Having a (decorative) Ball

I like to have some sort of simple centerpiece I can keep on my dining room table that accents and contrasts with the rest of the decor. I've never been a big fan of those decoratively covered balls that people will just put in a dish, but I think I slowly started to change my mind on them.

Over the holidays, my centerpiece was a covered cake plate filled with painted glass ornaments that I made several years ago. I really liked how it turned out. So now I need something a little less holiday and a little more every day.

I found printed tissue paper at my local Michael's and thought it would be the perfect accent to the colors I have in my house. We have a pretty blue wall that runs from the living room through the dining room and richly colored hardwood floors. I think these tan and black balls will accent the table perfectly.

The best part: super simple and cheap to make. Made of tissue paper, styrofoam balls and diluted white glue, I think I may have spent a total of $6 for the whole project.

The process was just to tear the tissue paper in to small, manageable pieces, water down some Elmer's glue and use a foam brush to get it all put together. Think paper mache process. Let them dry for a few hours, rotating occasionally to evenly dry them, and then stick them in a pretty bowl or basket. I can probably clear coat them with something, but haven't yet. I don't intend for them to be played with any time soon so I may do that a bit later.

This is just another example of high style from low cost supplies!