The Curiosity Project: DIY String Baubles

A slight change to scheduling this week as I decided I wanted to bring you a funky little project I did earlier in spring with photographer side-kick Lisa Devlin, so The Covet List will be with you on Wednesday instead.

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Move over pom-poms, there’s a new decoration in town preparing to take over in their droves! Meet the string bauble. They’re incredibly fun to make and create a real statement-especially when used with lights or hung in clusters and you can keep them plain or match them with your colour scheme.

Ready to get started?

You Will Need:

• A tub of PVA glue.

• Plenty of balloons.

• Spray paint in colours of your choice.

• Clear craft sealant such as Plasti-kote Krystal Clear.

• Vaseline.

• Corn flour.

• Several balls of string.

• Scissors.

• A spoon.

• A large mixing bowl.

• A mug.

First you’ll need to organise the space in which to make your baubles. It’s a very messy business so if you’re on the obsessive-compulsive side of tidy then you’ll want to do this in the garden, preferably when it’s not raining! If you have a space indoors, then cover your floor with some plastic sheeting or tarpaulin and run a pole across two chairs to create a frame. I used the washing line out in the garden as it was easy to use and clean off afterwards.

Step One:

Cut the balls of string into long and manageable lengths- you’ll be wrapping these around the balloon so make sure you can wrap them without them getting tangled. I used the length of a table as a guide.

Step Two:

Don your apron and get ready to mix your glue. Mix 5 spoons of PVA glue with half a cup of corn flour and a ¼ cup of water. When you have a smooth mix, drop in your lengths of string until covered.

Step Three:

Blow up your balloon to the desired size bearing in mind that the bigger the balloon the more pear shaped your bauble will be and hang it securely from your frame. Cover the balloon in a thin layer of Vaseline so that the string won’t stick to it when you come to pop it later.

Step Four:

If you plan to use your baubles with lights, make sure you leave a large enough hole to accommodate this in the top. You can mark the top of your balloon with a pen to make sure you don’t cover the opening. Then you can start winding your coated string around the balloon, keeping your tension relatively tight. Start horizontally first and then when you’ve covered enough continue vertically until you’re happy with it. Make sure you tuck the loose ends under the string to neaten it up.

Step Five:

Repeat for the amount of baubles you require and leave them to dry for 24 hours. They should be totally solid when they’re ready.

Step Six:

Pop your balloons and ease it out with some tweezers or your fingers if you’re careful. Now you can either spray it in your colours of choice and finish it with a clear craft sealant, or leave as is and spray with the sealant to protect it. Make sure you do this over some newspaper.