We've made a lot of these. We've gifted several as wedding gifts, making all the parts from shower invitations, bachelor(ette) party invitations, thank you notes, and wedding invitations. We've sold a few (and offer a few still) decorative ones in pretty color combinations made from various card stock in our booth in the Alpharetta Queen of Hearts. Now we've decided its time to bring our very cool decorative ball to you.

Our kit will make one decorative ball that can be placed on a surface. If you add a ribbon or string, it can be hung instead!

Our kit comes with:

• 21 2" card stock circles
• 1 triangle (in case you make any replacements)

What you need:

• Glue (we strongly recommend hot glue)
• A 6" ribbon or string (if you want to make a hanging ball / ornament)
• Your ideas for personalization (we have some if you need an assist)

This project should take about 30 minutes to assemble.

Inside the kit, you'll find 21 2" circles. You only need 20, so we include one as an extra in case you need it. Our standard kit includes 5 different colors/patterns, and each one is already marked with folding lines on the back side.

If they're not already folded, be sure to fold them up, away from the lines. All 20 of them should be folded.

We already worked out a pattern, as you can see in the example below.

We've also marked each one with numbers, as you can see from the example below. To follow our pattern, we suggest you start by hot gluing the 1s together, then the 2s, all the way through to 30. If you want your decorative ball to hang like an ornament, you'll want to loop the 6" ribbon or string in half, and glue it in the corner after you glue the 29s but before the 30s.

When you're done, you'll have something like this. You'll need to clear away the hot glue strings, and then it will be all done and ready for decorating!

Now, we think that these have a lot more potential than being "just" a pretty decoration. With a little bit of creativity and inspiration, these can become very special decor items, or even gifts for loved ones. Here are some ideas we have. If you have other ideas, but aren't sure how to make them work, email us at info@thepaintedhammer.com and we can brainstorm with you!

Involve the Kids
The kit in the example includes four white circles. You could have each family member sign their name, fingerprint, write a memory, or color something. Then you can gift it to a grandparent, auntie, teacher, or close friend.

Involve the Pets
Just like the kid example above, you could include a pawprint from your pet.

Involve the _____________
These would be great for a family reunion activity, a bridal or baby shower activity, or a craft with a kid's group.

What else could be done? Tell us your ideas, or better yet, send us pictures of your finished work with our kits! You can always find us at info@thepaintedhammer.com.

Have feedback, questions, or comments regarding our instructions? Let us know at info@thepaintedhammer.com!

Until next time...Sunshine @ TPH

Each week, our retail partner, the Queen of Hearts, features a different theme. Last week, the theme was lightning bugs, which I'm interpreting as lighting. Lighting is something we are into at The Painted Hammer. We carry a wide assortment of sconces, tea candle holders, candle bases & holders, and lamps. So for this week, I shared our available lamps.

Check them out and let us known if any of them belong in your home!