A Halloween picture with Hama bead sugar skulls

I love using Hama beads for seasonal crafting, especially when I can make something decorative that can be brought out and reused year after year. Inspired by my Hama bead witch display which was created using some spare Hama bead witch designs, I decided to make a similar spooky picture featuring some Hama bead sugar skulls.

First I made lots of these simple Hama bead sugar skulls, using just the square pegboard and a selection of different coloured beads. It's a good way to use some odds and ends of different colours that have been accumulated from various kits!

Related post - Ironing tips for Hama beads

Then I chose my favourite four skulls to use for the sugar skull picture, trying to pick ones with a nice balance of different colours. I placed them onto some white poster board and measured a suitable size for the background. Then I cut it out and painted it black. I used children's poster paint, and painted a couple of coats.

Making a Hama bead picture for Halloween

When the paint was dry I used glue dots to attach the Hama bead skulls firmly to the background - two per skull should be plenty. It's best to lay the design out first and work out the best position for the skulls before you start sticking them down, as they need to be lined up as well as you can. Also make sure that you are displaying the best side of the Hama beads, sometimes some of the beads melt more than others which can make it look uneven.

Hama bead sugar skulls on black background

This setup works perfectly for me, but if you wanted a more permanent display you could use a glass photo frame to keep the Hama bead picture dust free and to make it look more professional.

It will look great on the mantel piece this Halloween!