HYDRO BUBBLES

  Wonderin' what these 4 vials of little beads are? Well, they could possibly be my BFF! These ordinary looking beads are called Hydro Bubbles. Hydro Bubbles, commonly known as "water beads" were originally designed to keep farmers' soil damp so that the water wouldn't evaporate. I can't imagine they were as lovely as Hydro Bubbles, but I reckon that's where these little guys began. 


  Hydro Bubbles are left for a few hours to soak in water and eventually, they plump up to a much larger size. Then they can be added to your plants because they slowly release the water into the plant, plus they make your plant look prettier! 


  Besides serving a purpose for watering your plants, Hydro Bubbles have an even more fun/lovely purpose -- decoration! I adore how these bubbly dudes look in a crystal clear glass vase or simple jar. They add fun personality to a room. Plus, these are amazing little projects for young children...or old children...or adults. My lovie and I have had a real blast with these! They never get old! I keep checking mine to see if they're totally deflated yet just so I can re-do them. It's a lot of fun.


  Of course you should monitor young children around the beads as they can swallow them. I want to go ahead and warn about that now. And for some reason, these beautiful beads are very appealling to a two year old! My neice is 2 and she has to really use her will power not to eat em'! She puts them to her lips and says "we can't eat em!" Ha Ha. Like she's reminding herself not to eat the Hydro Bubbles. It's adorable, but I have to keep an eye on her because her will power could run out at any second! 


  As far as I know, Hydro Bubbles are non-toxic, but they can be choking hazards to small children and pets. I guess they just look so tasty because my weiner dog licked them too! Also, you should not drop them down the drain -- could definitely cause clogging! As we were in the process of adding the beads to water, my sister and I got on the subject of 'what happens if one drops down the drain?' Hmmm... "well, they expand when in water, so they'd probably never die down/evaporate since you use the sink often." What a bummer, but we couldn't help but realize just how fun these things could truly be if you have an enemy! Ha. Ha. I'm only joking. Really. So please do not go stuffing water beads down your neighbor who plays loud music all night & sleeps all day's drain! And do not ever stuff them in your EX's gas tank! I'm serious guys. I'm not condoning this kind of behavior. This is an "at your own risk" kind of thing here. :)


  So, when the kids are nagging you all day & you're praying to God that school goes back in service early and never lets out, remember just how many hours of fun I have had personally with Hydro Bubbles. 


  Since all you need is water & the Hydro Bubbles, it's a very easy & clean project. No big messes to clean after. I mean, the worst that could happen really is spilling your quart(s) of water or dropping the beads and we've dropped em'! These guys feel delicate when plumped up and they feel as if they'll burst, but they've taken quite a few drops. Held up just fine. 


  In my hands, the Hydro Bubbles feel sort of slimey. I love it! They're a tad slippery. They feel like a tiny water balloon. Hollow like if you busted one, water would spill out, but that's not exactly how it works. Once plumped up, they feel like they'd burst and leak, but they're actually more solid. What I mean is, on the inside, it's a gelatin-like material. Not a hollow bead. Interesting. If one busts or is sliced in half -- it can happen if you try, even with fingernails -- it's gooey all the way through. I have seen waterbeads before and they were all busted in half. Not full little balls. I didn't love that. Like I said, it's possible to bust them and they will still work, but they just don't look as nice as the full, round balls. It's no big deal if a few bust though. 






-Made of a super-absorbant polymer, Hydro Bubbles hold 100X's their own weight in water!

- HydroBubbles come in eleven different colors.  The different HydroBubbles colors are Blue, Hot Pink (though the hot pink looks more like Scarlet in all honesty), Light Pink, Melon, Teal, True Green, Orange, Yellow, Purple, Crystal Clear, & Snow White.

Click HERE to visit Hydro Bubbles website & see photos of the gorgeous decoration ideas they've shared. & Click HERE to see their lovely photos using the Hydro Bubbles in plants -- truly beautiful! My favorite is putting the colorful little beads into a shiny glass vase or even cup and sitting them out for everyone to see and love. My family members were going crazy over these little guys. My sister couldn't resist, she had to take a few home with her & is getting an indoor plant now just so she can show of her Hydro Bubbles. 

