Flower Balls | decoration

What we're making today!

What you need:

• foam balls (they come in packs of 1, 3 or 6 depending on the size you choose to get.  I got the 6 pack from Roberts Crafts but I actually think they're cheaper at Hobby Lobby)
• dowels, for the stem (also purchased from Roberts Crafts, I got a couple skinny ones back by the custom framing department for like .79cents a pop)
• scrapbook paper (for these little 3" balls it takes about 2 squares of scrapbook paper per ball-I actually use two different shades, so it uses about half of each)
• pins (white ball kind, also purchasable from Hobby lobby for pretty cheap)
• 1 flower punch found at Michaels (the flowers I have are more like daisies and I like the hydrangea...so had I to do it over again I'd do that for two reasons.  One, I like the look of it better, two, it's a larger punch and you have to punch fewer flowers!)

To begin:
1.  For the flowers.  Punch out your flowers.  If you're going to do two different shades of flowers you only need about 3/4 of both squares.  So punch out your flowers and put them in piles.  On my flower balls I have two different shades of scrapbook paper.  This was an accident because I ran out of flowers on the first one so for the second flower I decided to do the bottom petals a darker shade than the top petals.  I like it because it adds a little dimension to it.

 2.  Now what I do, is start in the middle and make a ring around the ball.

3.  Then I go up.  I've found it's easiet, or less time consuming after I get my first round done, to stash the bottom ones underneath the other layers....see picture.

4.  Just keep doing this all around the flower and you're done!

5.  Sometimes, I put a dark on in the very top because it gets hard to stuff them in when it gets tight...

 I put mine in a vase with some rafia grass from easter, but you can just leave them as balls and put them in a bowl or do whatever.
Good luck crafting...and comment if you need help!