DIY Christmas ball decor - a selection of ideas

Christmas balls made of threads

The method of making balls from threads has long been used. The products are spectacular and lend themselves to additional decoration. It is possible to vary the size.

To make it you will need: threads (with a large percentage of natural fibers in the composition for good impregnation with glue), PVA glue, a disposable glass, round balloons. Manufacturing stages:

• Prepare glue for work. Dilute very thick mixture to the consistency of sour cream.
• Inflate the balloon to the desired size of the toy.
• Soak 1 meter pieces of thread in glue.
• Wrap using the “gossamer” method so that the free holes do not exceed a diameter of 1 cm.
• Allow the glue to dry (12 to 24 hours).
• Remove the ball from the product by carefully bursting it and removing it through the hole of the ball.
• Decorate the product. For this they use: glitter, paper cuttings of various shapes, sequins, beads, semi-beads, etc. Products made from threads can also be painted with paint from a can or acrylic. Watercolor and gouache are not suitable, as they can soak the product and lead to its spoiled appearance.

Having made New Year's balls of different diameters, you can decorate any corner of the house with them: a Christmas tree, candlesticks, compositions in a vase, on a windowsill, etc. Balloon decor can be done like this: place a light garland on a tray and place items of different sizes but the same color on top. When the garland is turned on, they will be illuminated and create an interesting effect.

Openwork lamp

A chic craft made from threads and a ball - an openwork ball. This beautiful openwork ball can be used as a lampshade or lamp, a vase for something light, or just a stylish interior decor. This accessory is very easy to make.

Inflate a small round balloon. Now take PVA glue and thread. Threads can be either floss or thin wool or acrylic. They should not be too thin, but not too thick.

Coat the threads with glue and wrap them around the ball like a cobweb. Leave gaps, but at the same time cover the ball with cobwebs fairly evenly and tightly.

Then dry the craft thoroughly, burst the balloon and take it out - we no longer need it. The lamp is ready!

From beads

Balls made of beads will look very beautiful and impressive on the Christmas tree. In this case, the foam spheres of the blanks will be decorated. In addition to the foam blank, you will need beads, pins (sewing needles with heads like those on nails), and ribbon.

The manufacturing method is very simple:

• Thread one bead onto one pin.
• Attach a pin to the foam base.
• Repeat until there is no free space left on the base.
• At the end, attach a ribbon loop for hanging the decoration.

It is advisable to take beads of the same size to avoid empty spaces on the base. The color scheme is chosen both in one tone and in different ones. It all depends on individual preferences and the overall style of decorating the room. Instead of a foam base, you can use plastic factory balls. Only in this case the beads will be attached not with pins, but with hot-melt glue.

Funny characters made from flour balls

Every child will be delighted with this balloon craft! A funny character made from a ball will be elastic, soft, pleasant to crush in your hands and give it different shapes.

For this toy, take a small balloon. Now we need to fill it with flour - the most ordinary one! And here the most important thing is that there is no air left in the ball filled with flour.

Squeeze out all the air, and twist the top of the ball tightly and tie it with thread, or just tie it in a knot with the ball itself. You should get a dense, soft ball that can be crushed into any shape.

Now let's start creating a colorful character. We will make the hair from bright multi-colored woolen threads. The face can be drawn with markers - eyes, mouth.

You can create a whole family of such funny characters - different, bright and cool!

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From buttons

Balls made of buttons will look no less original and unique on the Christmas tree. Old unnecessary buttons do not have to be selected in the same color scheme. After all, you can always repaint them and achieve the desired shade. They look impressive in gold, bronze, silver shades, as well as all colors with metallic coating.

To make this decor for New Year's balls, you will need: buttons (can be with through fastening or hidden), hot melt adhesive, foam or plastic blank, ribbon.

• Apply a small amount of hot glue to the inside of the button.
• Attach the button to the base.
• Carry out the steps in step 2 until the entire surface is covered with buttons.
• Attach a ribbon so that the ball can be hung.

When placing them on the tree, you need to make sure that there are not too many of them concentrated in one place. It is better to dilute such decorations with others.

Dog

In the presented photo of crafts made from balls, you can see a fairly common type of craft - a poodle. Now you will learn how to create the same masterpiece yourself.

1. After you have inflated the balloon, roll three four-centimeter sausages.
2. After retreating one figure, use the lock technique.
3. Next, create three more bubbles and twist the lock using the technique - these will be dog paws.
4. Then four more sausages, and, having missed the figure, the castle again.
5. The poodle is almost ready, turn the face and tail up.

