Homemade Christmas – Project: Paper Ball Ornament

This homemade ornament is both simple to make and very pretty.


What You Need:
20 – 2 inch Circles
Glue Stick or Glue Dots
Ribbon
Bead (Optional)

1. Cut out 20 – 2 inch circles. You can use card stock, pictures or old Christmas cards. You can cut the triangles out with scissors, but a 2 inch paper punch sold at craft stores will speed up this project tremendously.
   
   
2. Mark an equilateral triangle on the back of each circle.
   
   a. For a 2 inch circle, each of the three sides will be 1 ¾ inches long.
   
   b. I made my triangle in Word by clicking on insert/shape. I chose the triangle and then drew the triangle while holding the shift key. Holding the shift key will give you an equilateral triangle.
   
   c. After you have a triangle on your page, right click. Click on "Format AutoShape." On the "Size" tab select “Lock Aspect Ratio” (toward the bottom) and then change your width to 1.75 inches. Click "Ok." You can now print and cut out your triangle.
   
   d. I traced my triangle onto an old milk jug and cut it out so that I would have a stiff pattern to fold against and not have to trace onto each circle.
   
   
   e. Questions??? Just ask me in the comments.
   
   
3. Fold each circle along the triangle. Warning: If you choose to use pictures, make sure you fold half of the circles with the point at the top of the picture and half with the point facing down. If you don’t, half of your pictures will be upside down.
   
   
4. Begin with the first five circles, attaching the folded circles together at the flap. When you finish, you will have the dome that will create the top or bottom.
   
   
5. Repeat step 4.
   
   
   
   
6. You now have 10 circles remaining. Attach these the same way as in steps 4 and 5 except you are now creating a tube instead of a dome. To do this, take the first circle and make sure that its triangle point is facing up. Attach to the next circle with the triangle point facing down. Continue to attach the circles in this alternating pattern until you have used all remaining circles and the tube is closed. It will look like this.
   
   
7. Attach top dome to flaps of center tube.
   
   



8. Tie bead to end of ribbon and tie a loop at the other end of the ribbon to be able to hang. Feed the loop end through bottom dome up through the top dome.
   
   



9. Attach the bottom dome to flaps of center tube.

Ta da. You’re finished.

More Ideas:
1. Cut circles out of pictures.
2. Cut circles and then have your children color on them. What Grandma/Grandpa wouldn’t love that?
3. Use cardstock that coordinates with your Christmas tree or home decor.
4. Create several ornaments of different sizes to use as a mobile in a child’s room.
5. Print birth information on 5/10 center tube triangles and give to new parents.
6. Attach mistletoe to ribbon prior to stringing through and hang in the doorway.
7. Use in place of bow on top of a package.

Have more ideas or need some help? Please let me know in the comments below.