Decorative snowball

Hands-on time: Less than an hour.
Total time: Needs to set for 4 hours.
Skill: Easy.
Cost estimate: $3.00 per ball.

Materials & Tools

• Newspapers
• Foil tray or plate
• Unbaked white peas or beans, available at any supermarket
• Styrofoam balls varying from 8 to 10 inches (20 to 25 cm) round
• All-purpose clear silicone
• Gardening gloves
• An old paintbrush
• Spray paint in the color of your choice - white, eggshell, etc.
• Tin can (to use as a stand)

Snowballs warm up the house for the winter. These snowballs make attractive decorations for mantels or shelves. A great in-between season décor accent. They are quick and effortless to make and can be displayed in large bowls or tall glass vases all year long.

Cover your work area with newspapers. Place some peas or beans in a disposable foil tray. Wearing gardening gloves, hold the Styrofoam ball and spread clear silicone adhesive on half of it. You can use an old paintbrush to spread the silicone.

Roll the siliconed side of the ball in the peas placed in the disposable tray. Repeat the same steps for the other side until the ball is completely covered.

You can then add extra glue to patch up any holes or gaps. Place the ball on the rim of a tin can for support and let stand to set for approximately 4 hours.

With the ball still on the tin can for support and in a well-ventilated area, spray-paint one side and then rotate the ball to spray the other side. Let dry.

Variations

• Other dried legumes can be used to create decorative balls. Try lentils, red kidney beans, black turtle beans, chick peas etc.
• Try using Styrofoam balls of different shapes, from egg-shaped to square-shaped for funky contemporary creations.
• Twig stems and transparent leaf decorations can be added to the balls to create the impression of being pears or apples.
• Decorative ribbons can be added to the snowballs for a touch of colour.
• Acrylic craft paint can be substituted for the spray paint, and a glue gun can be substituted for the silicone adhesive.
• Variations of this project can also be used to make seed balls for the birds using peanut butter and assorted bird seeds on apples.
• For all you need to about different types of Canadian beans visit Ferguson's Beans and for Canadian peas visit Pulse Canada.