Easy DIY Wrapped Ball Ornament

I’m not one for flashy Christmas decor. It’s a little ironic because when the giant inflatable snow globes and Santas start to pop up all over the neighborhood, I love it!   As Christmas nears, I love driving around with Dave while listening to Christmas music and trying to find the houses with the most outrageous lights and props displays.  All of this ends the minute I enter my own house.  The craziest Christmas decorating I do is probably putting up a tree with colored twinkle lights.  Out of control, right?  Well that’s why I’ve decided to put a little more effort into my decorating this year.  I wanted decorations that were totally Christmas-worthy but could also be used year-round.

These ball ornaments are incredibly cheap and easy to make.  All you need are some styrofoam balls, an old catalog (or newspaper, or fabric), a hot glue gun and some string.  In the tutorial below, I’ll walk you through how I made one out of the pages of a catalog!

1. Get your glue gun plugged in and heating up.  Make sure you’re working on a surface that won’t get ruined if the glue gun decides to attack (as it does from time to time).

2. Rip out a few pages from your catalog and roll the first one up into a long strip.  Once the strip is rolled, twist the entire thing from end to end.

3. Put a dot of glue on the tip of your styrofoam ball and press one end of your twisted strip into the glue.  Hold it there for a few seconds until the glue has cooled and the end is secure.

4. Drag a line of glue around the tip and twist your strip around, pressing it into the glue as you go.  You’re going to repeat this for the entire ball.  When you get to the end of a strip and you start with a new one, overlap the 2 ends so the thickness of your “coil” stays consistent.  When you get to the bottom of your ball, trim off any excess length from the final strip.

5. Once your ball is fully wrapped, cut some string long enough to hang your ornament.  Tie the ends together to make a loop and double the knot.  Poke a small hole in the top of your ornament and put a dot of glue inside the hole.  Push the knot of your string loop into the glue and let the glue cool completely so the string is securely attached.

6. Hang and enjoy!!

I really love these because of how versatile they are.  You can make multiple sizes, use different fabric/paper styles and do all sorts of fun decorating with them when the holidays end!

What kinds of ornaments and decor will you be making this year?