**EDIT** - In this weird time of covid-19, we did not meet in person to complete this project. The project was started in February before the quarantine began. We got to the part where we glued buttons all over the balloon and Courtney worked on the project some (since we left everything at her house and she's super generous with her time) and sent me pictures for this blog post. I picked up the semi-finished project from her porch--contactless!--and finished up the rest at home.
I’m so excited because I haven't posted a DIY
tutorial (or any sort of blog, really) in ages and I’m finally getting to now! I'm part of a semi-regular
craft night with three other women (Courtney--one of my really good friends and
mother & wife extraordinaire, Jessa--who is always so generous in providing
our art supplies, and Rachelle--owner of the wildly successful international
yarn brand, Moon Drake). Our last project was to make a bowl from glue
and buttons. They turned out really nice. 😄 Mine is currently in my sewing room.
Just a warning: this project takes forever to complete due to
having to wait for layer upon layers of glue to dry, so don’t start it if you’re
short on time. LOL
DIY
Button Bowl:
SUPPLIES – buttons, balloon, Sharpee (or another brand) marker, paint brush, glue (we used Elmer’s), mod podge, plastic cup, water resistant coating.
SUPPLIES – buttons, balloon, Sharpee (or another brand) marker, paint brush, glue (we used Elmer’s), mod podge, plastic cup, water resistant coating.
1.
Inflate balloon; the top of the balloon will
be the size of the bowl.
2.
Set the balloon on top of a plastic cup for
balance. It will remain here for the duration of this project. So use a cup you won’t be needing for the foreseeable future. LOL
3.
Use a permanent marker to outline the
size/shape of the bowl onto the balloon.
4.
Brush Elmer’s glue onto the bowl portion of
the balloon.
We used three coats of clue and left the balloon alone to dry over night. I think
each layer took 1 – 2 hours to dry but I wasn’t really timing it. While we were
waiting for the glue to dry, Courtney and I ate dinner 🍲😋🥘and painted our fingernails. 💅
5.
Using Elmer’s glue, adhere buttons over the dried
glue.
*Glue the buttons above the Sharpee line.
*Glue a large button in the top center so the bowl will balance once its taken off the balloon.
The buttons should be spaced pretty close together but don’t worry if there is empty space in between. The mod podge will fill all of that in. We left our balloons alone and let them dry over night.
While not necessary, Jessa & I covered our balloons with plastic wrap so the buttons wouldn’t get disturbed.
*Glue the buttons above the Sharpee line.
*Glue a large button in the top center so the bowl will balance once its taken off the balloon.
The buttons should be spaced pretty close together but don’t worry if there is empty space in between. The mod podge will fill all of that in. We left our balloons alone and let them dry over night.
While not necessary, Jessa & I covered our balloons with plastic wrap so the buttons wouldn’t get disturbed.
6.
Brush mod podge over the buttons and let dry
over night.
7.
Take the balloon off the cup and pop it (cut
the knot from the bottom of the balloon and carefully let the air out). Slowly
peel the balloon off the button bowl. This is when I picked up my semi-finished bowl from Courtney's porch. I decided last minute to paint the inside of the bowl red to match the buttons.
8.
Brush water resistant coating onto the inside
and outside of the bowl. Let dry.
And we’re finally done!! The project itself is pretty
easy. It just took forever to dry. I’m curious to make other bowls from different
small objects…like beads or confetti or jewelry/charms. So many things to
experiment with!! Another quarantine project!!
