Craft a Snowman Ornament from Bingo Balls

My love of crafting with unusual and sometimes odd items, has my friends continuously gifting me with their finds. Some of the items have me wondering if they are trying to stump me. Recently, friends visited from out of state, and brought me a box with two sets of bingo balls from their mother. Bingo balls...hmm. These plastic balls are about the size of ping pong balls and are each a different color with round white circles on each side and printed numbers. Yes, I welcomed the challenge.

This project is a snowman ornament. It uses only two of the bingo balls, but I plan on making multiples for sale and gifts. I also have many more creative ideas brewing. What do you do if you don't have a box of bingo balls? No problem, 1 1/2 inch Styrofoam balls will also work.

Things You Will Need to Make the Snowman:

Two bingo balls or two 1 1/2 inch Styrofoam balls
Small amount white cotton fabric or bleached muslin
Ruler
Scissors
Craft glue
Hot glue gun
Small amount of felt
Blush and a cotton swab
Orange dimensional fabric paint
Toothpick
Black dimensional fabric paint
Sequins
Embroidery needle and floss

Step 1
Rip several 1/2 inch wide strips of white cotton fabric or bleached muslin. You may want to rip them as you go to determine how many you will need. Apply a dot of craft glue to one ball and place the end of one strip in it. Begin wrapping the ball as if you are winding up a ball of yarn. Keep the fabric flat and untwisted. Wrap the strips in all directions to completely cover the ball and give it uniformity. When you reach the end of a strip, apply glue to the end. Repeat with more strips until you are done. Repeat with the other ball.

Step 2
Apply a dollop of glue on one side of one ball. Place the other ball on top and allow the glue to cool. Cut a 1/2 inch wide by 6 inch long piece of colored felt for the snowman's scarf. Tie the strip around the connecting center of the snowman, making one ball the head and the other the body. Place a small amount of hot glue between the scarf tails and another to the body, to hold the tails down.

Step 3
Cut a 2 1/2 inch wide by 6 inch long piece of felt for the snowman's hat. Fold the two short ends together and overlap them a 1/2 inch. Apply hot glue between the overlap to close the seam. You will now have a tube. Cut a strip of the same felt to use as the tie on the hat's top knot. With your hand, gather one side of the tube closed. Tie the strip in a knot around the gathers, a 1/2 inch from the end. Fold up the bottom of the hat a 1/2 inch for the brim. Position the seam in the back and place the hat on the snowman's head. Angle the hat so that it is lower in the back and exposing the face on the front.

Step 4
Evenly space three dots of craft glue down the front of the snowman's tummy. Place a sequin on each dot. Apply a dot of craft glue to the knot of the hat's tie strip and place a sequin on it.

Step 5
Apply blush to the cheeks of the snowman. Place a dot of orange dimensional fabric paint to the center of the face. Use a toothpick to pull the paint to the side to form a carrot shape. Dot two eyes above the nose and five dots in a smile shape below the nose using black dimensional fabric paint. Allow the paint to dry.

Step 6
Thread an embroidery needle with floss. Run the needle through the top knot of the hat. Cut the floss with three inches on each side of the stitch. Bring the ends together and tie in an overhand knot for the ornament hanger.