Supplies:
Foam Balls (any size you want)
Joint Compound (Can be found at Walmart over in the hardware section)
Mica Flakes, Glass Glitter or regular glitter
ModgePodge
I grew up in Florida and now live in North Carolina-I prefer these kinda snowballs to the real thing anyday!!
There are a few ways to do this...
*You can roll the balls in the mica/glitter while the joint compound is still wet...I'd wait until the compound "sets up" a bit before trying it that way tho!
*You can skip the joint compound and just use modge podge and roll the ball in the mica.
This is the way that I do them...
-SQUEEZE your foam balls or roll them on the counter to "compact" them-you don't HAVE to do this but I like to get my stress out!! HA HA!
-Open your joint compound and STIR STIR STIR! Get your hands dirty...use your hands and fingers to press the compound onto the foam-doesn't have to be even or "pretty"! A little tip is to let the joint compound sit for a little while to harden a bit-maybe 30 minutes. It can be pretty slushy otherwise. I just set the balls on some aluminum foil on my counter.
-Let dry overnight.
-You can elect to sand them a bit or use them as is!...In the pic you can see the difference in them.Use 150 grit sandpaper and sand them lightly. My suggestion is to dampen your hands a bit and rub them over the balls first. Sanding joint compound get VERY dusty and the little bit of moisture helps with that...Otherwise I'd advise wearing a mask or something similar over your mouth and nose and sand them OUTSIDE! (Remember it's dusty-Don't wanna have to clean anymore than we have to right??)
-Once they are sanded, dust them off. Lay some aluminum foil or parchment paper down on your work surface. Dump some Mica Flakes into a plastic bowl. Using a sponge brush, coat your ball with modgepodge then roll the ball in the mica flakes. I hold the bowl and "swirl" it around. Take it out and set it on your work surface to dry!
Lots of uses for these...use the smaller balls to fill up a mason jar or put in with some wintertime potpourri or fixins. Decorate a sewing drawer or cheese box light, add to a wood bowl or basket with some greenery or pip berries. Set them on a shelf with some of your snowman collectibles! They are a great addition to your winter decorating!
1 comment:
These look great! I did them last year for my booth and did not use the joint compound, but mixed the "bagged snow" for christmas scenes mixed with my modge podge and added used coffee grounds in some for grubby snowballs, then let dry. I sprayed mine with spray glue and then sprinkled with mica flakes. They looked good but did not sell as well as I would have liked, the foam balls are so expensive... does anyone have an idea for getting them cheeper or using something else?? Kim
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