Hama bead Christmas kit inspiration for adults

This post contains Amazon affiliate links

I love a festive craft project, even better if it's something that I can display in my home as I celebrate the Christmas season. At this busy time of year sometimes you just want a simple project that you can work on when you have some quiet time, and Hama beads are the perfect craft that's both relaxing and satisfying. Working from a kit means that you have everything you need in one place without having to spend time gathering materials from around the house, and I've hunted down some gorgeous Hama bead Christmas crafting kits which would be fun to work on during those long dark evenings.

You'll notice that they are all official Hama bead branded items. While they can be a little more expensive than the cheaper options, I've learned the hard way that the imitation beads are just not as good!

First up is something that you can get a start on ready for next year! The Hama bead Advent Calendar (affiliate link) is a really fun Advent craft, and then when it's finished it can be re-used year after year. The kit contains 24 festive designs and shaped pegboards which can be kept for future Christmas projects.

If you want to make something simple which you can use to decorate your home then the simple Hama bead ornaments (affiliate link) or simple Hama bead decorations (affiliate link) are perfect. The designs are quick and easy to make, and can also be worked on together with small children for some family crafting fun.

I love these Hama bead Christmas trees (affiliate link) because once you have the included small Christmas tree pegboard you can really get creative with different designs. You could even make the trees in different colours to match your festive decor, for example in red/white or purple/silver. Then the completed trees can be used as Christmas tree decorations or turned into bunting.

Finally this Hama bead Santa Claus pegboard (affiliate link) is really fun, and again could be customised to suit your own decor. You could mount him on a stick to prop up in a flower pot, hang him inside a wreath, or prop him up on the mantlepiece.

Alternatively, you could just treat yourself to a big bucket of coloured Hama beads (affiliate link) or a selection of mini Hama beads (affiliate link) and browse my Hama bead Christmas crafts and projects which is packed with ideas for both simple and more complex Hama bead crafts which are perfect for this time of year!

Hama bead fairy light bunting

How are Hama beads made?

I've been crafting with Hama beads for many years now, and every time I pick one up I wonder how they are made, and what the Hama bead factory looks like! So I thought I'd do a little bit of research into the history of the beads, how they are manufactured, and see if I could find some videos of the process!

There is lots of information about Hama beads on the official Hama Beads About Us page, so that's the best place to start. I learned that the beads are made from polyethylene and the boards are made from polystyrene. Interestingly, according to the website, both the beads and the pegboards can be recycled with normal household plastic waste. The fact that Hama beads are made from single use plastic has been bothering me for some time, so it's really good to know that they can be recycled. I'm almost certain that I couldn't put the individual beads into my own recycling bin, but it definitely sounds like it's possible to recycle any unwanted fused projects.

Hama beads were first produced in 1971 by Maalte Haaning Plastics A/S, with the Hama brand name being registered in 1984. The name comes from the first two letters of the surname of the company's founder (HA) and the first two letters of his first name (MA). Originally the beads were glued onto pieces of cardboard or plastic trays, and at the end of the 1970s the ironing technique was developed.

The Hama bead factory is located in Nykøbing, Denmark and products are sold to more than 50 countries worldwide. You can watch a fascinating video tour of the factory here:

I love those massive buckets full of beads, imagine being able to run your hands through them! I also enjoyed seeing the enormous creations that have been made using Hama beads. In front of the factory there is a safari park made with life size Hama bead animal creations which you can go and visit. Maybe I need to arrange myself a trip!

Information sourced from the Hama beads official website.

Hama bead Christmas crafts and projects

I love crafting for Christmas, and over the years I've shared many Christmas craft ideas on my blog. Today I thought I'd share some of my favourite Christmas crafts and projects using one of my most used craft materials - Hama beads. All of these craft ideas are perfect for keeping children busy in the run up to Christmas, can be used to create some individual and unique Christmas décor, and are perfect crafts for both children and adults.

Make sure to click the links for each project to find a more detailed tutorial and patterns.

