DIY Nautical “Faux” Glass Floats from Foam Balls

I have been so EXCITED to write this post on these cool “Faux” Glass Floats.  I recently went to a blogging conference (SNAP) with FloraCraft.  I’m part of their Make it Fun team and since they were a sponsor at SNAP, they asked me to come help with the booth.  We had a coastal theme booth so they used some of my existing foam projects and had me make new ones too.

The glass floats were one of the projects I had to make (and buoys).  I’ve had glass floats on my crafting to-do list for awhile now. BUT I never thought of using foam.  I was super excited for the challenge, and I think they turned out great if I do say so myself.

Here are some pictures of the booth, and Jamie from FloraCraft.  SNAP was a GREAT experience and it was wonderful getting to know a little more about FloraCraft.

 Step 1 – Pick Balls

I decided on medium and small size foam balls.  They have a TON of difference sizes, which is great!

Step 2 – Cover Ball in Smooth Finish

Let’s start by adding FloraCraft Smooth Finish®.  I smoothed on 2 coats letting each coat dry 2 hours.  I made sure to really press it into the foam.

Step 3 – Sand Your Ball

Now that our smooth finish has dried, I lightly damped the balls with a wet paper towel.  Then I sanded the balls down with light sandpaper until they were completely smooth. You can dry sand them, but I read the great tip on FloraCrafts website about dampening them. It worked perfect!!

Step 4 – Cover Ball in Triple Thick

Next let’s add our Triple Thick!!!  When I told Jamie from FloraCraft that I wanted to attempt these glass floats, she suggested using Triple Thick from DecoArt to give the “faux” glass look.

I added one coat, before I decided to paint the foam balls. Let dry 2 hours.  All you need to do is paint it on with a paintbrush, simple as that!

Step 5 – Paint Balls

Ok, it’s time to paint!!  We found some fun colors, and painted on two coats. I let each coat dry 30 minutes. See it’s easy so far!

Step 6 – Add Final Coat of Triple Thick

Let’s add our last coat of Triple Thick!  Again, let dry 2 hours, or you can even do it before bed and dry overnight. That’s what I did.

Step 7 –  Add Fishnet

When I started this part, I really had no idea how I should attempt it.  I had several craft fails. BUT finally I found the perfect way.

I really tried to take detailed pictures, just incase I didn’t explain it right, or it was confusing.

Start off by wrapping the ball in fishnet, then use your jute and tie a knot.  Wrap a little of the jute around the ball (making it tight).  Then cut off the excess fishnet.

Step 8 –  Add Knot at Top

For your top knot, I braided three pieces of the jute together and hot glued the ends together.  Then I hot glued my braid to the sides.  Finally I started wrapping my jute around the braid, adding a small amount of hot glue in places.

My first braid was a little long, so I made and knot to shorten it.  I ended up loving how it turned out! So I made all of them like that.

Finishing Touches

Now the fun part, decorating with the glass floats.  I created a little spot in my den for the floats and they look perfect. I absolutely LOVE the colors. It matches my coastal theme perfectly!

Everyone at the conference had to do a doubletake take to make sure these weren’t glass.  Plus they were so much cheaper to make then actually buying real ones.  I have three boys and I know if I actually bought real glass floats that my boys would play with them and they’d get broken.

So this was the next best option.  You just have to take a little time making them. But I’ve done all the hard work, and hopefully my tutorial will make it easier.  If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask!!