Tuesday, November 1, 2011

DIY Twine Balls

Super easy and possibly messy!  These twine balls are awesome hanging, as part of a visual collection, or piled into a decorative bowl.

Get a friend to help and, if you are making the giant ones, get more friends!  I did some with those giant balloons (3 feet in diameter), and I had one person feeding the twine to the glue person.  The glue person then fed the goopy twine to me and I needed two people to help hold the balloon.  So we needed five people to do the biggies.

Supplies:
balloons
vaseline
string/twine/jute/yarn
toothpicks
glue
water
plastic plate
plastic tablecloths



Directions:
1. Blow up your balloons, making sure they stay as round as possible.  Some balloons can get really egg-shaped quickly, so use them for the tinier balls.  Once inflated, rub a small amount of vaseline onto the surface, coating thoroughly.

2. In the plastic plate, mix up your glue by blending 3 parts glue to 1 part water.  Saturate the twine by running it through the glue, wiping off excess with your fingers.

3. Wrap the twine randomly around the balloon.  Tuck your end under the twine to hold it in place.

Thanks to K & A for being my photo models!

4. Hang the balloons to dry.  We tied them onto a large dowel (a hockey stick or unused broom stick would work too) and let them dry for 24 hours.  Make sure you put a plastic tarp or tablecloth underneath to catch all the paint drips! (Note: you don't need to use a fan or hairdryer on these.  We were only trying to accelerate the dry time.)


5. Poke the balloon gently with a toothpick to pop it.  Pull the deflated balloon carefully out through the open spaces of the twine.  Use the toothpick to remove any bits of dried glue from between the twine, and you're all done!

6. To hang, using fishing line to attach to the twine balls and a tack to attach to the ceiling.



Linking up with some great parties!

25 comments:

Unknown said...

wow, that is amazing, so simple but complex..wonderful! thank you for sharing.

6th Grade said...

ok, this is really cool! and how about making them in different colors!! oooh-la-la...love it!

amy

Jan@southernjunkin' said...

Messy but so cute! I've been making these for years and love sharing the craft with my kids!!

very merry vintage style said...

Great tutorial--they turned out really nice. Thanks for linking up to Share the Love Wednesday!
Mary

Miss Kitty said...

Thanks for sharing your technique.
I tried to make normal size balls with yarn a few days ago by myself...much more time consuming than I thought (I guess 'cause I was the feeder, the gluer, and the wrapper). I need to try it again with the vaseline and twine instead of yarn. I saw your pot over at Strut Your Stuff Party.

Heaven's Walk said...

Sooooo ethereal looking! Love this craft! :)

xoxo laurie

Artsy VaVa said...

These look great! Small ones would make beautiful Christmas ornaments! Thanks for sharing.

Robin Johnson said...

I love it. What a fun project.

The Corson Cottage said...

I love this! What a cute simple project that looks great! Carrie

Trish @MomOnTimeout said...

I've seen this done with yarn but the twine makes it so much more delicate. I'd love for you to share at my party if you have a chance: http://www.momontimeout.com/2011/11/taking-timeout-thursday-link-party-no-3.html

-Trish

Terri @ A Creative Princess said...

That's great! I love it and am going to have to try to make some! I would love for you to link up to “It’s a Party” going on right now!
www.acreativeprincess.blogspot.com

Marji Roy said...

Hey, we are on the same wave length. I just posted about various handmade orb lights using this technique. Maybe I should just make the globes without the electricity like yours. Nice composition of sizes in the photo.
http://www.ashbeedesign.com/2011/11/orb-lights-ideas-for-diy-solutions.html

Shaylynn said...

This is sooo cool! And that last photo is absolutely magical. :)

jess@balancing the dream said...

I absolutely love this!!! I'm pinning it as we speak!

Ashley Joe said...

Love this! Such a great addition to any room!

Maureen said...

Love it!
I'd love for you to link up to my Fresh Friday Link party!
http://www.releasemecreations.com/2011/11/fresh-fridays-link-party-2-on-release.html

Robin Ange said...

These look like so much fun! I would love it if you would link it up to my weekly linky party Upcycled Awesome: http://tinyurl.com/upcycledawesome

Unknown said...

Very cute! I am featuring this at somedaycrafts.blogspot.com. Grab my 'featured' BUTTON.

Edith said...

This is such a good idea and it inspires me to do something unique for Christmas!

Sachiko said...

This is so amazing! Thank you for linking to my party, I love this idea!

Lapin Lune said...

These are gorgeous! Love!

kim west said...

featured this today at my blog! it's fantastic!
www.kimboscrafts.blogspot.com

Juf said...

Awesome! I just pinned this.
Jacqueline (visiting from TRH)

Anonymous said...

I love the shadows that the twine balls cast. These are so simple and beautiful!

Anonymous said...

They look so fun to make! I've got this linked to my twine post too today, well done!

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