I love Scandi red and white theming and so I used just these colours to make some simple Scandi inspired Hama bead baubles, finished off with a narrow loop of red ribbon.

These Hama bead Christmas wreath ornaments are so easy to make, and perfect for using up any odds and ends of green beads that you might have leftover from previous projects or kits.

These wreath designs can also be used to make some Hama bead wreath magnets, perfect as a small gift for relatives, as place names for the Christmas table or as gift tags.

My Hama bead Christmas fairy light bunting uses transparent beads, although they could easily be made using solid colours for some cheerful, bright Christmas bunting.

These Hama bead and ribbon bauble ornaments use festive Christmas ribbon for some extra embellishment.

Some more Scandi inspired design with this Scandi style Hama bead Christmas mat which is a great place to put your Christmas cuppa.

This Hama bead snowflake bunting was one of my very first Hama bead craft posts! I used the hexagonal and circular pegboards to make six different Hama bead snowflake designs which I strung up as bunting but which could also be used as festive coasters.

More recently I designed some more Hama bead snowflakes patterns which I used with mini Hama beads to make tiny Mini Hama bead snowflakes.

I used these tiny snowflake embellishments to decorate a winter snowflake lantern. 

I recently designed these free mini Christmas cross stitch designs which can be used for all sorts of pixel crafts, including of course Hama beads. I used them to make some Mini Hama bead Christmas embellishments which are perfect to decorate Christmas cards, to add extra interest to your Christmas decorations, to decorate place cards or gift cards...the possibilities are endless!

I used some to make mini Hama bead pin badges for some sweet little Christmas accessories!

Another red and white craft, these Scandi inspired Christmas battery tea light holders are perfect for some festive decoration when they are filled with a battery tea light.

Finally if you have a Minecraft fan in the house why not keep them busy making some Minecraft Hama bead Christmas baubles.

I hope that you enjoyed this roundup of some of my favourite Hama bead Christmas themed crafts! I've published many different Hama bead crafts over the years, and you can find them all here - Hama bead crafts and projects.

Hama bead Christmas fairy light bunting craft

Recently I wrote about how I had been sorting out my Hama beads, and that seeing all my beads gave me some new craft ideas. I discovered that I had acquired quite a few transparent beads in different colours, and so I came up with a Christmas Hama bead craft! I designed a simple Hama bead fairy light pattern which can be made in lots of different colours and strung up to make fairy light bunting.

Below are my beads laid out on the board, and underneath you can find the printable image which you can use to work on your own designs. I used a solid colour for the outline and a transparent colour for the inside. If you don't have any transparent beads you could use beads in a lighter shade, or otherwise simply make them all in one solid colour. For the top I used some gold beads from my stash but many colours would also work, for example yellow, light brown or black.

I made twelve lights in total, in six different colours. The Hama beads need to be ironed to fuse the beads together. It's a simple process, but if you need some help with ironing the Hama beads then take a look here - Ironing tips for Hama beads.

Finally I used some gold sparkly thread to string the Hama fairy lights together. I don't over iron my designs, so I was able to use a large needle to thread the string directly through the beads in the corner of the gold top part. They stay in place along the string pretty well, but you might want to make a knot on either side of the light to make sure that it stays firmly in place. 

The bunting is light, so it can easily be strung up wherever you'd like. I have some small suction hooks which I use to hang decorations. The transparent beads mean that this bunting string would look really good on a window so that the light can shine through during the day!

If you are looking for more ideas for Hama bead Christmas crafting then you might like these posts:

Hama bead Christmas crafts for children

Hama bead Christmas crafts for adults

Hama bead crafts

Halloween crafts using Hama beads

This is a collaborative post

A few years ago I published this post - Hama bead crafts for Halloween. But that was a long time ago, and since then I've published many more Halloween crafts using Hama beads on my blog, both the usual midi size and also the much smaller mini sized beads. So I thought that I would publish an updated post containing all of the Halloween Hama bead crafts that I've shared to date! Make sure that you click the link to the original post for the full tutorial and patterns.