HOW TO USE HYDRO BUBBLES

- 1 container of HydroBubbles, mixed with 1 quart of water and twelve hours time will be enough to fill a quart sized container. If you're like me and your measuring cup doesn't have quarts, remember that one quart is equal to one cup. So I used a measuring cup to fill the water up to 4 cups and added 4 vials of beads. I let them soak in the measuring cup and then put them for display in a prettier clear glass jar. 

I'm typing this right now, 5 minutes after putting my first vial of the purple Hydro Bubbles in the water and they're already starting to puff up! (I put a photo below of how they look right now, 5 mins after being put in water)They look so neat. I have the cup of puffing beads sitting next to me on a stool so that I can watch them the whole time. These little guys are very entertaining! Also, the little beads can look a certain color when they're not full of water. For instance, these purple ones looked black in the container, but once they soak in the water, their true color begins to show. The hot pink look totally red before they've been put in water. They do turn out the correct color though, so no worries.

Hydro Bubbles after 5 mins of being in water

 

  Check em' out! I know the photo up there is really large and funny shaped, but that's because I cropped it so ya'll could see up-close. This was taken about 1 hour (maybe a tad longer) after putting the purple in water and about 40 minutes after putting the clear in water. How awesome! You see how they look bumpy, like a rasberry or mulberry or some kind of bumpy berry? I just love that, it's the neatest thing I ever seen! The water beads I saw in the past didn't do this cool little plumpy thing. This disappears and you're left with a full, perfectly round bead, but I still think this stage is so neat. I suppose if you really liked them like this, you could take them out of the water once they hit the bumpy stage. Only difference is you'd need to "re-plump" em' sooner than if you left them for the full recommended 12 hours.

  

- When the twelve hours are complete, simply drain off any excess water that remains.  The HydroBubbles will be about "marble" sized.  Over the next three to five weeks, the HydroBubbles will contract, slowly forcing the water out.  If using them for watering plants, they will provide the water over time that your plants need.

This is the pink Hydro Bubbles. They look red in the tube, before they start puffing up. Here they've been in the water for about 10 minutes. They're growing right this moment! I love looking over and seeing that there's beads overflowing the cup! It's awesome.

- Hydro Bubbles can be used as decorations, because they are quite beautiful.  Whether using them as decor or as hydration for plants, you should empty any excess water that accumulates at the bottom on a weekly basis.

- After about 3-5 weeks, you'll notice your HydroBubbles have become smaller.  When you notice this (once per month on average), just fill the container with water before you go to sleep.  When you wake up, drain off any excess water.  The bubbles will be nice and full again.

- When used for decor, you can either mix the colors together or you can layer the colors on top of one another (after they've been made in a seperate container).  The latter of the two, gives us more control in the colors.  To layer them, simply make each color in a seperate container.  Then, place the first color in your vase until you see fit.  You can either add the second color over top of the first one for a more abrupt transition.  Alternatively, you can take a handful of each color, mix them up and then drop them in to make more of a transition between the two colors.  

- If you add clear to the top of any container (filled with HydroBubbles), it will make them really sparkle and looks as if light is coming off the vase.

- If you decide you want to put them away, you can make them go back to their original size.  To do so, get a cookie sheet and a piece of wax paper.  Spread the HydroBubbles out on that wax paper lined cookie sheet and let them air dry.  You should do this inside and out of direct sunlight.  They will return to their original size.  This process takes about two to three days.  After they have returned to their original size, wait another day, so that they dry up a bit.  Then, you can either return them to their vial for later use or you can put them in a plastic bag, providing the bag can be zipped shut after the air is removed.  Then, put them away and get them out when you're ready to use them again.  When they're smaller, you should be careful and try not to squeeze them.  They can be delicate at this stage of "life" and the result will be that they form "oddly" next time you fill them up.

- Used properly (per our instruction sheet), the HydroBubbles will last for about 1 to 1.5 years before needing replaced.

