Sycamore Spike Wreath Craft

Make a wreath with fallen spikes from a sycamore tree.

Submitted by
Alisa

Turn your yard trash into a door-decorating treasure with this clever craft!

8-9 sycamore spike balls
Acrylic or tempura paint
Elmer's glue
Water
Small cup for paint—a kid-sized yogurt cup like Yoplait works perfectly
Craft stick for stirring
Paper towels or newspaper
Wax paper
Thick chenille stem, 12 inches long
Quick-dry tacky glue
Wire cutters
Ribbon
Tweezers

Look for eight or nine spike balls of similar size with long stems. Set them out on a paper towel and allow to thoroughly air-dry.
Mix together two parts paint to one part glue. Thin with water until you get it just thin enough that it will drip off of the ball. You may have to experiment a bit because if it's too thick, it will use a lot of paint and create more of a blob shape than you'd like. If it is too thin it won't coat the ball well.
Holding the stem, submerge the spike in the paint mixture. Allow the excess to drip off.
Place the balls on a paper towel or newspaper. A pool of paint will work its way out of all the holes and crevices of the ball.
When you feel that most of the excess paint has made its way off the balls, transfer them to wax paper. DO NOT let them dry on the paper towel. Allow to dry.
Twist the ends of the chenille stem together to make a circle.
Apply a good amount of quick-dry tacky glue to the chenille. Don't be shy with the glue—once dry, this will give your wreath its stability.
Wiggle the spikes down into the chenille. If you plan on keeping the stems on the balls, sunshine-style, pay attention to their direction. Allow the wreath to dry on wax paper. If you used a lot of glue and it looks as if it will dry permanently to the wax paper, carefully move the wreath to a new piece of wax paper. Let dry completely.
Trim off the stems, if desired. Carefully thread a ribbon through the opening of the wreath, avoiding the spikes (you may need to grab it with some tweezers). Tie the ribbon in a bow, and hang and enjoy your spring craft made from nature!