Holiday Centerpiece

This is a great centerpiece to have displayed for the holidays such as Fourth of July or Labor Day. Using felt and silk flowers you can have this pretty flower piece. You can use it every year too.

Materials:

• STYROFOAM* Brand Products:
  • 1 Ball, 6"
  • 1 Scrap, 1" sheet
• Silk flowers:
• 1 red and 1 white geranium bushes; 3 stems blue stoc; stems white statice; and 2 bunch eucalyptus
• 1 Felt, 6" square
• 1 yd. patriotic print cotton fabric
• Acrylic decoupage medium
• Red, white and blue star pic
• High gloss spray acrylic finish (optional)
• 1 cup lead fishing weights
• Serrated knife
• 400-grit wet/dry sandpaper
• Tack rag
• Scissors
• Brush, 1" with stiff bristle or 1" foam brush
• Melon baller or sharp spoon
• Ball point pen
• Wire cutters
• Thick white craft glue or low temperature glue gun and glue sticks

Steps:

1. Cut a 3/4" thick slice from the ball so it will stand; this is the vase bottom. (Hint: For smoother cuts, wax the knife blade with an old candle.) Cut a 1/2" slice from the top of the vase.
    
2. Using the melon baller or a sharp spoon, carefully scoop out a cavity in the vase bottom large enough to hold the lead weights; leave a 1/2" wall intact around the cavity.
    
3. Cut a 6" x 19 1/2" piece of fabric. Center fabric strip on ball and glue the center 2" of fabric around the middle of the ball, overlapping ends. Cut tabs in the top and bottom of fabric strip, spacing tabs 1" apart. Glue tabs to sides of ball.
    
4. Apply decoupage finish to create smooth, high-gloss finish. (The model pictured used eight coats.) When last coat is dry, wet sand with 400-grit sandpaper. For extra shine, spray with high-gloss acrylic finish.
    
5. Glue weights into cavity. To help hold weights in place, glue scraps of 1" foam sheet around and over weights.
    
6. Trace the bottom of the vase on felt; cut out and glue to vase.
    
7. Arrange stems, cutting stems to desired length, and push into top of vase. Curl star pic streamers with scissors.