Button Bowl-April 2018
Materials Needed:
- flat buttons (no shanks)
- Elmer’s glue
- Mod Podge
- balloon
- paint brush
- scissors
- roll of painter’s tape (used as a stand for the balloon)
- marker
Directions:
- Blow up balloon to where it is about medium size–still had some squish to it.
- Draw a line around the balloon marking the edge of where the buttons will go. Holding the balloon by the bottom and/or knot edge paint the top half of the balloon where you want the buttons to stick with the glue. Place in the roll of painter’s tape. Be careful as the balloon needs to be balanced or else it will roll over onto the table. LET DRY COMPLETELY. (I used a paint brush to spread the glue around and then let it sit for about two hours to fully dry. The Elmer’s glue created a coating on the balloon so that the buttons wouldn’t slide off while I applying Mod Podge.)
- Repeat above step adding one more layer of glue and LET DRY COMPLETELY.
- Decide whether you want the buttons upside down or right side up before you start applying them. Apply thin coat of Mod Podge using a clean paint brush to the balloon & add the buttons. Try to keep the buttons as close together as possible. Keep applying the buttons till the balloon is covered up to the marker line. Apply one final coat of Mod Podge making sure there is mod podge in all the spaces in between the buttons.
- After all of the buttons were applied to the balloon, apply 2 more coats of Mod Podge–letting each coat DRY COMPLETELY before applying another.
- Once the Mod Podge is completely dry, flip over the balloon so that the dish/bowl is sitting right-side-up on the roll of tape. Then, using the scissors, pop the balloon.
- Carefully remove the balloon from the button bowl being careful not to peel the glue from the bowl. Very carefully trim the excess glue from the edges of the button bowl and it is ready to use. (A small scissor works well.)
It was fun making the bowl but I wish I had used smaller buttons than I did. Remember to get the Mod Podge in between all the buttons as this is what holds the bowl together. It is probably not waterproof so please keep it where is will stay dry. Last but not least, it used a whole lot more buttons than I thought it would.