Small Halloween Hama bead designs

These pixel art Halloween designs would also work really well for cross stitch or other digital art. The small designs don't use too many beads and can be customised to use the colours that you have.

Hama bead sugar skull bunting

This Halloween sugar skull bunting uses a very simple pattern that can be made in lots of different ways. It's a great craft for using up odds and ends of colours and looks fantastic hung up on a mantelpiece or across a window.

Hama bead witch designs using the princess pegboard

I used the versatile princess pegboard (you can find a link at the bottom of this post) to make some Halloween witches. I used lots of purple and black beads!

These designs can then be used as Halloween decorations, maybe to make a Halloween witch display.

Hama bead Halloween coasters

I love using Hama beads to make coasters, the small circular pegboard is just the right size. These coasters all have a Halloween theme.

Hama bead Halloween napkin rings

If you are planning a Halloween party then these Hama bead Halloween napkin rings would look amazing on the table!

Halloween house using the Hama bead house pegboard

I used the Hama bead house pegboard (there's a link at the bottom of the post) to make this Hama bead haunted Halloween house, complete with bats and pumpkin.

Hama bead sugar skull Halloween picture

Remember the Hama bead sugar skull bunting I shared earlier? I used the same pattern to make sugar skulls which I arranged on black cardboard to make a spooky Halloween picture.

The following crafts use mini Hama beads. These tiny beads can be fiddly, so it's a craft better suited to adults, but the results can be very intricate and satisfying. “Crafting with such detail allows you to bring out creativity in small but powerful ways. It’s the patience and care in these tiny projects that make them so rewarding, transforming simple materials into meaningful Halloween decor." says John Webber of Carved, a handmade goods company.

Halloween pin badges using mini Hama beads

These little pin badges don't take long to make and would make a great subtle Halloween accessory.

Mini Hama bead sugar skull earrings

I used the Hama bead sugar skull pattern once again but this time with the mini Hama beads to make some little Halloween earrings.

Phew, I didn't realise that I had shared quite so many Halloween Hama bead crafts over here! I do hope that you found something to inspire you!

What to do with leftover Hama beads

Most families with children will have encountered Hama beads at some point! Even if you've not bought them themselves you may have been given them as gifts or had them passed on by another family. You might discover that once you've completed a kit you have beads leftover which aren't enough to make another full shape, or that you are left with many odds and ends of random colours. So I've put together some tips for things that you can do with leftover and spare Hama beads!

The main thing - don't just throw them away! If your family has outgrown or finished playing with Hama beads then there is bound to be someone that you know that would appreciate them (I've received many beads that way!) You can also donate to a charity shop or give away on Freecycle or a local Facebook group, there are many people that would enjoy using them. Even if you don't have many beads or you don't have the prettiest colours, younger children often prefer the activity of placing the beads on the pegboards to creating the perfect design.

I've shared a few craft projects that would be perfect for using small amounts of different coloured beads. I love this pretty Hama bead quilt style picture which I keep framed in our bathroom. It's a really simple design, and can use up beads where you only have one in a single colour.

Simple coasters are a great way to use odds and ends of Hama beads to create something with a purpose. I've shared some ideas here - How to make Hama bead coasters - and all you need are the smaller sized pegboards which come in a variety of different shapes.

Of course you aren't limited to using Hama beads on pegboards. The beads can be strung together either alone or with other beads to make bracelets, or maybe onto long strings to create a beaded curtain. They could be used to embellish other crafts such as macramé or even crochet and knitting.

If you want to use the beads for bracelet making, something fun that you can do with them is to melt them in the oven, which makes for a flatter and smoother bead. You can find instructions here - How to make a melted Hama bead bracelet. 

There are also some other crafts that you can try by melting the beads. This works especially well if you've ended up with some of the cheaper beads that don't work quite as well when used as intended. I've written a blog post sharing several crafts using melted Hama beads. 

