Sweet Gum Ball Crafts

Have you ever quickly glanced at something and thought it was an eyesore, only to discover it could be turned into something beautiful?  There are many examples of this in nature.  All we need to do is look closer.  This time of year, sweet gum balls are falling in high volumes and you may consider them to be a nuisance.  However, these seed pods could actually be utilized for many different craft ideas including for holidays, home decor projects, and kids crafts!

Sweetgum balls, also cleverly nicknamed porcupine eggs, are extremely versatile.  They would look great in the fall as part of a Thanksgiving centerpiece and could be incorporated into many Christmas crafts.  For example, they could be painted and turned into unique Christmas tree ornaments, strung together to make a garland, glued together to make wreaths, or shaped into mini Christmas trees.  With a few simple crafting supplies, they can take on many different shapes, like snowmen or Christmas trees.

They can also be used in home decor projects.  Spray paint them different colors, attach them to a stem, and they look like flowers in a vase.  Lightly spray paint them white and surround a candle or fill a jar with them for a gorgeous centerpiece.

Sweetgum balls can also be great for kid's crafts because you can usually find a lot at once.  Cover them in glitter, glue them together to form different animal shapes like mice and birds, or make a heart-shaped wreath for Valentine's Day.  (Make sure to supervise since the seed pods can be prickly.)

Collect them from your backyard and save money on crafting supplies.  Bag-A-Nut has 6 Sweet Gum Ball machines to choose from in a variety of sizes and styles depending on your need.  For more ideas, search "sweet gum ball crafts" on Pinterest and be amazed at what you can create!

Did you know about the link between Sweetgum balls and Tamiflu? Learn about this amazing seed HERE!