So...those of you who have been with us from the beginning might remember Emilee's post about making the yarn balls. Let me give you a refresher:
Em and Chip had craft night...and this was what happened:
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| http://pinstrosity.blogspot.com/2012/02/bunch-of-hot-air.html |
This was one of the projects that got us started with this site, and now we have an awesome submission from Amy with tips on what to do and what NOT to do. These yarn balloons can be tricky and tedious, but they can be done. Let us give you Amy's story:
"I hate yarn balls now. But since we moved into a new home where my girls each got their own room, I was determined to make their room awesome. Enter in my youngest 11 year old seeing these huge yarn balls and wanting them for her room."
"Long story short .. I will NEVER make these again! They turned out fine -- but took SO stinking long to make and was a complete, utter headache! I used two different recipes to make two batches (at different times). The recipe calling just for glue & water did not work. After 12 hours, I knew my so called yarn ball would deflate as soon as I popped the balloon inside. So, I had to resort to using cornstarch, glue & water to make it work (hint.... paint the stuff onto my yarn balloon and wait for it to harden)."
"While my daughter & her friends LOVE the outcome -- I was determined to show everyone what NOT to do when making yarn balls!"
"I saw this idea at a friend's house while doing their newborn shoot. She said it was so easy, and it looked so amazing! I thought "ooh! I could do this to Maddie's room!" So I scoured Pinterest, blogs and figured out what formula I should use. For example, liquid starch .. elmer's glue ... cornstarch .. and the list goes on."
"Here is my list of what not to do when making yarn balls."
"1) First of all .... don't make them. I'm not kidding. They may look incredibly easy, but they're not. Sure yarn is cheap, balloons are cheap, and so is glue. Do not be swayed! Stay away from these balls! Go buy japanese lanterns instead!"
"2) If you decide you have to make these yarn balls, then don't use just elmer's glue & water. I tried this on my last three balls I made, and it did not work. The first three balls I made (I ran out of mixture), I used a combination of Elmer's glue, cornstarch & water. I think the ratio is like 4 oz glue, 1/2 c cornstarch and 1/4 c of water. When I realized that my yarn was not hardening up like the first batch did -- I had to run out to get even MORE glue, and did my mixture and paint it on while it was wrapped around the balloon. It did the trick, and hardened up after drying. Also note that you'll use even more glue than you think you will use. Stock up for this project."
"3) Two people really need to be doing this -- one to dip the yarn in the mixture and one to wrap it around the balloon. I read somewhere someone said to place vaseline around the balloon, but I didn't do this. If I did, maybe it would have prevented a lot of frustration after I popped the balloon. I'll show you why in a second.... If it doesn't prevent what I'm about to show you, then I have no clue why they put vaseline around the balloons?"
"4) Again, don't make these yarn balls. They are a headache, I'll tell you! I'm totally doing ya a favor!"
"5) After you pop the balloons -- they will still stick to the yarn, and there will be lots of dried mixture that stays on the yarn. What a pain in the butt. I gave up after a few hours of scraping this off with a skewer -- I'm hoping no one take a close look when it's in her room."
"6) I used a punch balloon for my large pink balloon -- however, do not buy a punch balloon that has ink on it ... like a princess. That transferred onto my yarn. *%#)@#!"
"7) I bought two different types of yarn. The thicker yarn was cheaper -- and it was harder to deal with and it doesn't look as nice as the thinner yard does (the pink). So, splurge a bit more and get the thinner yarn."
"ouch ... sorry for the noise in that picture! High ISO = noise in my pictures!"
"8) When hanging the yarn balls in the ceiling over your daughter's bed, don't drop a tack on her bed. 'Nuf said. :/"
"and finally"
"9) Are you really sure you want to make these yarn balls??"
"My daughter is totally worth it -- but man alive I wish I did something else! (can you see the black ink in my large pink ball?!! FAIL!)"
So...I don't think Amy enjoyed making these...just an inkling. ;) But, she does give some great tips on how to get good results when making these for those of us who will end up disregarding her instructions of not making these. Thanks Amy for the tips and the humor!
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