It’s time for another Watercooler Challenge – and this one is a 3-D challenge from my dear friend Susan Horr. The only rule is that your project has to be 3-D.

I decided to make a glittery, golden bowl – and this is the easiest 3-D project I have ever made. Seriously. It was so easy, I almost don’t want to tell you how I made it.  But I will. First – here’s my project.

Yes, that’s a peach between the book and the bowl. And, yes, it’s upside down. By the time I realized it, I was tired and decided it didn’t matter that much. And, yes, in case you’re wondering, it was absolutely wonderful. Apologies to my friends in Georgia, but it was one of the sweetest and most delicious peaches I’ve ever eaten. It was a Virginia peach, grown by my father (who, incidentally, is the most incredible fruit grower around. He actually found/developed his own Stayman apple, which ripens several weeks earlier than others and has better color. And it’s delicious. My dad is amazing. And, of course, I take after him. HA! I wish I was as brilliant as my dad!). But back to my creation…

Here are the instructions for the bowl.

1. Blow up a balloon.
2. Tie it and place it tied side down in a container so it can’t blow away. (Any round plastic kitchen container will do.)
3. Mix Mod Podge and Gold Stampin’ Glitter.
4. Paint the Mod Podge/Glitter mix over the balloon – about halfway up.
5. Let dry completely.
6. Pop the balloon.

Now – I know you’re going to want to know how much Mod Podge and glitter I used. I have no idea. I used a plastic, rectangular baby food container and filled it about halfway up. Then I just started dumping glitter into it and mixing with a paint brush. I just kept adding glitter until I liked the color.

I kept painting until I couldn’t see the balloon (I used a green balloon so I could tell if there were thin places). And then I left it alone for awhile. Sadly, I’m very, very impatient, so when I popped the balloon, the bowl totally collapsed in on itself. So I blew up another balloon, covered it with Mod Podge, and stuck the first attempt over it. Then I added another layer for good measure.

When I popped this one, it still collapsed, and I’m not sure if it was because I didn’t wait long enough the first time, or if it’s because it’s just a delicate bowl. At any rate, I just reformed it into the shape I wanted and it was perfect.

It still is very “fairy like,” as Stephee said. And if I leave it on the table with nothing in it, the humidity takes over and it goes limp again. So – if you want it for a permanent decόr piece and you’re not going to put anything in it, you’re going to want to add little scraps of paper to the balloon first. So here are my “permanent decόr item” instructions.

1. Blow up a balloon, tie it, and place in round plastic container.
2. Rip up little scraps of card stock.
3. Paint both sides of the card stock with the Mod Podge/Glitter mix and stick to the balloon. Keep going until you’re about halfway up the balloon. It’s ok to have some empty spaces. It will add to the etherealness of the project. (Ok, really? “Etherealness” isn’t a word? It should be. I’m calling Webster.)
4. Paint over the card stock one or two more times with the glitter/Mod Podge mix.
5. Let dry completely, then pop the balloon.
6. You can paint the inside of the bowl with more glitter/Mod Podge, if needed.

Now – go out and order several containers of gold and silver glitter. It’s the most amazing stuff around, and it makes you feel very regal.

I had some of my Mod Podge/glitter mix left over, so I added it to some leftover Vintage Leaves from another project.

I colored the leaves using the technique here. After inking the paper, I stamped and die cut the leaves. They were sitting on my stamp table, so I just painted the glitter/Mod Podge over them and – instant glitz. I’ll be using these in a project soon. I love how the glitter didn’t totally cover the leaf color.

So that’s my project for you. Be sure to check out the Watercooler Challenge blog to see the amazing creations of the other design team members. Then create your own 3-D project and post it to the blog. If your project is chosen as a winner, you can put our cool badge on your blog or web site!

Thanks for stopping by Stamping with Buffy. Have a wonderful day!