Craft Raspberries from Cotton Batting

       These tiny raspberries ornaments are perfect for beginner level crafters to try sculpting from cotton batting. Like the corn on the cob or pea pod from earlier posts, these may be successfully completed with very little time, money, or experience. I hung these tiny delights on my German feather tree this year.

 Supply List:

• cotton balls (unraveled)
• white school glue
• tacky white glue
• newsprint
• masking tape
• wire for hanging
• green, purple and blue acrylic paints
• tiny paint brush 
• transparent glitter (optional

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Crush the newsprint into a small ball shape, approximately 1/2 inch long.
2. Wrap this newsprint form in masking tape.
3. Insert a wire for hanging at one end of the ball. Tape and glue in this wire firmly.
4. Unravel a couple of cotton balls and take a very tiny piece between your finger tips with a small bit of glue and roll this wad into a tiny ball.
5. Repeat this process until you have made enough tiny balls to cover the newsprint wad completely.
6. Use the tacky white glue to begin sticking one, two, three tiny balls etc. side by side from the top to the bottom of your raspberry shape. Press these peas together as you go. Take your time and let these dry as you go. It helps to work near a warm light or heater. 
7. Let your finished raspberry dry overnight.
8. Twist unravelled cotton batting around the stem using white glue to make it adhere to the wire as you go.
9. Shape a few tiny petals at the top of each raspberry out of more cotton batting. Let it all dry overnight.
10. Use your acrylic paints to color the cotton and let this finished ornament dry.
11. Seal the acrylic raspberries with a acrylic gel (Matt finish) to keep your ornament looking clean over time. 
12. Store your cotton batting ornaments between white tissues inside a tin box with a tight sealing lid. These boxes are the types used to store butter cookies and sometimes candies.