If your Hama bead collection is diminishing and you want to use up as many as you can, I'd recommend having a good sort out and arranging the beads by colour. I like to use compartmentalised boxes to keep my Hama bead colours separate, or you can also use small bags. It's a really good way to see exactly how many beads you have left of each colour, as well as helping you see the different types of beads and colour combinations that you have. You'll probably find that this gives you some craft ideas too!

If you are looking for some projects to work on using beads that you have around the house then you can find all my Hama bead craft posts here - Hama bead craft projects - I hope that you can make the most of the Hama bead supplies that you have!

Hama bead crafts for Diwali

This post contains Amazon affiliate links

I love using my Hama beads to craft for seasonal occasions, and with Diwali approaching I thought I'd share a few Diwali crafts that I've shared on the blog using one of my favourite craft materials - Hama beads!

Hama bead rangoli

Rangoli are decorative floor patterns which are created during Hindu festivals such as Diwali. The designs can be shaped as flowers or petals, or geometric designs can also be used. Rangoli are traditionally created using sand, petals or coloured rice, and welcome the goddess Lakshmi into the home. I used Hama beads to create some geometric rangoli designs using both the smaller and the larger circular Hama bead pegboards. You can find the patterns for these designs by following the links to the original blog post.

The Large Hama bead rangoli designs are very detailed, and use lots of beads. As well as making pretty Diwali decorations they could also be used as coasters for small bowls or plates.

The Small Hama bead rangoli designs use the smallest circular Hama bead pegboard and are the perfect size to use as coasters for small glasses. They would also make great bunting, or could be stuck to walls or windows as Diwali decor.

Hama bead diwa lamps

During Diwali, small lamps called diwa lamps are lit to symbolise the triumph of light over dark or good over evil. My Hama bead diwa lamps use a very simple pattern on the basic square Hama bead pegboard, and can be customised in all sorts of different colours and patterns depending on which beads you have available in your stash. You can find the pattern by following the link to the original blog post above.

I made some simple stands for my lamps so that they can be stood upright. 

If you are looking for more Diwali crafts then you might like this post - Simple Diwali crafts for children.

If you are teaching your young children about Diwali, here are some books that they might enjoy:

The Best Diwali Ever (affiliate link) - A heart warming picture book about Diwali, siblings and how very special this celebration can be.

Diwali colouring book for kids (affiliate link) - A simple coloring book for young children, suitable for ages 2-5. Contains all sorts of things to colour including lamps, fireworks, candles, lanterns, food & rangoli patterns.

First Festivals: Diwali (affiliate link) - Featuring simple text, gorgeous illustrations and satisfying lift-the-flaps, this book explores common Diwali traditions and helps young children understand the importance of this special holiday.

Mr Men and Little Miss Happy Diwali (affiliate link) - The five-day festival of lights is celebrated by millions of people across the world and the Mr Men and Little Miss can't wait to join in. They're busy cleaning their homes, creating Rangolis, lighting lamps and enjoying all the festivities, including large feasts that Mr Greedy is particularly looking forward to. It’s going to be a busy five days of light and laughter!

Hama bead diwas for Diwali, with stands

Today I'm sharing a simple Diwali craft using one of my craft materials - Hama beads! Diwa are small oil lamps which are traditionally lit during the festival of Diwali. They symbolise the triumph of light over dark and good over evil. My Hama bead lamps are all made using the same simple template but can be customised using different colours and patterns.

Here is the pattern that I used for my lamps:

And here are the finished Hama bead pieces. They are made on the square Hama bead pegboard, and can be displayed facing in either direction. If you are new to crafting with Hama beads then you might find this post helpful - Ironing tips for Hama beads. 

I decided that my Hama bead diwas would look best if they were standing up for display. You can buy simple Hama bead stands, and I've put a link to some at the bottom of the post. I have a few around that I've collected as part of various sets, but they are quite expensive, and it's very easy to make your own simple stands using Hama beads. 

The pattern for a Hama bead stand is below. You can use beads in colours which co-ordinate with your projects. Smaller designs may stand up with just the one stand if you are careful, but generally you'll want two stands per item.

