Shiny Snowball Ornaments
The craft bug bit me hard this season, as you can well see. I made a bunch of these ornaments as Christmas gifts for the men at work. They are very simple, and would be great to make with kids. Anything where you get covered in glue and glitter can't be boring!
Materials
1. Styrofoam balls (the size doesn't matter)
2. Elmer's glue (I used the store brand and it worked great (and it was cheaper))
3. Wire for the hooks. I used floral stem wire I found in the floral department at my craft store.
4. White tissue paper
5. White iridescent glitter
6. A place you don't mind getting messy and sticky (I used a large cardboard box I had flattened and sat in the middle of my floor)
7. A couple small bowls
8. A place to hang the ornaments as they dry (I tied some string between two chairs)
9. Pliers / wire cutters
2. Elmer's glue (I used the store brand and it worked great (and it was cheaper))
3. Wire for the hooks. I used floral stem wire I found in the floral department at my craft store.
4. White tissue paper
5. White iridescent glitter
6. A place you don't mind getting messy and sticky (I used a large cardboard box I had flattened and sat in the middle of my floor)
7. A couple small bowls
8. A place to hang the ornaments as they dry (I tied some string between two chairs)
9. Pliers / wire cutters
Mix the Glue
In one small bowl add a big blob of glue. Mix the glue with water to make a runny paste. You don't want the paste to be too thick -- I add enough water to leave a whitish film on my finger.
Prep Work
In the other bowl, pour a good deal of glitter -- don't pour it all in though. You want some glitter left in the container to help cover the tops of the snowballs.
Take several sheets of tissue paper and tear them into strips. They don't have to be perfectly straight or uniform.
Using the wire cutters, cut lengths of wire for the hooks. Use the pliers to bend one end, forming a hook. Stick the hooks part way into the styrofoam balls.
Now you're ready to make snowballs!
Take several sheets of tissue paper and tear them into strips. They don't have to be perfectly straight or uniform.
Using the wire cutters, cut lengths of wire for the hooks. Use the pliers to bend one end, forming a hook. Stick the hooks part way into the styrofoam balls.
Now you're ready to make snowballs!
Forming the Snowballs
Take a strip of tissue paper and dip the end into the glue mixture. You'll want the whole strip dipped into the glue. I tend to do this as I'm wrapping it around the ball.
Use your first strip of tissue paper to help secure the hook into the ornament. When the glue dries, the hook will essentially be glued in place if you wrap some tissue around the base of the hook.
Continue to wrap tissue paper around the ball until you have a couple layers built up. Smooth out as many air bubbles as you can. The surface won't be completely smooth, but you don't want it smooth anyways.
Next, roll the wrapped ball in the glitter. I hold it by the base of the hook when doing this and then use the jar of glitter to cover the top part of the ball.
Use your first strip of tissue paper to help secure the hook into the ornament. When the glue dries, the hook will essentially be glued in place if you wrap some tissue around the base of the hook.
Continue to wrap tissue paper around the ball until you have a couple layers built up. Smooth out as many air bubbles as you can. The surface won't be completely smooth, but you don't want it smooth anyways.
Next, roll the wrapped ball in the glitter. I hold it by the base of the hook when doing this and then use the jar of glitter to cover the top part of the ball.
Snowball Fight!
Once your snowball is nice and glittery-shiny, hang it up to dry. To be on the safe side, I let them hang for a couple days. After they are dry, I shake any loose glitter off over a piece of paper, so I can reuse it.
Now they're ready to hang on the tree or give as gifts. You can have a snowball fight without the coldness, but watch out for hooks and getting glitter everywhere.
Now they're ready to hang on the tree or give as gifts. You can have a snowball fight without the coldness, but watch out for hooks and getting glitter everywhere.