Nautical Buoy Garland

With summer coming to an end, we’re hanging on with this fun nautical buoy garland.  This craft has been on my to-do list for a long time.  I have done many nautical themed crafts over the years using foam but this one just topped the list as my favorite.

Wouldn’t this same idea be fun turned into holiday ornaments too?!?

Supplies needed to make this project:

• FloraCraft® Make It: Fun® Foam Balls: Any Size (I used 3″)
• FloraCraft Smooth Finish® Paintable Coating
• FloraCraft® StyroCutter® Plus
• Fine-grit Sandpaper
• Acrylic Paint
• Paintbrush
• Washi Tape (optional)
• Rope

Instructions:

First, coat all of your foam balls in Smooth Finish and let dry.  I only did one coat since I wanted a little bit of texture still, but it’s very subtle.

I only did one coat of Smooth Finish since I wanted a little bit of subtle texture still, but you can do two if you want them perfectly smooth.

Once dry, sand any rough edges with fine-grit sandpaper.  I didn’t want them to be completely smooth so I lightly sanded them.

Now it’s time to pilot a hole through the center of the ball with the StyroCutter Plus for the rope to pass through.

Follow the packaging instructions carefully and let the tool do the work.  If the wand is bending, you’re pressing too hard. I started my hole small and working the cutter in circles until I was satisfied with the size.

Now it’s time to paint! I picked out some FUN colors that give the nautical feel I just LOVE!  But like I said, you could paint them to look like Christmas ornaments or Pokémon® Poké Balls?  Possibilities are endless.

Optional: Add some washi tape around the center of the foam ball to create a stripe.

Once they are completely dry, string them onto the rope, tying knots in between each ball.

Then, hang and enjoy!

There are so many ways you can use these, nautical theme party or room are just a few.  My favorite part about these, they are so lightweight and easy to hang.