From glittering snow to dried flowers, the designs are simple to make, using a Styrofoam craft ball as the basic material beneath the elaborate layers of decoration. Adding a ribbon for display is easy, but the ornaments can be displayed as bowl fillers or piled topiary-style if preferred.
Glittering Snowballs
The simplest of the designs, glittering snowballs look elegant on an all-white tree or nestled in dark green branches among pine cones and Victorian ornaments. All that is needed are plain styrofoam balls, white paint, glitter, glue and a loop of ribbon for hanging the ornament if desired.
The Steps:
- Paint the styrofoam balls with white paint.
- Sprinkle the wet surface generously with clear or white glitter.
- Once the ornament is dry, glue the loop of ribbon to the top.
Snowballs also look elegant as a topiary; omit the ribbons and stack them together using toothpicks to secure the ornaments in a pyramid pile for display.
Forgotten Flowers
Use dried blossoms -- real or synthetic imitations -- to create these old-fashioned ornaments. With glue, glitter, and a few bunches of realistic blooms, a styrofoam ball takes on the appearance of a treasured heirloom in a matter of minutes.
The Steps:
- Coat the styrofoam ball generously with glue.
- Add the flowers carefully -- one at a time -- close together to cover the surface.
- Cover the sides in stages, if necessary, leaving only an open space at the top for gluing the ribbon -- or sew directly to the flowers if desired.
- Sprinkle the ornament with glitter while the glue is still wet, then let dry.
Accent the dried blossoms using pearl or glass beads or other vintage ornaments. Use toothpicks or short pieces of wire threaded through the holes to help hold them in place -- simply dip the sharp end in glue then pierce the styrofoam surface.
Vintage Color Globe
Using clip art, advertisements, craft papers, and other colorful sheets, transform a styrofoam ball into a unique globe spinning with beautiful images. Torn pieces of paper, glue, and ribbon is all that is necessary to create these unusual ornaments. The finished design is glossy and colorful against the dark branches of a Christmas tree.
The Steps:
- Cover the surface of a styrofoam ball with a generous layer of glue.
- Add small pieces of paper, torn at the edges, so they overlap each other.
- Continue layering until the paper-mache surface takes on the appearance of a collage.
- Add a final layer of glue over the finished collage, then sprinkle with glitter if desired.
Old Christmas cards are a perfect choice for crafting these colorful globes. The same technique can be used to create globes of vintage sheet music, newspaper, wallpaper patterns, and other unique paper choices.
Whatever the artist's individual tastes, these Victorian-inspired ornaments look beautiful with both traditional and contemporary Christmas decor. Enjoy the beauty of handmade ornament on the branches of a Christmas tree, displayed lovingly among other decorations in a centerpiece, or along the edge of a holiday mantlepiece.
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