This photograph shows my two homemade stands at the top, compared with one of the Hama branded stands underneath. My stands work just as well as the official ones, but the items will stand slightly higher off the ground. I don't think it's noticeable though, and the homemade stands are also easier to use when it comes to sliding in the beaded projects.

Here are my finished Hama bead diwa lamps! They will look lovely on the mantelpiece this Diwali alongside our simple salt dough diwa lamps.

If you are looking for more Diwali craft ideas then you might enjoy this post - Simple Diwali crafts for young children.

Why Hama beads are a great craft for adults

If you read this blog regularly then you'll know how much I love crafting with Hama beads. I know that they are usually marketed at children, but Hama beads are also a really great craft for adults. It can be a really relaxing and mindful craft, as you take the time to position the beads onto the boards. It's also a chance to get really creative and come up with different designs, and you can find plenty of examples online for different projects that you might like to try.

It's a craft which is suitable for all skill levels, and also one that you can work on alongside your children if you struggle to find the time for crafting! They can use smaller pegboards for simple designs while you work on something more complex. You don't need much to get started and the supplies are easy to store and organise.

The materials aren't that expensive, although I would warn not to be tempted by the cheap imitation beads which are usually misshapen and don't fuse together well. An exception to this is the Hobbycraft branded 'Picture Beads' which I've found to be really good and slightly cheaper than branded Hama beads, they are perfect if you are looking for a lot of beads in one colour.

I recently discovered that Hama have released a brilliant range of products called Hama Art which are aimed at adult crafters. I particularly love this Hama Art Sunflower Bead Kit (affiliate link) and you can find a few more examples at the bottom of this post. The kits seem quite pricey, but they aren't so bad when you compare them to similar craft kits, for example cross stitch or diamond painting.

If you would rather work from scratch then it's best to just buy a large box of mixed beads, a few pegboards, and some squared paper if you want to design your own projects. There is plenty of inspiration online, and you might also like to have a look at my post filled with Hama bead projects for adults. 

As an adult crafter you might also want to try the mini Hama beads, and you can find out more about this size of bead here - Mini Hama bead crafts - A guide. These beads are very tiny and you can product some really intricate designs. You can also use them to make jewellery, for example mini Hama bead earrings or mini Hama bead pin badges. A great way to get started with mini Hama beads is with a kit, and there are lots to choose from. 

You can find all my Hama bead projects and crafts on my Hama bead crafts page.

Hama bead Autumn leaves - designs and patterns

I've been trying to come up with some good designs for Hama bead Autumn leaves for a while now, and I've always found it really difficult! After sorting out all my Hama beads recently I found that I had lots of Autumnal colours with lots of different shades of brown, orange and red, and so I decided that I would have another go and attempt to make some seasonal Hama bead Autumn leaves to decorate my home now that the weather is turning cooler!

Here is the pattern for the four Autumn leaf designs that I came up with. 

I used a variety of different coloured beads for the leaves, based on what I had in my stash. I tried to think about using darker beads for the base of the leaf and moving to lighter ones as I worked my way up, but the arrangement of the beads was pretty random! It was a great way to use up some of colours where I only had a small amount left. 

I used a square Hama bead pegboard and didn't over iron the beads. If you are new to Hama beads or want some extra guidance you might find this post helpful - Ironing tips for Hama beads. 

I've not decided yet how to display them. I'm thinking about hanging them from some long string and attaching them to suction hooks on the window. I also thought about making a few more and attaching them together for form an Autumn wreath - something like this Hama bead flower wreath. You could also attach them to sticks as a plant pot decoration, string them together to make bunting, add a magnet or keyring...lots of possibilities!

If you are looking for some more Autumn inspired Hama bead crafts then do take a look at these:

Autumn leaf Hama bead coasters

Autumn Hama bead battery tea light holders

You can find all my Hama bead crafts here - Hama bead craft ideas and projects

Organising my Hama beads

I haven't posted any Hama bead crafts for a while have I? That's not because I haven't wanted to craft with my Hama beads, but because I was getting a bit overwhelmed. My love for Hama beads hasn't gone unnoticed among friends and family, and as their children outgrew the beads I became the happy recipient of many large boxes of unsorted beads! In addition to my own supplies, I found that I had a cupboard full, and I couldn't even think about where to start.

