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| A lot of surprise balls |
Inspired by this year's advent calendar (click here:
The Mega Terrific Fabuloso Advent Calendar Surprise Ball), I decided to create some maker surprise balls for an upcoming gallery pop-up sale. The idea here is that each ball (with some exceptions) contains innards that the recipient can use to make something of their own. Below are some examples and some exceptions.
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| Greener than Thou Ball |
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| Ball innards |
Save the planet with this eco-conscious surprise ball: 2 seed bomb bangles (yes, jewelry that empowers you to sow greenery everywhere - see past
Seed Bomb Bangles post); necklace of recycled paper beads; gold mesh bag; two foil-wrapped chocolate coins.
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| Make Something Chinese Surprise Ball |
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| Ball innards |
Make Something Chinese: An assortment of gorgeous Chinese pendants including a 2" faux ivory frog, a faux ivory ring, and three carved stone fish; cord for stringing; and two foil-wrapped chocolate coins. Make pendants or perhaps use for decorative pulls for shades or lamp cords.
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| Primitive Beads Surprise Ball |
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| Ball innards |
Primitive Clay Bead Make Project: Create some gorgeous things with contents that include an small embroidered pull string bag from a Hmong hill tribe; 12 large carved clay beads; string for putting together something amazing; and two foil-wrapped chocolate coins.
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| Bruja Magic |
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| Ball innards |
Create some Bruja Magic! "Bruja" means "witch" in Spanish. Ball includes an assortment of magic talismans from Oaxaca including a packet of "Legitimate Powder; I have you tied up and spiked" (a love potion?); a small good fortune bag with a little picture of a saint outside and lots of little seeds, beads, and a mysterious vial inside; a milage (good luck charm) in the shape of a bird; a hand-cut, hand-painted tin hand with a heart in the palm, suitable for a pendant or wall hanging; and two foil-wrapped chocolate coins.
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| For the Young and Young-at-Heart |
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| Ball innards |
Above is one of the exceptions, though I suppose making fun could be considered a legitimate make project. This is the only ball I made for children, and it is in the shape of a fish. Contents include a mini-Slinky, a small finger flashlight, a small goldfish notebook, a toy car, and a foil-wrapped chocolate coin.
I could continue . . . I made dozens of balls. The transferable idea here is that if you are a maker yourself, you have accumulated an excess of supplies by now and you can use some of them to make some intriguing surprise balls, fostering the maker concept in a most entertaining way.
If you'd like to see the balls above and more up close and personal, below is a flyer for the pop-up gallery show.
