Under the Sea Fuse Beads: 10+ Ocean Designs to Bead With the Kids

Oh, the ocean… just thinking about it makes my fingers itch to start sorting my blue beads! When summer starts to wind down at our house, we keep the holiday feeling going by building a whole little underwater world right on the living-room table. Goofy fish, cuddly octopuses, slightly grumpy crabs: the seabed is a treasure trove of colourful designs, perfect for keeping the kids busy on a rainy afternoon. I have rounded up 10+ fuse bead designs here so you can dive into the deep blue too. Grab your mask and snorkel, here we go!

Aquarium must-haves

Let’s start with the stars, the ones the kids always ask for first. The fish is the perfect beginner design: a few rows, some bright colours, and off it swims between two waves of beads.

Source: Mes Perles à Repasser

The octopus always makes a splash with its lovely rounded tentacles. It is a slightly bigger design, great for taking your time and counting all the arms (there really are eight, I promise!).

Source: Mes Perles à Repasser

The curious little creatures of the deep

Now for the shyer critters, the ones hiding between the rocks. My favourite? The seahorse, with its beautifully curvy silhouette. It takes a little patience, but the result looks so elegant on a shelf!

Source: Mes Perles à Repasser

You simply cannot skip the crab and its big claws: a bright, easy design that little ones love to make in a bold, punchy red.

Source: Mes Perles à Repasser

And for the shell lovers, this cute little hermit crab proves you can even work in mini beads for the finer details.

Source: Lucky Sophie

Build a whole aquarium

What if, instead of single designs, we built an entire aquarium? That is the brilliant idea I spotted over at Lucky Sophie: you piece together fish, seaweed and bubbles on a pretty blue background, and you end up with a seascape the kids are super proud of.

Source: Lucky Sophie

Mixing Midi beads with mini beads lets you add tiny, detailed residents, like this octopus and its hermit-crab neighbour.

Source: Lucky Sophie

A real bedroom decoration, ready to hang proudly on the wall once the ironing session is done.

Source: Lucky Sophie

Even more ideas from the big blue

To grow your school of fish, take a peek at what English-speaking makers are up to: they are bursting with colourful sea-creature ideas you can copy straight onto your pegboard.

Source: Perler

A plump little rainbow fish, for instance, comes together in a flash and makes the perfect keyring for the back-to-school backpack.

Source: DIY Candy

Fancy tackling a lovely turtle? This video tutorial shows, step by step, how to bead an ocean turtle — ideal for guiding the kids stress-free.

Our home-made grids to follow

Missing a few residents in your ocean? I have put together some simple home-made grids for you, to follow bead by bead (1 square = 1 bead) straight onto your pegboard.

The starfish

Round and sunny, perfect for using up your orange and yellow beads.

The jellyfish

A pink dome with floating tentacles: guaranteed effect, and child’s play to make.

The whale

The gentle giant of the seas, with its little water spout on top. Lovely in shades of blue.

Time to dive in!

That is plenty to fill a whole fuse-bead aquarium! My tip: start with one or two easy designs (the fish, the crab), then take on the big group aquarium on a rainy day. If you enjoyed this underwater trip, you will surely love our safari animals or our summer selection, in the same sun-soaked spirit. And do send me photos of your creations: nothing makes me happier than seeing your little oceans come to life. See you very soon for more beading!