DIY chaos!

Somehow weeks have passed since I last sat and wrote an entry for the blog. I keep noting things I want to write about, but never actually sitting down and writing them and then it's a bit late!

Contrary to what everyone has told me, I am enjoying planning our wedding. I'm not sure my other half, the other A, is 'enjoying' the planning as such, but he is as keen as I am to get everything sorted as soon as possible. Saying that though, it seems that the more you tick off the mental list, the longer the list gets. This is probably not helped by the fact that we have started a series of DIY projects, which keep getting amended when we realise how much DIY projects can cost if you let them!

Project 1: Decorative String Balls

We decided we would like to hang some form of decoration from the beams in the barn, as currently the barn is simply an empty shell. At just the moment when we were deciding what to do, my sister (another A!) sent me a link to some small hanging pendant shapes made from coloured string around a balloon (here). I thought these were great, and after a further search found an even better (for what we wanted) take on the idea using natural hemp string around a ball here. The original idea utilised balloons which are easier to remove, but I preferred the spherical shape created using this second method. Using a ball also seemed ideal to me as it could be reused over and over and still be used as a ball, so less wastage and resources used. For full directions look here. I have summarised the main steps below:

Step 1
Draw a circle on the ball around the valve for inflating/ deflating the ball. This circle has to be left clear of string in order to remove the ball at the end. Apply glue to the string and start wrapping string around the ball.

Step 2
Keep wrapping string around the ball, until all areas have even coverage (making sure to leave the designated circle clear). I found it easiest to dip fingers in the glue and then run the string through fingers and thumb to coat the string evenly in glue before sticking it to the ball. Care has to be taken to not change direction too quickly when wrapping or the string tends to slip off the ball.

Step 3
When coverage is complete, cut the string and stick down firmly. Leave the ball to dry for at least 24 hours to allow the string to firm up as the glue dries.

Step 4
Deflate the ball using a ball pump needle until the ball can be pulled out of the hole. I found it helped to push the ball inwards in any gaps before deflating to detach the glue from the ball. The string ball is now finished!