Monday, November 4, 2013

DIY Christmas Ornament Ball Wreath Tutorial - Cheap and Easy

 

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Although I was a little concerned about what kind of internet browsers would be brought to this page by labeling this tutorial "Cheap and easy," there is no other way to describe this project. A lot of Christmas Glass Ball Ornament Wreath tutorials are a little spotty on the details, so I thought I'd throw another one out there for people like me who need very specific shopping lists and instructions (basically, "Crafting for Dummies").

Note: The number and size of ornament balls depends on the look you're going for. These instructions are for a wreath like mine pictured below.



You'll need:

≈ 80 Small-Medium Balls (At Dollar Tree, these are the ones that come in packs of 12)
≈ 30 Medium Balls from Dollar Tree or buy them online here. (At Dollar Tree, these came in packs of 5 and 7)
≈ 24 to 36 Small balls (My Dollar Tree didn't have small balls, so I used bells. I saw small balls at JoAnn's, though). The amount needed depends on how anal you are about filling in the gaps.
- 2 or 3 spools of 2.5" ribbon that matches your ornaments (3 yards each, so 6 yards total) - Dollar Tree sells Christmas ribbon seasonally (Buy a 3rd spool if you want to hang the wreath itself with a ribbon)
- 16" white Styrofoam wreath from Micheal's (remember to print a 40% off coupon before you go)
- A glue gun and a lot of glue sticks (I probably went through at least 5-6 sticks) Need a glue gun? Amazon has them (with free prime shipping) for as cheap as $5.60.



(1) First I wrapped the Styrofoam wreath in ribbon to stop the wreath from shedding. Plus, I'd rather have ribbon show through than Styrofoam. Secure the ribbon by gluing the ends to the wreath. In retrospect, I wish I'd picked a color of ribbon that matched my ornaments better since it does show through a bit, but I don't think anyone notices but me. But if you can match your ornaments, you should.

(2) Remove the hooks from the ornaments. Glue the small-medium balls around the inside and outside of the wreath. Glue the balls to the wreath itself and to each other.

(3) I put another layer of the small/medium balls around the inside, on top of the first layer. This next step is the most inexact. To fill in the rest of the wreath, use the medium balls and more of the small/medium balls. Feel free to experiment by placing a few before gluing them down. My best advice is to alternate the sizes as much as possible for a nice, even look.

(4) Fill in the gaps with the small balls (or bells, in my case). As you can tell, this really completes the look. And suddenly, even a non-crafter like me has a beautiful ornament ball wreath to hang.

I spent about $22 on all my supplies, which is a lot on the scale of what I usually spend on my craft projects, but much less than the $50-$100 that these babies usually retail for. And I love it!

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What other fun Christmas Crafts are a favorite part of your festive holiday decor?

P.S. Be sure to check out the free printable we're giving out for a cheap and easy neighbor/friend gift!

 

6 comments:

  1. Oh yay! Maybe I'll get my act together and make a wreath this year! We usually wait til after Thanksgiving to decorate, but it's so late this year I think we may need to make an exception. And, you better believe it's all Christmas music from here on out. :)

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    Replies
    1. I know, right?! I was trying to tell Bryan that I should get extra Christmas music listening time since Thanksgiving is so late this year. But that only applies when he is home, so... I think I'll listen to some Christmas music right this very minute. :)

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  2. This is so pretty! I love reading this blog, and your awesome ideas!

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  3. I made this wreath from your tutorial! I love it, so beautiful. And quite easy, finished it all in one night.

    However, please note that even though they are not glass ornaments, they are breakable if you hang the wreath in a precarious place where it falls... Luckily the supplies are cheap so I think I can get another package from the dollar store to fix it.

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    Replies
    1. Valerie, that's so sad! My other friend also had a mishap with hers, although it was make of breakable ornaments. She said, "It lived a short and violent life. :) I hope you're able to fix yours!

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