DIY Harry Potter Prophecy Ball

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In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the climactic scene at the end involves trying to save Professor Trelawney's prophecy from when Harry was a baby. The prophecy itself is stored in a glass ball, and it swirls and dances in the globe.

I've taken the feeling of this effect and reproduced it in an easy to do project that just takes a few minutes to put together. Check it out!

Supplies

• Plastic water globe
• Wilton food coloring (Teal)
• Superfine glitter (optional)
• 5-6 cotton balls
• 4″ Moulding Corner Block
• 3″ hole drill
• Brown spray paint
• Stiffened Felt
• Rubber cement

Steps

1. The moulding block will become the base, to cover the screwtop of the globe. You could also just use a piece of ribbon around the lid, or a block of plain wood. We like this though, because it added the routed edge around the top edge.
2. We used a 3″ hole drill to make a space for the lid to fit tightly in, a quick swipe of brown spray paint, and the base is done! (We also added a layer or two of electrical tape to the lid, to help build up some thickness and hold it tight in the base. Use rubber cement or spray adhesive to attach a square of stiffened felt to the bottom of the base and cover the hole.
3. Now comes the fun part! I grabbed a handful of cotton balls, and started shredding them. I found that they pretty much unrolled once I got going, so I pulled them apart into strips that were a few inches long each.
4. Fill the globe with the shredded cotton; fill it completely, because it will shrink quite a bit when you add water!
5. Add glitter to the cotton, if you're going to add glitter. For me, more glitter is always better because GLITTER!
6. Use the food coloring to tint water. I used Wilton “Teal” but you may want to experiment if you have other options at home. Make the water a little darker than you think you need, because the cotton will lighten up the overall effect. I also recommend mixing the water in a separate container, so you can set your color before pour it in. I found that my first attempt was WAY too dark, so I'm glad I could just pour some water out and add fresh to dilute the color. (This is also more water than you'll need)
7. Fill the globe completely, so you can minimize the air bubble that ends up inside. We filled it over the sink, so overflow could easily run out… place the plug carefully to let air out as a place it and it doesn't get trapped. This pic shows you our filled globe with the plug in place.
8. Add the outer lid, drop it into the base and you're all set to start making prophecies of your own!

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