Charlottesville Crafter: Easy-to-Make Ball Ornaments!

By Karen May-Free

It’s time to start decorating for the holidays! Whether you celebrate the solstice or Christmas, it’s easy to make your home look ready for getting together with loved ones. Today we’re going to make some ornaments! Obviously, ornaments usually go on trees, but if you’re in an apartment with limited space (or hyperactive pets!), you can hang ornaments anywhere (and for any occasion, really) and still have your home look festive.

You can find clear ball ornaments at most craft stores, starting probably around August. They come in both glass and plastic (great for homes with young children and pets), and sometimes various shapes. I’m working with glass balls.

Holiday Ribbons:
Find a favorite poem, song, story and print it out, leaving some space between the lines and use a pretty font. I’ve used “The Night Before Christmas” here. Cut them out into strips that will fit into the top of your ornament. Feed them in, and try and arrange them nicely so that when you look at the ornament, you see the words to your favorite works.

This also works with sheet music, and if you’re the type of person that saves things, wedding invitations or baby announcements.

I’ve done another one using curling ribbon to fill the ball.

Seasons Glitters:
If you’d like a little sparkle, use some glitter! You can put it on the inside or outside of the ball, but keep in mind that if it’s on the outside, it will rub off on whatever it happens to touch. It’s both the blessing and curse of glitter. I’m putting mine on the inside. Use a little very thin glue and swirl around the inside of the ornament until it’s covered. Next, make a little funnel and pour in your glitter. Swirl it and shake it until the inside is coated. 

Let it dry completely-–this is the reason for the thin glue. There’s only a tiny little opening for air to circulate, so if you use thicker glue, it will take a VERY long time to dry!  Some of the premade craft glitter glues would probably also work very well for this.

Yuletide Yarn:
If you or someone you love is a yarncrafter, you can make then a special ornament that looks like a ball of yarn! Start by putting a thin layer of glue around the outside of the ball. Then start wrapping yarn around it, mimicking the look of a ready to use ball of yarn. 

If you have a set of old needles or a hook to stick along side, give it a shot.

Whatever you can fit inside the ball or coat on the outside (and is not dangerous!) is fair game. Need some more ideas for filler? Try tinsel, beads, paint swirls, fake snow and glitter (like a mini snowglobe!), fabric and lace, feathers or miniature figurines (as long as they can fit through the top).

Enjoy your personalized ornaments, and the memories you create making them.

Karen is a blogger and crafter who has lived in Charlottesville for 6 years after transplanting from the Shenandoah Valley. While not working or attending classes at PVCC, she blogs about her life at Precision Indecision and about crafts at CraftyKix.