Hydo Bubbles are so beautiful that I can't stop staring at them! I keep re-arranging and playing with them. It's hard not to touch/keep messing with them. They're so beautiful we can't resist! I love the bold colors. They're the first thing noticed when someone walks in and sees a glass of them sitting on the table. 

Hydo Bubbles are also loads of fun for kids! Really. One packet of Hydro Bubbles kept the one year old, 12 year old and 7 year old busy for an entire Sunday. Thankfully, these babies were strong enough to survive being dropped on the ground a gazillion times. These make a wonderful, quick, non-messy bonding experience. Watching them grow is fun as well.

My Pearl Of The Day -- fun water beads!

Gallon of water & the tiny beads -- the supplies in green basket are NOT needed. They just happened to be on my desk during the process.

WHAT ARE WATER BEADS USED FOR?
  Thanks to Crystal Water Beads for including so much wonderful information, I can answer that question for you. It's always interesting to me to learn about a companies product, especially when the product is as cool as the water beads! 

This is a photo of the bottom of the water jug immediately after putting in the beads! How awesome does that look?

  The Water Beads were originally invented for farmers -- to keep moisture from evaporating from the soil so quickly. 

  Water Beads are super tiny when they haven't been submersed in water. When they arrive, they're about the size of a pin-head. Very small! Ok, about the size of a flea too, a small flea.  Once they've been soaked in the water, they absorb it and plump up.  These guys, as you see the difference in size in my photos, hold a lot of water! They start out tiny and then suddenly you look in the container and you have plump, beautiful beads! 

  Then the Crystal Water Beads can be poured into your plants soil and there they will slowly release their water, doing so without the water getting evaporated into the air! That's what makes these cuties ideal for plants. I have 3 aloe plants, as ya'll know, I eat them, so it's important to keep those guys healthy. Aloe needs very little water and the Crystal Water Beads are absolutely perfect for watering just enough, without overdoing it. Plus they really add some style to my plants. 

  And who doesn't want to show off their beautiful water beads? Well, I certainly do, so I've managed to dig up a pretty clear jar to show them off, for decorative purposes! Going to the Crystal Water Beads store site will give you many gorgeous ideas on ways to use and show off your fabulous Crystal Water Beads. 

  The only problem is, now I'm wanting to fill all kinds of vases full of the gorgeous little guys and display them in every single room, on every single table top and dresser we have! They're just so pretty I can't resist.

  Another wonderful thing about these beads -- you can choose so many different lovely colors, so you're color options and decorative personality never gets old. You can mix pink with black, purple with pink like I did and change them to match the room colors/theme or to even add some fun, unique touch to a boring room. They look pretty in flower vases or just sitting alone in a clear glass vase/bottle. Since they're so pretty, they don't necessarily need anything extra. Just a jar of the beauties is enough to add personality and a unique touch.

  

INSTRUCTIONS:

This is the best part about the water beads -- it's easy, quick and makes no mess. This makes it a perfect little project to include kids on. They'll enjoy watching the water beads "grow." Ours love, love, love the water beads!  Oh yea, the instructions.

*Add contents of package to 5 cups of room temperature purified water -- Not filtered or spring -- per 5 grams of beads.

*Allow the beads to stand in the water for 5-7 hours.  For the Marble Beads, allow 6-8 hours and for the Square Beads, allow 8-10 hours. You'll see a photos of the round regular Water Beads and the Square ones here. Those are the type I chose, but I think we'll end up ordering the others here very soon. I will update and show photos of those when we order.

*After the recommended amount of time has passed, drain the water and use as desired! 

 Why must it be purified water only?
  Using any other water could result in the bead not plumping. In other words, your beads may not "grow" if you don't use the recommended purified water.

OH NO! I don't know what purified water is or where to find it.
 It's OK. I promise. You can find purified water at about any grocery store and possibly even convenient stores, but don't hold me to that last one. If you've ever bottle-fed a baby or bought a new fish tank, chances are, you have purchased purified water from a store. You can usually find it in the diaper section. Or at least that's where it's at in my local Ingles. Just look for the gallon clear jug of water that will say "purified water" on the front. 

