Upcycled Christmas balls

I’m always on the lookout for crafts that my grade-school age children and I can do together.  This is a simple, fun activity to upcycle those inexpensive Christmas balls that you probably already have laying around the house.  If not, local thrift stores should have a ready supply for next to nothing.  These also make great gifts for the music lover on you list.

Here’s what you’ll need:

*shredded paper

*Christmas balls (the cheaper, the better – you’ll be covering them all up)

*Mod Podge

Directions:

1. Shred paper.  I simple run the paper through my electric shredder.  If you don’t have one, this job would be great for one of the kids.  Make sure  you shred in the right direction.  I like to be able to read some of the words or see the bars of music.  This way you can also highlight meaningful messages or hymns.

2. Pour Mod Podge into a plastic container and add some water to dilute a little. You could probably do a 50/50 ratio but experiment to see what you like best.  It’s not an exact science.  I like to use an old yogurt container with a lid.  That way I can cover up the mixture and work on the project over time.

3.  Dip a strip of paper in the Mod Podge solution and run excess liquid off by running the strip between your index finger and thumb.

4. Place wet strip of paper on ball and repeat until entire ball is covered.  I find that it works best to cover the ball with paper as best you can, let dry, then come back to fill up any gaps you may have missed.

That’s it.  Very simple but very beautiful.

If you want a little different look, instead of Mod Podge, you can also use the flour and water mixture that I wrote about in a previous post about upcycling easter eggs.  It gives you a more muted look which I actually like.  Here’s what you end up with:

Both are very durable.  It’s all about personal preference.  The Mod Podge leaves a cleaner, shinier look.

I’m really enjoying working with this stuff.  Wondering what else I could cover…

Any ideas?

Elizabeth