The Atta Girls have lots of craft friends. On occasion, we will ask one of them to share their handiwork with you.
Here’s a post from our friend, Amanda, who is quite the whiz at making wreaths.
“If you’re from the South or have ever visited the South, there’s a chance you’ve seen little, brown, spiky balls with stems lying on the ground.
They are known by many names, but I call them gum balls or sweet gum balls.
While visiting, my mother mentioned I need to find a craft that involved using all the gum balls that were lying over my entire backyard. I find this tutorial from Bee Interiors via the amazing Google and off to crafting I went.
Here’s what I made:
Items you’ll need:
- a lot of gum balls
- clippers to cut stems
- glue gun with a lot of glue sticks
- a wreath form
- burlap, ribbon or fabric to make a hanger
Sorry, I did not take pictures of the first few step… I was too busy gathering up gum balls, chasing my boys and pricking my fingers.
- Gather up a lot of gum balls. The boys and I filled an old grocery bag.
- Clip off all the stems. I sat down in front of the TV and watched Live With Kelly when Josh Groban was the co-host, and I was in clipping heaven.
- Bake the gum balls in the oven at 200 degrees for about 10 minutes. This is to make sure there isn’t anything living in the holes.
- Cut material into strips and wrap it around the form. (I used a straw wreath form, but a foam one would probably work, too.) I used black burlap since I had it leftover from another project. I suggest you use a dark color since it might show between the spaces of the gum balls.
- Dab hot glue on the form and placed the ball on top of it. Continue this process until the form is completely covered — dozens of gum balls later.
- Make a hanger using burlap, ribbon or fabric. I tied the brown burlap around the wreath to make a rustic hanger.
I’m very pleased at how easy, inexpensive yet classy this project turned out (IMHO).
I’m absolutely tickled about how I was able to reuse something from nature, created by God, to hang in my house!! It makes me want to pat myself of the back and say ATTA GIRL! 😉
Cheryl
Can you use this wreath on the outside of your door?
Atta Girl Amy
Definitely!
cookiemomma
I so LOVE this!!!