Have you ever heard of a kissing ball?
Neither had I!
Apparently, it involves the origin of kissing-under-the-mistletoe tradition. In the eighteenth-century, the English credited the mistletoe with a certain magical appeal. They would create a ball out of a tree branch, put a sprig of mistletoe at the bottom, hang it up and call it a “kissing ball.” At Christmas time a young lady standing under the ball, brightly trimmed with evergreens, ribbons, and ornaments, cannot refuse to be kissed. Such a kiss could mean deep romance or lasting friendship and goodwill. If the girl remained unkissed, she cannot expect not to marry the following year.
In modern times, kissing balls can be made out of almost anything! I’ve seen some beautiful kissing balls made out of flowers at weddings, and was recently inspired by one that I saw that was made out of – you guessed it – cork!
I used a reflective Christmas ornament ball and glued my halved corks all around the surface. I left the wire hoop on the ornament exposed so that these may double for tree ornaments come December. But as for now, they are simply funky centerpieces keeping my hedge apples company.
They are also the latest addition to my Etsy store!
I’m so excited to share this creation with Etsy and my readers here!
Do you have any cork creation ideas for me? Leave it in the comments below!
