Easy Geode Spheres

Create a natural looking clock using Becca Malone's easy steps. It gives it a bit of an earthy feel with the surrounding leaves.

Materials:

• STYROFOAM Brand Foam:
  • Ball, 5"
  • Block or sheet scrap
• Acrylic paint: black; dark brown; gray; white
• Premixed tile grout
• Clean, fine play sand
• Found naturals: twigs; leaves; moss; shells; stones
• Artificial "naturals": mushrooms; insects
• Small, battery-operated clock
• Fine-line black permanent marker
• Ruler
• Metal tablespoon
• Plastic cling wrap
• Rubber gloves
• Acetone
• Cotton balls
• Medium flat paintbrush
• Disposable palette
• Water basin
• Paper towels
• Hacksaw or coping saw
• Low-temp glue gun and glue sticks
• Thick, white craft glue

Steps:

General

1. Cover work surface with plastic wrap. To keep ball from rolling, slightly flatten bottom of foam ball against tabletop. Apply thick layer of tile grout to ball, and then roll ball in clean, dry play sand, pressing sand into grout. Place ball on plastic wrap to dry. Brush off excess sand. Repeat.
    
2. Paint ball with a combination of black, white, and dark brown acrylic paints, creating a stone look. While wet, roll ball in sand again. Let dry; brush off excess sand.
    
3. Use hacksaw to cut ball in half, noting position of flattened bottom of ball.
    
4. Wearing rubber gloves and working in outdoor or well-ventilated indoor area, saturate a cotton ball with acetone. Use cotton ball to apply acetone to center of each half-ball, dissolving foam; leave perimeter intact. Repeat as needed. Note: For Clock Geode, dissolve foam from top half of foam ball only; do not dissolve foam from bottom half.

Nature Geode

1. Mix gray acrylic paint with water to create wash. Paint inside walls of geode; let dry.
    
2. Use glue gun to adhere small, natural found objects inside bottom half of geode. Glue additional accents inside geode as desired.

Clock Geode

1. Use metal spoon to carefully remove a 1/4"-thick layer of foam from bottom half of geode. Use scrap foam to sand surface smooth.
    
2. Remove any decorative knobs or feet from clock. Trace clock face onto center of bottom half of geode. Use spoon to remove enough foam to accommodate clock. Sand opening edges with scrap foam.
    
3. Wrap clock in two layers of plastic wrap, pulling tightly and tying excess film over clock face. Note: Film will protect face of clock and provide grip for removing clock later.
    
4. Place clock in opening, twisting to be sure it is loose enough to be easily removed; replace clock in opening. Paint any visible foam around clock with water-thinned tile grout; let dry. Repeat. Remove clock; touch-up opening as needed.
    
5. Mix gray acrylic paint with water to create wash. Paint inside walls of geode halves; let dry. Touch up outer geode surfaces as needed.
    
6. Remove plastic wrap from clock, insert batteries, set clock and insert into opening. Use glue gun to adhere small, natural found objects into lid or around clock as desired.

®™ Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company ("Dow") or an affiliated company of Dow. For more project ideas, please see styrofoamstyle.com.