From paper

Original New Year's balls can be made simply from paper, without using any base.

Ball of colored paper

To do this you will need thick (approximately 120 g/m2) paper, scissors, pins, and tape. Making the blank yourself is very simple.

• Cut 12 strips of paper measuring 15 mm x 100 mm
• Fasten all the strips on one side and the other with pins, retreating from the edge by 5-10 mm.
• Spread the strips in a circle, forming a sphere.
• Attach the ribbon to the base of the ball.

The strips can be cut not straight, but with other uneven lines. You can use curly scissors.

Corrugated paper

Corrugated paper will also come in handy. Pom-pom balls are created from it. For this you will need: corrugated paper, glue, scissors, tape.

• If the paper is new and packaged, then measure 5 cm from the edge and cut it off. Then measure 5 cm again and cut off.
• Cut two blanks into a “scallop” with an interval of strips of 1 cm without cutting to the base 1.5 cm.
• Unravel one piece and begin to twist it into a “flower” in a circle, gradually gluing it together. You will get a fluffy pompom. Repeat the same steps with the second workpiece.
• Connect two pompom blanks with glue at the gluing site. You will get a fluffy ball. Attach a loop tape to the gluing area. Fluff the resulting pompom.

Made from double-sided colored paper

You can also make a ball from double-sided colored paper. To do this you need: colored paper, scissors, glue, a round object (a cup, for example), tape.

• Trace the cup on paper 8 times. You will get 8 equal circles. Cut them out.
• Fold each circle into quarters.
• Cut an additional circle with a smaller diameter.
• Glue the blanks to it with the corners to the center on one side (4 pieces will fit), and on the other side the same.
• Open each fold and glue it together at the joint. You will get a ball with “petals”.
• Attach the ribbon.

Paper balls, as a rule, do not last long and are used for one season. You shouldn’t place them in large numbers on the tree; it’s better to “dilute” them with other decorations.

Basic methods of rolling balls

Modeling of figures occurs by twisting bubbles from sausage balls of various lengths and then securing them into a “lock”. Basically, only 3 types of twisting of air parts are used to create individual crafts.

Simple twisting of air bubbles

Used to form individual air parts of different lengths.

The required size of the air part is measured and compressed with your fingers at a certain distance from the assembly. Next, with your left hand you hold the short end of the ball in the place of twisting, and with your right hand you rotate the long end of the ball around its axis 3-4 times. The twisting of the next parts of the ball occurs in the same direction as they started.

Twisting air bubbles with a “lock”

Used to fix three or more bubbles following each other into the required shape.

Three bubbles are made using the usual twisting method. Next, the last two bubbles are folded together, the fold of the ball passes through the place where they are connected. The junction of two bubbles is fastened with a “lock” of 3-4 circular twists.

Twisting air bubbles with a bend

It is used to form three bubbles following each other into a given figure, while the last two bubbles are not twisted among themselves, but only bent.

A bubble of the required length is made by ordinary twisting, then the gap between the next two bubbles is measured, but this area is not secured with a “lock”, but is simply bent, and at the junction of the first and second bubbles, twisting is done 2-3 times.

From fabric

If you have an old blouse in your closet that you hate to throw away, then not recycling it was the right decision. You can make a cute Christmas tree toy from it. For production you need: knitted fabric, scissors, sewing needle and thread, cardboard, tape.

• Cut the longest strips of fabric 1 cm wide. Stretch each strip so that it curls the edges.
• Cut cardboard measuring 10 cm x 20 cm.
• Wind the resulting strips onto the cardboard along the width.
• In the center on one side and the other, connect the strips with a needle and thread. Pull out the cardboard.
• Cut the resulting loops along the edges.
• Fluff and attach the ribbon.

There is another method that involves decorating a foam or plastic blank with fabric. You need any fabric (can be of different colors), hot glue, scissors.

• Cut the fabric into rectangular pieces measuring 3 cm x 4 cm.
• Fold them like this: fold the two top corners towards the center of the bottom.
• Glue to the workpiece in rows, with curves inward, starting from the bottom.
• Cover the entire ball. Attach the ribbon.

Fabric appliqués can be made in a variety of ways, using additional improvised means - beads, braid, rhinestones, ribbon.

Original bottle packaging

Tired of the usual look of a plastic bottle? You can add originality just by placing a ball on the bottle. Moreover, this will protect the bottle from overheating and keep the cold inside, especially if you wrap the bottle with foil and put a ball on top of it. Now the child can paint the new “wrapper” with colored markers.

