Crafting with Betty

Bettysday looms ever closer and for those who like to get their craft on, I put together a fun and easy craft that can incorporate some secret Betty-ness into your everyday decor.
I call them Orbs d'Betty (Because Betty Balls is a dog that won't hunt.) Gathering materials: I found assorted sizes of Styrofoam ba...orbs...at my local Goodwill. Anything round would work as long as you don't mind covering it up.
I bought Mod podge at Michael's (print off their coupons online and you'll save 40% on one item). There I also bought some ink pads to distress my orbs--two shades of brown (walnut and sepia) and one shade of blue. In retrospect I would have bought a third brown finish and skipped the blue entirely as it didn't turn out quite like I envisioned.
One Betty book was bought at Goodwill for a dollar. The Secret Infatuation. I spent 45 minutes tearing the pages (eek!) into strips (horizontal was easier and more readable) and set them aside.

To begin: I popped my orbs on cups and round lids--things that would get them away from the counter and hold them still. Taking a strip of paper I would dunk it in the Mod Podge and then wipe away the excess with my fingers. Then it's as simple as laying them on the Styrofoam...sort of. The smaller ball...orbs needed much shorter pieces of paper (2" or so) than the larger ones. (The smaller the paper the more it will lay flat on a small surface.) I set aside the last page of the book so that I could tear it at the end and put it on the outside of the largest orb.

Also, I found that I liked working with a few orbs at once; draping the paper on one and then letting that get slightly tacky while I worked on the others--the paper seemed to behave a little better for me if it wasn't all wet. I would rinse my hands off periodically when I would get too much glue on my fingers, as well.
And then I gently brushed my distressing ink on the outside of the orbs once they dried. Hmmm. That didn't look like enough distressing to me either.
So then I went Full Monty and rubbed the ink pads all over and worked it into the ridges with my fingers. Much better.
Here's a close up. The basket was a 5 dollar Wal-Mart purchase. I feel very sneaky having Betty Neels out there where everyone can see her.
I had a ton of fun but I dare say I look like I've been booked down at county for drug-related offenses...

P.S. I did have to gird up my loins to rip apart a book...and not just any book but a Betty book and, moreover, one I liked. But as this was a duplicate of one I had and was still in print and had not been sentimentally purchased or acquired, I felt justified.