DIY Perler Bead 8-Bit Valentines (+ Free Printable)

My son loves his video games...and his favorites are the old classics. Pac-Man, Mario, Sonic...he loves them all. So when he sees something in an 8-bit style, he goes CRAZY! And thanks to Perler Beads, he can make his own fun 8-bit designs easily and inexpensively.

With Valentine's Day coming up, we decided to bring his love of 8-bit into some super fun video game inspired Valentine's Day cards for his classmates. These are super simple and perfect for the gamer in your life!




Here's how you can make your own!

What You Need:

• Perler Beads/Peg Board (We love this Everyday Activity Bucket!)
• Wax Paper
• Iron
• Cardstock
• Printer
• Glue

What You'll Do:

Make Your 8-Bit Heart. Start by creating your hearts! Perler beads are very simple to use, using your peg board, create a small heart design, like this:

Iron. Cover the design with wax paper and iron until beads have melted together. Set aside to cool.

Create your Valentine. You can use this super cute design I came up with, or get creative with your own design... 'Be My Player 2', 'Push Start, Sweetheart'...the possibilities are endless. Use a fun 8-bit style font (there are many available!) Download Printable Here,

• Print and cut. If you have a Silhouette, you use the print and cut feature to save time, or you can cut by hand.Or do as I did and open the whole PNG file in Silhouette studio and cut the letters out too, giving it this fun look! I did a combination of the two to show you how both options could look.
• Cut Cardstock. To give the Valentine a little more color, we're going to back with some fun colored cardstock. We went with classic Valentine's Day colors, but feel free to get creative! Again you can use your Silhouette, or cut by hand. Cardstock should be slightly larger than your Valentine design.
• Glue Them Together. Glue your Valentine to the cardstock backing, attach the heart and let dry!
  
  
  

And you're done!! Give as they are, or add some fun treats for a fun goody bag! Enjoy!