Art Workshop: Maine Kissing Ball

I know the holiday season is busy. Decorating takes time, and then of course you have to undecorate after the New Year. So who in their right mind would actually make their own decorations rather than buy them?

I would.

It forces me to stop. I put on some music, pour a cup of coffee, and do something unheard of - I sit down. My hands get stained by berries and sticky with sap from pinecones. I am thinking about nothing, just singing and twisting and snipping and poking. And afterwards I have two priceless things; something beautiful that I made myself and a clear head.

Want to give it a try but don’t know where to start? 

Try making this amazingly simple, all-natural, gorgeous Maine Kissing Ball.

First, wrap an apple with some wire and secure. If you want an invisible hanger, attach a 3 foot piece of fishing line to the wire at the top of the apple and tie the ends together to form a loop. Or you can use a decorative ribbon.

Cut greens (I like to use a bunch of different things from my yard) into 4-6 inch lengths and poke the ends into the apple. Place them close enough to each other that you see only greens and can no longer see the apple.  Continue poking in greens until the entire apple is covered.  

Add berries, dried flowers or pinecones or leave it as it is. Wrap wire around a ribbon and stick it into the bottom of the apple if desired. Hang your kissing ball inside or out, adjusting the length of the loop of fishing line or ribbon as necessary.

So stunning, so Maine, so relaxing, and so what you deserve this holiday season!

xo~

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