HOW TO MAKE SNOWBALLS & PAPER SNOWBALLS!

SNOWBALLS

Making Realistic sparkly white Christmas snowballs is so easy and fun!! What better way is there to enjoy the holiday season than to get the children together and make crafts that can also be used as decorations?


Here's what you'll need:

A few packs of white Styrofoam balls in any size you like. They come in 1" 1.5" 2" 2.5" 3" and so on! Get them from Walmart, JoAnns Fabric, or any craft supply store.
A bucket of white joint compound. Available at Walmart or any hardware store.
Your choice of either mica flakees, German glass glitter, or fake snow (all available on e-Bay).

OPTIONAL:

Fragrance oil for candle making & spray nozzle (get it on e-Bay).
Instant coffee, molasses, cinnamon & water.
Foam or sponge brush.
Modge podge craft glue in a matte finish.
Plastic lined tray or baking sheet.

How to make the BASIC traditional white snowballs:

Generously roll your Styrofoam balls in the stirred joint compound and quickly drop the rolled Styrofoam ball into a bowl of your glitter, fake snow or mica flakes. Toss the glitter, fake snow or mica flakes onto the ball and roll it around CAREFULLY to coat snowball evenly. GENTLY pick up the ball and shake off the excess, and place it onto the lined tray to dry for 2-3 days. Roll balls over at least once in the middle of drying time. Dry FULLY! Use a nice variety of sizes!!

How to make the dirty snowballs:

Simply roll your Styrofoam ball in the joint compound, and allow to dry for 2-3 days on the lined tray. Don't add glitter yet! Once your snowballs are fully dry, combine 1 HEAPING TBSP. instant coffee with one cup boiling water, and blend to dissolve coffee. Next, add 1 tsp. cinnamon and 1 tsp. molasses to the hot coffee, and stir until all dissolved. Allow the molasses and cinnamon to settle on the bottom of the mug and wait for coffee to cool. With a sponge brush, apply the grungy mixture onto the DRY compound coated Styrofoam balls, and then pat dry with paper towels, to give the desired dirty look. Once they are fully dry again, brush each grungy ball, one at a time, with a THIN layer of your modge podge glue, and roll them while the glue is wet & tacky, into the glitter of choice. Coat evenly, shake off excess, and set to dry. BE SURE THE SNOWBALLS ARE COMPLETELY BONE DRY BEFORE PACKAGING OR THEY WILL SWEAT IN THE CELLO BAGS!

Because they take a few days to make, it is a good plan to start early!

ANOTHER SIMPLE WAY TO GRUNGE THEM: Blend about a cup of joint compound with a big sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg, or spice of choice, mix well. Then take the plain Styrofoam ball and roll it in your grungy joint compound that you have mixed with spices. While compound is wet, roll in glitter, fake snow or mica flakes and dry for 2-3 days! EASY!

HANGING SNOWBALLS

Use small Styrofoam balls, cut a piece of wire long enough to insert through the ball and have enough left to hang the snowball. Make a small hook on the bottom end and push it into the Styrofoam ball. Being careful not to get too much of the compound on the wire cover the ball and roll in the glitter, fake snow or mica flakes.

PAPER SNOWBALLS

Things You'll Need:
Dishwashing tub
16 sheets of 8 1/2-by-11-inch paper or 4 sheets of newsprint


Fill a dishwashing tub or a small bucket to within a few inches of the rim with warm water.
Submerge any extra scrap printing or computer paper you may have on hand in the water. You'll need about 16 sheets of 8 1/2-by-11-inch paper, or about 4 sheets of newsprint. Be aware that if you use newsprint, the ink may stain your hands and anything else it happens to splash onto.
Let the paper soak for a minute or two, then stir and rub it briskly under the water until it shreds into mush.
Scoop a double handful of soggy paper out of the water and mold it into a ball, just as you would do with snow. Squeeze the paper down into a firm mass, squeezing the water out at the same time, and add more until the snowball is the desired size.

Your snowball needs to be approx 75mm/ 3 inches in diameter when it dries, so make it a bit bigger to allow shrinkage.
Place the snowball on a baker's rack or other well-ventilated surface to dry, rolling it over at least once a day so that all sides receive adequate air circulation. It may take a week or longer before the snowball is fully dried out.


Lots of uses for these...use the smaller balls to fill up a mason jar or put in with some wintertime potpourri or fixins. Decorate a sewing drawer or cheese box light, add to a wood bowl or basket with some greenery or pip berries. Set them on a shelf with some of your snowman collectibles! They are a great addition to your winter decorating!