As you know I am in the process of redoing Lorelei's Nursery. Originally it was an orange, black and white room for a teenager. Now it is a black, white and pink room for a toddler girl. So far the transformation has been a lot of fun and is looking really great. The room was originally all white with one orange wall and black trim. I kept the 3 white walls and the black trim and painted the orange parts pink. I put Lorelei's changing table (a vanity with a changing cover on it and diaper storage inside) in front of the only window. Lorelei used to always try and run away from me when I would change her diaper on the ground, but now she prefers to stare out the window or at the ceiling. I figured I would give her something beautiful to look at, especially since I plan on putting up curtains, which will impede her view of the outside.
A few years I saw Martha Stewart make pomander balls with cardstock and pins. Since then I have seen several people make their own versions: cardstock, felt, rosettes, tissue paper, fake flowers. Pomander balls are NOT a new thing and I am not being entirely original here. But I figured I would share MY way anyway, because I can, you know?
I do have a unique idea for hanging said pomander balls, which I will follow up with after I complete that step.
This is all you need. A bunch of fake flowers ($1.50 for a bunch of 8 at Wal-Mart or craft stores. The smaller styrofoam balls used 6 each and the bigger ball used 12... well 11 because I lost one somehow), styrofoam balls ($1 at the dollar store or if you live out in the middle of nowhere like me, $3.47 for six at Wal-Mart or craft stores. The bigger one was in a two pack for $3), and ribbon, which I had on hand or you can pick up from the dollar store or any craft store.
Start by popping all the flower heads off the stems. Don't seperate the petals and don't break off the little green thing that keeps it together.
Start with the top and bottom of your styrofoam ball and press a flower into the styrofoam. Press really hard so the little stump leaves an impression in the foam. After you make your hole, continue all the way around the ball making evenly spaced holes. On the little balls I had one on the top and bottom and four around the middle... Like a pair of dice.
After you have your ball "scored" with flower stem holes, start at the top and fill the hole with hot glue. Let it sit and sizzle for a second so it melts the foam a little. After you see it start to sink and melt the foam, press your flower in as hard as you can, taking care not to burn your fingers. You want the green part to be as flat and close to the surface of the ball as you can get it.
Here is a picture of the smooth foam ball. This is a denser foam so if you are using smooth foam you will want to use high heat if you have a dual temp gun and let the glue melt the foam a little longer before pressing your stem in. You may even add extra glue after it melts away a bit of the foam.
Continue gluing until your ball is completely covered in flowers!
Then cut a length of ribbon - mine was about 40" so I could tie a loop with a bow and have it dangle about 18". I cut the ribbons for my other two pomander balls at different lengths. The longest one was about 50" when I cut it and it dangles at about 2 feet. Tie a ribbon and then decide where on the ribbon you want the bow to dangle. Find the exact center of the bottom and pin it a couple inches above the bottom so it won't shift.
Find a spot on your ball that looks a little naked or bare, or if it is all full and perfect, just decide where you want to put your ribbon. Hot glue the ribbon down. I used an ink pen to press the ribbon really tightly against the glue without burning my fingers. Remove the pin and let the glue fully dry and then you are done.
Here is a picture of the pomander balls and Lorelei's changing station after the sun went down. Much easier to capture a picture without the glare from the sun!
I made all three of these pomander flower balls for under $6!
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