If you remember making snowflakes in third grade, you may also remember creating these paper ornaments. They're simple to put together and look quite fancy when you're done! The best part is experimenting with all kinds of paper, colors and sizes to create the perfect ornament for your tree.
{diy paper ball ornament}
Needed:
Craft paper, Christmas cards, or cardstock
A circle punch or a circle template
Rubber cement (or any other kind of craft glue)
Ribbon
First, cut out 20 circles of equal size from holiday paper, scrap paper, or my favorite: old Christmas cards! Sadly, I don't have any scrap Christmas cards this year, so I used the colored craft paper that I had leftover in my shop. I made 2" circles, but depending on the size of the ornament you want, I recommend anything from 1" up.
Cutting 20 circles is way more tedious without a paper punch. However, if you're like me and don't have one, save yourself a headache and find a mug in your cupboard that has a decent sized base. All my mugs were too big, so I used a small 2" candle to trace.
Now, draw out an equal-sided triangle on a piece of paper, for a template to go inside your circles. If you're making a 2" ornament, the sides of your triangle should be 1 3/4". If you're making a different sized ornament and don't know how to find the size of your triangle, try this trick: cut out a spare circle that's the same size as your others. Fold it in half. Fold one of the edges up to the center fold. This fold line should be the length of your triangle sides.
Cut out your triangle template and use it to trace lines inside your circles.
Fold your circles into triangles using your template.
Now paste the folded corners together with rubber cement or craft glue: you should make two "caps" of five circles pasted together into a ring. This will be the top and bottom of your ornament. Then paste the remaining ten in a line. This will be the center of your ornament. Refer to the photo below for the setup.
To make the ornament tie, before you paste your final circle in the cap, string a piece of ribbon through the hole and tie a knot at the end to keep it from slipping out. Paste the final circle together to secure the ribbon.
Paste the other "cap" together in a similar fashion. Take your line of ten circles and paste them together end-to-end to form a large loop.
Paste the caps on the top and bottom of your center loop, and there you have it! A lovely ornament to decorate your tree. If you want to get really creative, you can line the edges with puff paint, add glitter, sequins, or any other kind of "bling" to make it fun. Enjoy!
