Twine Balls

I have a very unsightly void in my living room that I haven't been able to fill. Sure, I could hang up a few pictures or a mirror, but I wanted something a little more architectural.

Then I saw a picture of a string pendant light, similar to this one.


I thought a triplet of them might look cool in my empty space and decided to try and replicate it using twine. (Nothing against sting, I am just more partial to the rustic/natural look of twine. Wool yarn might look cool too.)

Here's what I used to do the job.


I put the twine into a bowl of the liquid starch and let it sit until it was saturated. (You could also use Stiffy fabric stiffener or regular old school glue watered down a bit. I had liquid starch on hand so I went with it.)


While the twine was sitting I blew up my balloons in graduating sizes.



Then I began wrapping them in the saturated twine. It's a messy job, so you may want to do it oustide or over newspaper. Here's what it should look like when you're done.


After I finshed wrapping all three of the balloons I attached them to hangers and hung them outside to dry. Ideally they should be left to dry for twenty-four hours.


Now for the fun part...popping the balloons.


Remove the balloon from the inside of the twine and...


VOILA...


For the time being these little guys are just hanging out. I haven't decided whether to turn them into pendant lights or not. I'm not totally in love with all of the electrical work that could pose. However, I do love the idea of creating ambient light with them and I might try putting a couple of led tea lights or candles in them just for effect. Whether they turn into lights or not, they still add architecture and texture to the room. They would also be cool sitting on a shelf or the floor. They are super versatile...and super cheap. Stay tuned for the final decision.

Liquid starch-FREE, balloons-$1.00 (from the dollar store), and twine-$3.97...for a grand total of $4.97. HOLLA!!!