Thanks to this method, you can easily protect your phone and other important things from rain. Simply wrap them in a ball.

You can make an interesting phone case in the same way. It is enough to cut our workpiece to fit the base. You can make an item of clothing for your smartphone in the form of a T-shirt or shorts, which is unlikely to be available to anyone else

As you can see, there are quite a lot of topics and ideas, but balloon toys still occupy a special place. Thanks to them, you can keep your child busy with an interesting game or come up with your own game based on a variety of characters. Similar toys can be made for pets. For example, cats really love catnip.

It is enough just to wrap a few slices in paper, which should then be wrapped in a ball and a couple of punctures made. The ball is not tightly stuffed with paper, the smell will come out of it and your pet will be quite interested in playing with the new toy.

With embroidery

Decorating New Year's balls with your own hands is also possible in this way. Decorating Christmas tree decorations with embroidery has become a new trend. To do this, use a pre-embroidered image. You also need fabric, a piece of foam or plastic, and hot glue.

• Attach the embroidered image using glue.
• Decorate the remaining area of ​​the ball with a fabric appliqué.

Instead of appliques, you can use the same fabric on which the embroidery was made. Alternatively, you can make a pattern from fabric, where one of the parts will be embroidery. You can also decorate each part of the pattern with separate embroidered images and secure them. After these steps, you can additionally add beads, rhinestones, sparkles, and sequins as decoration.

More information about the working material

The material for modeling crafts is multi-colored sausage balls, the simple interweaving of which helps to reveal creative abilities: everyone can feel like an artist, sculptor, creator. Long sausage-shaped balloons can be twisted into virtually any shape. Working with shapes and colors develops imagination and forms model thinking, bringing smiles and joy to children’s faces.

Balloons can be purchased either in a set with special devices for inflation, or individually, and improvised means can be used as a pump. Ask for them at children's toy stores, kiosks and wholesale markets.

With filling

Such specimens will look spectacular both on the Christmas tree and as part of balloon compositions. To make unusual balls, you need to stock up on transparent plastic blanks.

By opening the cap holder, you can create various compositions inside:

• Pour acrylic paint of different colors inside, shake the ball so that all the inner walls are painted, and let dry. The pigment will color the inside of the workpiece and it will acquire a unique color.
• Fill the inside with small colored feathers and beads.
• You can also pour confetti of different colors inside.
• Pieces of old tinsel are used for filling.

• Favorite photos are also placed inside. To do this, you need to twist a small photo into a tube (look at the diameter of the ball) and straighten it inside. Add confetti or sequins.
• The interior is filled with colored cotton wool and complemented with beads. You can choose different colors. It is better to paint with acrylic paint. Fill after the cotton wool has completely dried.
• Multi-colored sisal can be placed inside and enjoy the color and originality of the decoration.

Fantasies about filling a transparent ball can be different. They all relate to personal preferences and mood during needlework.

Materials for work

Where to start? Of course, with a choice of balloons! Inflatable balls that are designed specifically for modeling are suitable for you.

They are long in shape and durable. Be careful about their choice, half the success depends on this.

You also cannot do without a pump, which can come with the balls. And additional materials that will also help you - markers, scissors.

With varied decor

You can attach anything to the blanks. Here are some ideas:

• Ribbons. You can make various patterns from ribbons (geometric themes, monograms, stripes, etc.). They are secured with hot glue.
• Sequins. The sequin braid is wound around the circumference and secured with hot glue. You can choose several colors to combine.

• Braid. Various braids from any material are also suitable for decorating Christmas balls.
• Lace. It can be complemented with semi-beads or rhinestones. Organza ribbon will also be combined with lace.
• Paper cuttings. Various figures made using a figured hole punch will decorate any ball.
• Felt cuttings. Attached cut-out figures of various themes will be conveniently placed with glue from a hot-melt gun.
• Old jewelry. Lost earrings or unnecessary brooches in combination with other decorative elements will add special chic to the decoration.

Flowers

Prepare three balls of different colors - one color for the petals, the second for the stem and leaf, and the third for the center of the flower.

1. First, take the brightest ball - the future petals - and inflate it. Tie it to make a ring.
2. Fold the bubbles in half and twist them - there should be three pairs of them.
3. Arrange them like an accordion. Press down in the middle and twist to create six petals.
4. Proceed to making the stem.
5. Step back about ten centimeters from the knot and twist, then bend and twist again - insert the resulting bubble into the petals.
6. You can make the center of the flower from a ball of a different color, also twisting it and cutting off the excess part.
7. A flower leaf is a ball that has been twisted, bent and straightened.

