EEK! It’s Wiggle Eye Craft Week! Today’s wiggle eye craft is an Eyeball Bouquet, perfect for gift giving or Halloween decorating. What kid wouldn’t love making and giving an Eyeball Bouquet to a favorite teacher, grandparent or friend? You can buy bags of balls of STYROFOAM™ Brand foam, wiggle eyes, and chenille stems at a dollar store (I found some of mine at a Dollar Tree), so this is a fun and cheap Halloween craft. Go ahead – “harvest” a garden full.
These two are more colorful than creepy.
Krylon Webbing Spray, spider webbing, and bloodshot eyes add a creepy touch.
To make a Halloween Eyeball Bouquet, you’ll need:
- STYROFOAM Brand Foam: 5 – 6 balls, 2”, 1-1/2” and 1” diameter; ball or other piece to fill the pot; scrap piece to hold the eyeballs while they dry
- Terra cotta pot or vase
- Wiggle eyes, assorted sizes & colors
- Chenille stems, assorted colors
- Acrylic craft paints (I used Apple Barrel)
- Toothpicks
- Low-temp glue gun or thick, white craft glue*
- Tools needed: Paintbrush; pencil; wire knippers
- Optional: Krylon Glitter Blast; Krylon Webbing Spray; puffy fabric paint in red; silk leaves; ribbon; excelsior or paper shred; spider webbing; plastic spider
*Kids should use white craft glue instead of a low-temp glue gun.
You’ll use basic materials to make a Halloween Eyeball Bouquet.
To make a Halloween Eyeball Bouquet:
1. Paint your pot or vase and let it dry. (Note: I spray painted my pots with Krylon Indoor/Outdoor paints and the vase with Grape Glitz Glitter Blast.) Optional: When the paint is dry, add a light coat of Krylon Webbing Spray.
2. Insert a foam ball or other chunk of STYROFOAM Brand Foam into the pot; it should fit snugly. Glue in place, if needed.
3. If making bloodshot eyeballs, you don’t need to paint them and can skip to Step 4. Otherwise, insert a toothpick into your “eyeballs” to use as a handle. Paint the eyeballs with acrylic craft paint. (Note: For the eyeballs in the vase, I first painted them with acrylic craft paint, and then top coated them with Glitter Blast.) Insert the toothpicks into the foam block to hold the eyeballs while the paint dries.
4. Press each eyeball on a flat surface, flattening an area the size of the wiggle eye. Glue a wiggle eye onto the flat space. If making the eyes bloodshot, draw on wavy lines using the puffy fabric paint.
You’ll need to twist together two chenille stems to make a stem strong enough to hold up the larger eyeballs. Twist the stems around a pencil to create a spiral.
5. If you’re going to display your eyeballs in a vase, skip to Step 7. For the eyeballs “growing” in terra cotta pots, twist together two chenille stems for each of the larger eyeballs. For the smaller, 1” eyeballs, use one chenille stem. Wrap the chenille stems around a pencil, forming a coiled stem. Insert one end into the foam in the flower pot; if needed, remove the stem, add a dab of glue, and reinsert the chenille stem. Insert the eyeball on the other end of the chenille stem, and if needed, add a dab of glue. Continue adding stems and eyeballs till you’re pleased with the arrangement.
6. Cover the top of the pot with spider webbing, paper shred or excelsior.
7. For the vase, use straight chenille stems for the flower stems. Insert stems into eyeballs, and arrange the bouquet, trimming stems as needed.
8. Optional: Add silk leaves to the arrangements. (Note: To tone down the leaves in the arrangement of bloodshot eyeballs, I lightly sprayed the leaves with black spray paint.) If desired, embellish the pots with ribbon, spider webbing, wiggle eyes, plastic spiders, etc.
Mix and match your paints, wiggle eyes and chenille stems to create your favorite look for a Halloween Eyeball Bouquet.
Did you ever see the musical Little Shop of Horrors? It enjoyed a revival a few years ago, and these Eyeball Bouquets remind me of that somewhat macabre story.
I’ll see you tomorrow with more wiggle eye fun . . .
Happy crafting.
This is so cool!!!
Thanks for linking up with us this month for Handmade Halloween! I’m featuring you today
)
Happy Halloween!
xo, Meredith @ http://www.waittilyourfathergetshome.com
http://www.waittilyourfathergetshome.com/2012/10/31/handmade-halloween-features/
Oh, wow! Thank you, Meredith! Sharon
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OMG! I love these. My kids will make them for their teachers! lol
Thank you, and I hope your kids have a blast. Happy crafting! Sharon
I love this!
Thank you, Vanessa. So glad to see you here. Happy crafting! Sharon
You are a STAR today! I’m featuring you over at I Gotta Create! Thanks so much for linking up at the party. Your STAR button is ready for you
<3 Christina
http://igottacreate.blogspot.com/2012/10/jeepers-creepers-peepers-and-more.html
Wow — that’s so exciting! Thank you, Christina. You have a fun collection of Halloween projects on your blog!
These Halloween bouquets are just amazing! Love the colours, and the feeling of being stared at is nice and spooky.
So glad you enjoyed them — I hope you’re inspired to make your own. Thanks for stopping in.
These would go perfectly with my (rather loose) Tim Burton- theme this year! Thanks for the brilliant inspiration!
This is perfect for a Frankenweenie theme — I didn’t think of that, as I’ve not yet seen the movie. Have fun with this one, and I hope you’ll share photos. Thanks. Sharon
Such a cool craft and a great halloween decor idea! I love all 3 of them! I’d love for you to share them at my new linky party, Submarine Sunday. I hope you’ll stop by!
T’onna
http://navywifeypeters.blogspot.com/2012/10/submarine-sunday-1-linky-party_7.html
What a fantastic idea! I have all the supplies even! My kids are going to love this! Thanks so much for the fabulous idea!
Tausha
sassystyleredesign.com
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I’m in love with this! So much fun! Pinning
<3 Christina at I Gotta Create!
Wildly Original Linky party is open!
Thanks for the pin, Christina. I’m going to check out your Wildly Original Linky party right now . . .
These are so fun! I love the colorful ones.
These are fantastic!
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Thanks for the link!
OMGoodess…..so adorable! I love cutie halloween decorations.
Love this idea!!! Would be so fun on our kitchen table:) Just posted on Craft Gossip!
http://lessonplans.craftgossip.com/?p=6985
Thank you so much, Kristen! I hope you plant your own bouquet! Sharon
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I love this. One of my favorites. What did you use to make the purple glitter look for the long thin vase? Thx for sharing your creations.
Thanks, Andrea. The glitter finish is Krylon Glitter Blast in Grape Glitz. Sharon
Hi Sharon, these are hilarious, I really like the purple arrangement!
Have a good day, Nancy
Thank you, Nancy. These were a lot of fun to make! Check back for more googly/wiggly eye fun this week. Sharon
What fun! I just pinned it.
Thank you, Beth. Happy crafting!
Oh I lurrrrve the eyeball bouquet!!!
What a hoot! I love the eyeballs!
They were a lot of fun to make, too. Thanks for stopping in Laurie. Sharon
LOVE this idea, it’s so easy
Thanks, Katiria. Easy keeps it fun for everyone. Happy crafting. Sharon
absolutely love these!! TFS your genius idea!
Well, thank you! Glad you’re inspired! Sharon
So cute! Eye love it!
tee-hee! You’re too funny, Candace!
Too cute! I am sure my daughter would love this project.
Thanks, Donna. I hope your daughter loves it, too, and I hope you’ll share photos of her Eyeball Bouquets! Sharon
so cute !!!
Aww, thanks!