Handmade Paper Strip Ball Christmas Ornaments

Making handmade paper strip ball ornaments are an easy, kid friendly craft to do this holiday season with your family. They make great decorations as well as nice gifts.

Supplies Needed:
12 - 1x6" stripes of patterned paper or cardstock
22" of ribbon
Standard hole punch ( I prefer a Crop-a-dile)

Stack all 12 stripes of patterned paper on top of each other and punch a hole on one end of the paper. Take the 22" of ribbon and fold in half. Next tie a knot in the bottom of the two loose ends. Thread the ribbon through the hole of the papers with the patterned side facing down. You could use tweezers to pull the ribbon through the hole to make it easier.

Next tie another knot in the ribbon so that the knot is right up against the back of the paper stack. You should now have your stack of papers sandwiched between two knots. Now about 1 ½" up the ribbon you will want to tie another knot. Then gather your stack of papers and punch a hole in the other end. Thread the ribbon through the hole like before with the patterned side on top. Tie another knot up against the stack of ribbon. This should leave a loop at the top where you can hang your ornament.

Finally, fan out the pieces of paper in your stack to make them go around in a circle. You should end up with a circular bulb like paper ornament. To add extra embellishment, tie a bow out of the same ribbon you used before and glue it on the top knot just under the loop for hanging. Or add scrapbooking flowers such as Prima brand flowers or handmade paper flowers to the top of the ornaments.

Tips: You can fold the papers back down to store until the next year.

Use two or three different patterned papers in your stack. For example, use patterned Christmas papers that have three different shades of green. Or alternate textured red cardstock with glittered red cardstock.

Make A Double Ball Paper Ornament:

By using the same technique, you could make a double ball ornament. Use two stacks of papers, one with twelve 1x8" papers for the bottom ball and a stack of twelve 1x6" papers for the top ball. Increase the ribbon length to 34". This will make a larger size double ornament that will look nice on a 6-foot or taller tree.

You can make smaller ball ornaments be decreasing the dimensions of your stacks. You could go as small as ¼" x 2" strips of papers. Use a stylist to poke a hole in the ends or a very small hole punch and use a thin ribbon.