Results

Anyone can buy regular Christmas tree balls to decorate a room for the New Year. But these will be just decorations, like everyone else’s. Only decorating New Year's balls with your own hands can bring a bit of uniqueness and soulfulness to the interior. To do this, you just need a desire and some materials that are likely to be found in every home. Making New Year's balls with your own hands is not only pleasant, but also fashionable. “Handmade” has gained even more popularity in recent years. Therefore, making Christmas balls is not only popular, but also useful for your own home.

Create from the heart!

In applied creativity, the main thing is not only the result, but also an interesting creative process, especially for children.

Spend a couple of hours on this activity with your child, and you will be simply happy, and the process of creating crafts will bring benefits and a lot of joy to your child.

Come up with your own original ideas for crafts, modify ready-made techniques, get creative and create new creative souvenirs.

And our simple and interesting ideas for balloon crafts will definitely help you with this!

Basic safety rules

The ease of working with balloons has become the reason that many parents began to actively teach their children aerodesign and the creation of beautiful crafts. Indeed, it takes little time to master the technique, and children completely grasp everything on the fly.

The main mistake parents make is that they lose sight of the importance of explaining to children the safety rules when working with balloons. After all, it seems that the baby simply cannot be injured. But that's not true.

In reality, injury is quite possible. It is for this reason that it is so important to follow certain safety rules:

• When inflated, the balloon may burst, so it is better not to hold it too close to your face. After all, under the pressure of air, a burst rubber can hit the master in the face quite painfully;
• round balls should never be used for twisting; they are simply not intended for such manipulations;
• It is recommended to work in protective gloves, and you will have to completely abandon long nails;
• alcohol dyes have a detrimental effect on the material and destroy it. Therefore, only water-based markers and paints are allowed;
• Incorrectly twisted balls cannot be used for work. They are considered defective.

Another unspoken rule is to wear special safety glasses. They reliably protect your eyes and prevent injury. It is permissible to use not only glass, but also ordinary plastic glasses.

By adhering to basic safety rules, you can create beautiful crafts and master any technique. Children will definitely be delighted with such a fun pastime.

Unusual flowers

Of course, many craftsmen choose a real flower, which is familiar to most people, as a prototype. In other words, it is recognizable.

However, you cannot limit your own imagination. Aerodesign makes it possible to express it as best as possible. Because with the help of beautiful multi-colored balls you can create a completely new and unusual flower.

Moreover, the process of creating such a flower will not take too much time. It is also not complicated and is ideal for creating an interesting composition. For work, you can take balls of any color.

Important! The brighter the color of the balls, the more the composition will stand out. Therefore, this is the best option for a celebration.

To create flowers with six petals, it is permissible to use not only long, but also ordinary inflatable balloons. Of course, it’s easier to make a flower out of ordinary ones. Therefore, it is novice masters who often give preference to this technique:

1. Take 7 round balls of any color and inflate them.
2. We make bundles of three pieces each.
3. We use the seventh ball as the middle. Traditionally it should be yellow, but this is not a requirement.
4. Now we tie all the balls and check the reliability of fixation.

As you can see, everything is quite simple. Therefore, even a child can cope with this task. But if you want to complicate your task a little, you can make a flower with 6 petals from long balls.

The scheme of work in this case is identical to that which should be used when creating a chamomile. You just need to twist the sausage at 3 points and arrange it like an accordion. For greater realism, do not forget about using a yellow or any other contrasting color in the middle.

Christmas balls for the New Year

Option 2.

At the end of the text instructions you will find video instructions.

You will need:

• colored cardboard (multi-colored magazines)
• scissors
• ruler
• cocktail straw
• pencil
• needle and thread (or wire)
• awl or screwdriver
• beads
• various decorations (optional).

1. You need to cut out 6 strips of colored cardboard. The stripes should not be too wide.

2. Using an awl, make a hole at the end of each strip.

3. Lay out all the paper strips as shown in the image, and use an awl to make a hole in the center.

4. Prepare a thread, a needle and a bead, which will need to be attached to the bottom of the future ball.

Cut the thread to the required length so that you can hang the ball.

Pull the first bead all the way through.

Pull the needle and thread through the hole in the center of the strips, leaving a bead at the bottom.

5. Cut off approximately half of the cocktail tube (its length is 1/4 the length of the paper strip), insert it into the center of the workpiece and thread a thread and needle through it.

6. Start bending the strips at the top and pull a thread and needle through the hole at the end of each strip. It is also better to secure a bead on top.

Video instruction:

*You can use wire instead of thread.