Over the summer my niece visited for the day and she enjoyed using some beads which I pulled out for her. So I decided to start by sorting out a box of basic colours for her along with some boards so that she could do some Hama bead crafting at home. I had five massive boxes of unsorted beads, and so this prompted me to finally get down to it and work on sorting out the beads into their individual colours. 

This was a huge job, and it took me several weeks. Unfortunately I forgot to take a photo of what I began with! I tipped out handfuls onto a large tray and patiently picked through the beads, sorting them out into a variety of plastic cups, beakers and empty food packaging. Anyone around at the time was encouraged to help me out!

I didn't really find any easy way to sort the beads apart from trying to do it during daylight to more easily see subtle colour variations, and making sure I had enough containers for all the different colours. It was actually very relaxing!

I already had some of my Hama beads sorted into plastic storage boxes but the colour selections were haphazard and most sections were too small to fit all the beads I wanted. I also had way more colours than sections. So I emptied out the different boxes and also purchased a new box for the extras. It wasn't enough to hold all my beads but I didn't want to spend too much money so I used sturdy sandwich bags for the more popular colours and tiny plastic bags when I only had a few beads of a particular colour.

It's really satisfying now to see all my beads clearly laid out. I know what colours I have and how many of each colour, so I can plan my craft projects. In particular I have plenty of transparent beads, neon beads, skin tones and red and white beads, so expect to see those cropping up in future blog posts!

Having such a big sort out has really re-ignited by love for this craft, and I'm really looking forward to crafting with Hama beads again!

And if you want to see my Hama bead storage goals have a look at this - Ultimate Hama bead storage - I'd love to splash out on some of these tiny boxes for my Hama beads, I'd just need so many of them!

Hama bead flower magnets

Following on from my tin can flower with Hama bead flower decorations, I was looking around for different ways that I could use these sweet Hama bead flowers. I realised that they would make lovely magnets! So here's a little tutorial for Hama bead flower magnets. 

I made my flowers using the Hama bead small flower pegboard. It's not easy to buy this pegboard individually but is can be bought as part of this three board set - Flower, Pony and Princess pegboard set (affiliate link). I used just the top flower part of the design, not the leaf area. 

If you don't own this specific pegboard then that's not a problem at all. If you scroll to the bottom of this post I have included some similar flower designs using the small square and hexagonal pegboards which most Hama bead crafters will own.

 

If you are new to Hama beads, you might want to have a look at this post - Ironing tips for Hama beads. I like to iron my beads lightly so that you can still see the holes in the beads, and while they are still warm from ironing I leave them resting between some heavy books for just a few minutes so that they cool flat. Then it's time to turn them into magnets!

I've made Hama bead magnets using a variety of different adhesives and magnets and I've found that the most successful method is to use magnetic tape (affiliate link). You can cut it to size and then peel off the backing to stick to the back of the Hama bead design. This won't produce a very strong magnet but it will stay firmly attached to the plastic beads. If you want to make a stronger magnet I have also had success with a small neodymium magnet (affiliate link). Through trial and error I have found that the best way to attach these magnets is with a glue dot, although a glue gun also works well.

Simply affix a small strip of magnetic tape to the back of the magnet. You might find that the magnetic tape curves away slightly even when stuck down after being rolled up tightly. To prevent this I flatten the finished magnets underneath some heavy books for a day or two to make sure that the magnet will lie flat.

If you don't have a small Hama bead flower pegboard then you can make similar looking flowers using both the hexagonal and square Hama bead pegboards. Here are a couple of designs that you could use:

If you are looking for some more ideas using the small Hama bead flower pegboard then you might also like these Hama bead craft ideas:

Hama bead flower wreath

Hama bead flower bouquet

Tin can flower pots with Hama bead flowers