How to Make Your Own Retro 8-Bit Accessories

Haven’t you heard? 8-bit is the new black. We’ve done it with today’s ultra-high density displays: we want to see our pixels again!

Pixel jewelry and accessories are the last essentials for any geek — but they are surprisingly easy to make and a lot of fun. I’m here to show you how to DIY this week’s project.

This project is perfect for kids, although obviously you’ll want to get to grips with the ironing part. Of course, they probably won’t understand any of the early video game references, which is why I’ve listed a few sites where you’ll find plenty of extra designs — Disney movie characters, cute animals, etc. Don’t think that’s the case. limited to video games and internet memes.

Step 1: You will need

Hama/Perler Bead Starter Kit ($40) — Contains 12,000 assorted beads, pegboards, and tweezers.
baking sheet
Ordinary hair bands or hair clips
Iron

To make a pendant, you will also need

Suede strap
Small and large jump rings — regular silver or different colors.
Cord ends
Clasp
Pliers

Alternatively, you can buy ready-made hanging cords for less than a dollar each, but you’ll still need a few jump rings and pliers to attach the design.

Step 2: Find a Design

Minecraft gives users the freedom to create their own pixel art within the game itself — and these designs are perfect for our needs.

Pinterest is also happy to see what others have done with solid beads, although sometimes you will need to deduce designs from corner photos.

DeviantArt user Hamagirl has some great designs, but a quick search of the entire site for «hama» will reveal much more.

Pixel Stickers [больше не доступны] have a limited range of high quality designs in their gallery — they sell a similar product as stickers that you can stick to the wall rather than glue beads together — an alternative you might want to consider though is significantly more expensive. The design applies equally to Hama beads, obviously.

Of course, Etsy is also a great source of inspiration. PuffyTheSlayer seems to be one of the most prolific balloon and pixel designers out there, with plenty of original and cute designs worth trying out.

Finally, don’t forget that you can also go looking for whimsical cross stitch patterns, although they tend to be on a slightly larger scale, so the designs are more suitable for 3D wall murals than jewelry and accessories.

Step 3: Build the Design on the Pegboard

Using tweezers, copy the design onto the banner. Because most designs have outlines, you’ll likely find yourself running out of black or white beads soon — additional packs of individual colors can be purchased cheaply.

If you purchased the same starter kit as I did, the two square boards can be cut to make larger designs. Most small projects can be done in less than half an hour once you start the rhythm.

Step 4: Fuse Beads

When the design is complete, place a sheet of baking paper on top — you can reuse old sheets quite a few times. Gently point the iron at him, trying to always move around and not linger in one particular place. Try to get even lighting and don’t push down if you don’t want your subject to be flat. When you’re done, put something flat and heavy on top for about 10 minutes while it cools down.

When you take it off the hanger, the opposite side will still look like a bead — feel free to iron it again if you want both sides to be flat and melted.

Step 5: Making the Pendant

Start by attaching a large adapter ring to the top of the structure — don’t worry if the holes are completely fused together as you can still pierce it. Pass the cord through the adapter ring.