be able to push a needle through the hole in the centre of the beads. It's easier if you do this shortly after you have ironed the Hama beads as they will still be slightly soft and pliable. As you can see, at the top and bottom I have taken the thread into the holes in the adjacent beads, as sometimes the corner beads can be a little more fragile and work loose.

Then your Hama bead napkin rings are ready to use! They can be used to hold napkins on the table, and they also make lovely holders for battery powered tea lights.

You can find lots more crafts to celebrate Spring here!