STORING AND CARING FOR YOUR LOVELY WATER BEADS
    Crystal Water Beads.com says:
" To store the beads, remove them from water. Accelerate dehydration by spreading them out on a dry towel in the open air and out of a humid environment.  Once they are fully dehydrated and close to their original size, seal them in a air tight container such as Tupperware or Zip Lock.  

For extended life, keep them out of direct sunlight and away from temperatures above 85 degrees F while storing. "

The Water Beads come packaged in a little sealed plastic baggy. Well, the samples do. I don't know about a full size. I believe the large, full sizes come in a large plastic bag. Included is a little paper with instructions and this:

  "CAUTION:

• Do not take internally.  Keep out of reach of children and pets.  Although this product is non-toxic, it may present a choking hazard for children.

• Do not flush down drains.

• For decorative use only."
•  

  Crystal Water Beads store also has an amazing project going on called the Beads Grow Seeds Project! It's so awesome. Here's an excerpt about the project straight from their webpage: 

  "The Beads Grow Seeds Projects is focused on providing Super Absorbent Polymer for Village farmers to use in the soil for a better success rate in their crops. 

When a customer buys our product or makes a donation, we use these funds to purchase Super Absorbent Polymer. We will take this product to the troubled soil area's around the world and work with the locals to install the product.

When added to the soil, plant roots grow around and through the swollen polymer, where they are able to extract the stored water and nutrients. The controlled release of water and nutrients aids plants in achieving optimal moisture conditions for maximum plant growth.

With severe droughts occurring on a more frequent basis due to global warming, water absorbing polymers will help food sources survive by reducing irrigation requirements up to 50%. This product will continue to work in the soil for up to 8 years.

Check Back for updates & pictures!"

*Clicking the link there will take you to their Beads Grow Seeds page, so that you can go see for yourself. 

The prices at Crystal Water Beads Store are so perfectly affordable that you can order beads for every event, every plant, or as I think I'll end up doing, for every single room in your house! They're amazing! As soon as we were pouring our beads into the water, my lovie said "how much are these things? I want more!"  Looks like I'm not the only fan. Who can blame us? They're so fun!

Crystal Soil USA -- Rainbow Mud

  Crystal Soil USA is a company that sells a wide variety of the water bead products. They have such beautiful choices, ranging from Rainbow Mud to Marbled Water Beads to Crystal Soil! They are definitely worth taking a look at. Hard choice though, they're all so fabulous! 

  The Rainbow Mud is what I'm going to talk about today though. In the future, I plan to order the marbled beads and a few others, so those will be shared at a later date. For now, let's check out the neat Rainbow Mud!

  

The photo above is the contents of the packet of Rainbow Mud (shown in the very first photo) poured into a bowl full of water.

You can see that these little dudes start out as tee-tiny little round balls. About the size of a pin. 

Looking closely you can see the colors, which in the photo above they look orange, clear, red and green and black.

Once the beads have soaked in water and began to puff up, the orange, red and black actually turn purple, a beautiful neon-ish pink & yellow. I love the pink! It's stunning.

Instructions:

The little packet comes with tiny instructions on the back. It warns you NOT to let the beads fall down the drain, for obvious reasons as they puff up in water & if one was to fall down the sink hole, you'd have a clog! 

It says to leave the beads in water for a few hours. This entire packet of beads was poured into a bowl of water and they began to "grow" in 30 minutes. Before an hour and a half was up, they were full-sized! That is pretty quick. We love watching them "grow."

  

Here's what they looked like once they puffed up:

Lovely, aren't they? The Rainbow Mud can be used in a pretty glass vase/jar for decoration purposes or you can put them in your plants to water & make them look pretty.

These water beads were actually originally designed to keep the farmers' soil damp. Now, they're used for keeping plants watered & for deco! There are several different ways to use them to add personality to a room. Be creative!

Plus, these little guys are SO much fun to "grow." They make a fun, no-mess project for kids & adults. The kids (and if you're like us, adults too) love watching them puff up. They never ever get old! 

When shopping the Crystal Soil USA site, you can choose your own colors or go with packs that have a variety of colors combined. I like a variety, but you can always do your own thing.