Fans of creating design masterpieces have long appreciated the potential that a foam ball provides in this direction. It can become the basis for any idea, it is easy to work with, you can easily attach any decorating material to it, and the finished product is simply fixed in the intended place. Moreover, it can be hung on the most fragile ledge: it weighs so little that it will not break even a straw (unless it carries heavy external elements). A foam ball is very attractive as a basis for Christmas decorations in families with small children: such a decoration cannot break, which means that the child will definitely not suffer.
Master class: how to make a foam ball
It would seem that it would be better to buy factory blanks for crafts. However, if you need several balloons, then it is quite possible to think about the costs: Styrofoam balloons in Moscow are not so cheap. Very small ones cost 5 rubles apiece, 8 cm in diameter - already 15, and 14.5 cm - as much as 50. You will have to seriously spend money on a collection in several sizes!
Craftsmen and craftswomen have developed several ways to carve a foam ball yourself, taken from packing boxes or from construction debris:
- A cube of strict geometric shape is cut with hot wire. The corners are gradually melted with a lighter until they reach the desired spherical state.
- A rough workpiece is cut with a scalpel or a stationery sharp knife, which is brought to an ideal state with a sandpaper: first coarse, finally fine-grained.
However, both methods are time-consuming and often do not make it possible to achieve the perfection of the form. The best way to make DIY styrofoam balls is the following:
- Searched for a tube with a section of the desired size, cut off a fragment from it, the length of which is equal to four diameters. The tube must be strong; cuttings of plumbing plastic pipes are ideal, especially since they have a large range in section sizes.
- On one side, the plastic is cut to half the length; it turns out a kind of round spatula.
- The cutout is tightly glued with sandpaper-zero both outside and inside. The cutting tool is ready!
Now the piece of styrofoam is cut with a spatula in the form of a cylinder, then flipped across and processed again. So, by twisting the material, you can quickly cut out a foam ball of perfect shape. Finally, the smoothness of the surface is checked, if irregularities are found, they are eliminated by the samezero.
Beautiful Christmas balls
Beautiful Styrofoam Ball Christmas toys can be made in a variety of ways. One of the most popular and uncomplicated is thread. The end of the bright thread is fixed, and it begins to wind crosswise. At first, this is done along one axis, as the surface of the ball closes, the winding is carried out in an arbitrary ratio. This is necessary so that there are no thickenings anywhere. When the whole ball closes, the tip of the thread is fixed, you can use a drop of transparent glue.
The resulting colored surface is decorated to the best of your imagination. You can embroider patterns on it with shiny threads, stick applications, embroider with sequins. For hanging, it is enough to stretch a thin rope through a layer of threads.
Luxury Japanese decoration
The decor of foam balls made using the kimekomi technique looks absolutely amazing. Initially, it was used in the manufacture of dolls, but we have taken root as a decoration for Christmas tree decorations. We note right away: the work is delicate and painstaking, you will have to be patient.
- Lines are marked along the ball, equidistant from each other and intersecting at the poles.
- The marking is cut (very carefully!) with a clerical knife a centimeter deep.
- The sector is smeared with glue-pencil, a piece of fabric is superimposed on it, and its edges are neatly wound into the slots with a gypsy needle. The tension should be even.
- If a piece of material is too large, the excess is trimmed so that the edges are completely hidden in the gap.
- All elements are wrapped in a similar way. After finishing all segments, the decoration looks luxurious, but you should not stop there.
- All seams are glued with a thin decorative cord, with a slight indentation into them.
- You can buy a special cap for the rope for hanging the ball: its needle will easily pierce the foam. And to keep it better, it needs to be lubricated with glue. If you don't want such "official" - you can use a large bead, or sequins, or whatever you think of yourself.
You can come up with different drawings and combine any fabrics. The kimekomi technique looks especially beautiful when using velvet, satin and printed silk.
Tree of happiness
Topiary in recent years has become almost an indispensable attribute of the decoration of a cozy home. And if earlier the term meant live trimmed bushes and trees, now artificial bonsai are called so. It is believed that the topiary brings good luck, mutual understanding and joy to the house, and if coins hang on it, then also we alth. As a crown for him, it is most convenient to use a foam ball; feathers, or beads, or flowers from ribbons, or coffee beans are glued to it - everything that only comes to mind. Any improvised object can be put on the barrel: a stick, a cocktail tube, a pencil. And from the wire you can build a bizarrely curved trunk. The base is wrappedribbons, paper or threads in the color of the intended ensemble. Topiary is “planted” in any beautiful container: a small vase, a coffee cup, a beautiful glass. The “pot” is half filled with something loose, then the trunk of the tree of happiness is attached, and lastly the crown is put on. For beauty, shells, beads or elegant stones are scattered over the filler.
Author's jewelry
Styrofoam balls are very good for creating exclusive jewelry. They are painted in selected shades, decorated with rhinestones, sparkles and varnish. For stringing, you can choose wire, transparent fishing line or openwork lace.
More creative ideas
The scope of plastic balls is very large. Garlands made of elements of different sizes with alternation of other details look very festive. At a wedding, a large ball can be the basis for a wonderful flower arrangement. On New Year's Eve, balloon snowmen placed around the apartment in the most unexpected places will cheer you up.
