Posts Tagged ‘hot glue gun
Pinecone framed artwork
I finally get to use my pinecones I’ve been saving since March!
For this project I used the mini pinecones, not the jumbo ones, but don’t worry! I’ve got some jumbo pinecone crafts in the works! Yippie!
First, I found a frame in my stash of extra stuff I’m not using.
I love that this one is square.
Next I grabbed all my mini pinecones.
I patiently sat there and hot glued each pinecone directly onto the glass of the frame.
It was actually really easy and took me about 10 or 15 minutes.
I love that you can see through the frame.
And here’s the back of the frame. You can see all the hot glue!
When I was done I hung it up on the wall…
And then I stared at it for like a month.
There was just *something* about this artwork that I didn’t like.
Then it finally hit me. It’s too plain and boring. So I added an ornament from the Dollar Store.
I already like it about 1000 times better.
But I still wanted more color, so I added this ornament from Target (it was in a 4 pack for $1).
And now I’m happy.
Have you made any pinecone crafts this year? Tell me about it in my comments section!
Decor Ball Overload
Last week I had the privilege of doing a guest post at
Here is a rendition of the post I made for her blog. I hope you all enjoy another decor ball post.
More decor balls. Yes, I am crazy.
I promise this.is.my.last. decor ball post. Maybe.
I want to show you how to make a variety of decor balls. These are very popular right now – who doesn’t love a basket of decor balls?
Here’s a tutorial on how to make pretty much any type of decor ball you could ever want.
First, load up on your “gear”.
You need a basic ball to start with. For this tutorial I used ping-pong balls, foam balls in assorted sizes, and training balls.
You also need some materals to wrap around the balls. I used twine, cotton string, jute, and wicker. I also found some black string with sparkles in it.
For basic decor balls, just start with whatever size ball you want and wrap the twine around it gluing every 1/2″ or so.
Keep wrapping and gluing until you reach the opposite side of the ball.
Ta Da! Super easy!
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Now for the two-toned decor ball:
Start by gluing down two colors of string side by side.
Then just start gluing down both strands together in a spiral motion.
When I got to the end I realized there was a big hole in the ball, so I just cut out a circle from a piece of thin cardboard and glued it on the ball.
Then I just glued the strands over the piece of cardboard.
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Braided decor ball:
This one was a little more tricky, but still doable.
Start by gluing three very long pieces of twine to your ball. Braid them about 3″
From there just start wrapping the braid around and gluing it down in the same spiral fashion that you did the other balls.
I would just braid a little, then wrap and glue, then braid more. Make sure you cut very long pieces of twine, otherwise you are going to have to try to add more in the middle of making your ball.
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Two-tone twisted decor ball:
I made this one the same way as the basic two-tone decor ball, but instead of just gluing the twine down, I twisted it together before I glued it.
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Wicker balls:
The tutorial for the large ball can be found here.
For this set of balls, from largest to smallest I used: a fake nerf basketball, plastic training ball, foam ball, and a ping-pong ball.
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Baby balls
For the baby balls I used jute and ping-pong balls.
Jute balls
Different ball sizes I used:
I’m pretty sure you now know how to make any type of decor ball you could ever want.
I’d love to see some that you’ve made!
Here are links to balls I’ve already taught you how to make. No use posting the same tutorial twice, right?
and
I loosely promise to not post any more decor ball tutorials ever again! for at least a month.
If you’ve made any decor balls recently, post a link in my comments section!
The Magical Fruit
Today I’m going to show you how to make the most awesome decor balls out of beans.
And let me tell you what, these balls are absolutely magical! 
Yes, you read that right. Beans.
(If you don’t know me by now, I really like creating cool stuff using totally random items.)
I saw some decor balls at Michael’s Arts and Crafts last week and my first thought was,
“Are those Beans? Seriously, beans?”
Followed by my second thought,
“$4.99 ?!?! Per Ball ?! WHAT ?!!!
Which was quickly followed by my third thought,
“I’m takin’ a picture of this and I’m making my own. There’s no way I’m paying five bucks a ball for some beans!”
And here’s the photo, courtsey of my iPhone – hence the most fabulous quality.
And here’s how YOU can create your very own bean balls.
Buy a bag of beans. Pinto Beans are a great size to work with. Also, get some type of ball – I used foam craft balls.
Start gluing the beans onto the ball. I kept the ball from rolling off the counter by setting it inside a spray paint lid.
After I started gluing the beans on I realized I should probably mark the circumference of the ball with a sharpie so my bean lines were straight.
Then I just kept gluing the beans on in a nice flat tidy row.
Be careful while making your bean balls. You know what they say about beans being the magical fruit… You don’t want any explosions in your crafting area. 
Done. Cool, hua?
What good is a decor ball all by itself?
I made a 2nd one with a different pattern on it. Can you see the pattern??
Once the balls were done I primed them with spray paint primer.
Then I spray painted one black and one brown using flat spray paint.
I think they look great with the Large Decor Ball.
Don’t waste your five bucks on a cheap-o bean ball. Just make some.
Personally I think mine look way better than the Michael’s one anyway.
Michael’s ball:
Ewwwww.
House of Hepworths decor balls:
Hooray!
Ya, mine are better.
And less gassy.
Hey! I'm Allison Hepworth. Welcome to my blog. I love showing tutorials for cool crafts, DIY projects, renovations, and decorating. My family and I live in Austin, Texas. To find out more or to contact me click 
