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DIY Surprise Ball Christmas Ornaments by Cindy Hopper for Alphamom.com

Surprise Ball Christmas Ornaments

By Cindy Hopper

These little surprise balls add to the wonder and excitement of Christmas while also making an ornament for the tree!

Gather fun trinkets, the smaller, the flatter —the better! (tattoos, stickers, etc)

supplies to make surprise ball Christmas ornaments

Begin by cutting about a dozen strips of crepe paper 36″ long each. In the beginning fold crepe paper in half and wrap around the first object.
orange and yellow crepe paper

Wrap the crepe paper around a few times and then add in another surprise. As the ball gets bigger it will become unnecessary to fold the crepe paper.
Orange and yellow crepe paper wrapped around treats

When the crepe paper runs out, simply start with another piece.
Wrapping treat with orange and yellow crepe paper

Make sure trinkets are covered before adding another. Wrap tightly and sometimes it might be necessary to slightly twist the crepe paper to get it to cover the ball nicely.
orange and yellow crepe paper balls

Continue wrapping and adding treats!
Plastic toy inside crepe paper ball

Once the ball is the desired size, tape the end to finish off.
orange and yellow crepe paper balls

For final layer, cut about 2 yards of crepe paper in color you want the finished ornament. Fold crepe paper in half as it tightly wraps around the ball. Some surprise balls use a sheet of tissue paper to wrap around the ball for the final layer.
orange crepe paper ball

Bring a ribbon up around surprise ball on four sides and tie a bow.
green ornament wrapped with red ribbon

Add a wire hook or piece of ribbon for hanging.
green ball ornament with red ribbon and ornament hook

Hang on the tree. It would be a nice advent activity to allow the children to unwrap a surprise ball before Christmas arrives. These would also make fun gifts for extended family at large family gatherings. How exciting to unwrap a ball and find so many treats hidden inside!
Surprise ball ornament hanging on a Christmas tree

Find More Christmas Crafts

About the Author

Cindy Hopper

Cindy Hopper was fortunate to be raised in a family who appreciated the arts. This background led to a Bachelor’s Degree in Art Education. With a keen eye for design and color, Cindy has cont...

Cindy Hopper was fortunate to be raised in a family who appreciated the arts. This background led to a Bachelor’s Degree in Art Education. With a keen eye for design and color, Cindy has continued her love of art and is now passing her creative skills on to her three children. Cindy’s family and friends are the beneficiaries of her passion for fun and meaningful creative projects.

Cindy’s personal blog, Skip to My Lou, has taken her love of a project to new levels. Postings keep the family busy -– from testing new recipes for holiday treats to designing and building floats for a neighborhood parade to making fabric rolls to hold crayons to creating themed parties. Cindy seems to have an unending supply of ideas for gifts, parties and rainy days.

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