How to create wintry snowball ornaments
Snowball ornaments. (Photo, SIan Richards.)
Balloon Ornaments
Look to snow for a fresh decor idea
Skip the boughs of holly and decorate with easy-to-make snowball-inspired ornaments. All you need is balloons, flour paste and wrapping materials like twine, ribbon or lace.
The checklist:
• 1 cup of flour
• Boiling water
• Balloons
• Petroleum jelly
• Twine
• Scissors
• Felt
• Needle and thread
• Beads
1. Begin with paper mache
Make the papier mâché paste by gradually adding boiling water to flour until you have a smooth consistency. Blow up the balloon to your desired size and cover with a thin layer of petroleum jelly. Next, dip the twine into the paste and wrap it around the balloon shifting the direction slightly with each wrap until the whole balloon is covered.
2. Pop the balloon
Let the papier mâché dry overnight. Once the paste has dried, pop the balloon and remove with tweezers. You'll have yourself a structured twine ball.
3. Cut out your shapes
Cut eight circles of the same size out of the felt. Fold each of the circles in half, making a crease down the centre.
4. Stitch your circles
Line up two of the folded circles back-to-back so the creased sides face each other. Sew the two pieces together along the crease line. Keeping the circles folded, add another felt circle to the top and one to the bottom so that your initial sewn circle is sandwiched in the middle. Sew down the crease. Repeat until all circles are attached.
5. String on some beads
Fluff out your 16-petal ball. Use a needle and thread to sew beads to the bottom of it.
6. Connect the dots
Attach the finished felt and bead component to the string ball with a needle and thread. Make a loop of thread or attach an ornament hook, so that the ornament can be hung up.
7. Embellish your home with twine Christmas balls
We attached our snowballs to branches and arranged them on a staircase railing, but they look equally good on a tree, made into a wreath or simply placed in a bowl as a centrepiece. Store them safely and they’ll last for years.
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