colorful gumball machine

I have always loved gumball machines! All the beautiful colors of the gumballs and the brightly painted gumball machine is enough to make this girl’s heart skip a beat! Now, I have never been able to chew the gum (way too much dental work to mess with), but I do love the memory I have of it being the first thing to greet me in our small-town grocery store!

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My colorful gumball machine

This little tabletop version is quite a bit smaller than the original gum ball machines and is just the perfect size to sit on my shelf and remind me of that little grocery store with the creaky wooden floors.

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Here is what you will need

Materials:

Snow Globe I picked this one

Iridescent Glass ornaments  -I love the luster that the iridescent ornaments give to this project

Acrylic Craft Paint – choose colors that go well with your décor. I chose

Apple Barrel Brand:  

Spring Green

Key West

Peachy Pink

Bright Magenta

Snow White

Make sure to wash the globe of your snow globe (a.k.a. gum ball machine) inside and out with your favorite glass cleaner.

Side note: Leave the styrofoam in the bottom as a filler so you won’t need so many gumballs

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Make sure to clean the globe before filling with "gumballs."

Remove the tops of your iridescent glass ball ornaments and set the tops aside. Squeeze a good amount of paint into the ball ornament. Place your finger over the opening of the ornament and shake the ornament vigorously making sure that the inside is coated evenly.

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Pouring paint in your "gumball."

Take the top off the paint bottle and place the ornament upside down to let the excess drip back into the bottle.

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Pour the excess paint back into the bottle.
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Let the ornament drain out as much paint as possible.

Put the top back on and set the ornament back into the ornament holder top side up and let the paint dry for a few hours or overnight.

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Let the paint set for a few hours or overnight

Place your new “gum balls” in the gum ball machine being very careful not to crack any of them.

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Isn't this GORGEOUS?!

And there you have it! A beautiful gum ball machine for your home décor! This baby can be left out all year long and not be just Christmas specific! Yay!

I hope you enjoyed this project as much as I did! It is so pretty and would make a great gift as well! 😊

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Hi, I’m Danielle!

I am the designer, writer and diy’er behind this blog. I enjoy decorating my home for practically nothing by doing most of the work myself, finding new and imaginative ways to make it beautiful and by watching for killer sales. I find humor almost anywhere and can laugh at myself through it all. I have learned that most projects don’t go exactly as intended, but can be more beautiful than the original plan.

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