Learning from the past....

So my epic fail a few days ago was salvaged with buttons, but being as my sister is not the only one who received all the perseverance in the family, I was determined to make my paper-pieced decorative ball happen. So I decided to google search Styrofoam crafts and low and behold I found this......Dow has a craft site for Styrofoam. Go figure. So then I find this little gem: Old World Globes in a Bowl.....exactly what I was trying to achieve. So after head-smacking myself....I pull out the needed ingredients for this project. Beware though....this is a MESSY project.

What's needed:

• Modge Podge (or a mixture of 2 parts glue to 1 part water. I used Modge Podge)
• Image printed on paper (I got mine from The Graphics Fairy, I searched on maps and choose a map of Paris and London)
• Styrofoam balls
• toothpicks
• cups
• wax paper (I used this as a place mat)
• paper plate
• Spackle (I used DAP)
• fine grit sanding block

What I did:

Using my fingers, I put a finger-full of Spackle onto the Styrofoam ball and then spread it around as evenly as possible. I did about half the ball then dropped it into the cup to dry while I did the other ball. I then went back and did the other halves. I place them in the cup to dry.

After they had dried a bit, I put in three toothpicks as a base and then tipped the cup over and placed the ball on the toothpicks to finish drying. Keep the cups you will need them later.

After the Spackle dried, I lightly sanded the balls to remove most of the knobby bits that were left after applying the Spackle. I didn't get them completely smooth but mostly.

I then place two tooth picks into opposite sides of the balls. I cut my images into 1/2" strips. You could also tear them, but I didn't want any tooth on my paper and the paper cutter was faster.

I put a good size amount of modge podge onto the paper plate. I then ran the backside of my image through the glue. I made sure to keep the entire thing over the plate and wax paper, because it did drip as I ran my fingers down it to remove the excess glue. I then laid the strips down over the ball, smoothing as I went. I covered the entire ball with paper. I found it easier to rest the ball inside the cup with the toothpicks acting as anchors while I prepped each strip of paper. The toothpicks also came in handy as I was smoothing the paper onto the ball, it gave me something to hang on to that wasn't covered in glue. Try not to touch the paper after its on the ball as it will rip and come off on your fingers.

After I had all the strips on the ball...I liberally coated my fingers in glue and did a once-over on the ball, making sure to keep my fingers wet with glue. If they get dry then your fingers will start to stick to the ball.

I laid the balls down inside the cups, making sure to balance them in the center so that none of the sides touched, and let them dry. I watched a movie while doing the gluing and the drying. By the time the movie was over the balls were ready to be handled.

I saw somewhere that you can also apply a shoe-polish finish to the paper balls to achieve something that looks like leather, and I may do this in the future, but for now I'm happy with my decoupage' :)  So there are all the balls that I decorated this week. I'm happy with the look and actually I may incorporate some smaller balls, I'm thinking just small wood ones (2" or smaller, I think) to fill in some of the spaces in the bowl. This is the bowl I got the other day from the Salvation Army.

I'm linking up to the following parties:
http://www.theshabbychiccottage.net/2010/03/transformation-thursday-paint-reveal.html?

Till next time....enjoy your day!