December 16, 2011

Make a garland from woven paper balls

I love paper Christmas decorations, so when I bumped into The Cheese Thief's woven paper ball tutorial, I had to give it a try. They're curiously addicting. Maybe I should carry some supplies with me to pass the time in long check-out lines, boring holiday parties, or during that weird Choreography number in White Christmas.

These are made out of paper and one piece of tape. You can cut your own strips (mine are 1/2" wide and 11" long, which yields a ball that's about 1 1/4" in diameter) or use shiny paper ribbon.

Hang them individually or glue them onto a wreath form. I'm stringing mine on baker's twine to add to the tree. Taping the end of the twine to a toothpick "needle" makes stringing them easier. I plan to space them out along the string, using a dot of hot glue to hold each ball in place where the twine passes through. Get the weaving instructions here!

39 comments:

  1. sylvïDecember 16, 2011 at 5:28 PM

    i can see myself making these with birch bark once i'm back home. it's so easy, too! i never knew.

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  2. Nancy NaigleDecember 16, 2011 at 5:29 PM

    These are adorable!! A fun craft for a community tree.

    Thanks for sharing.
    Hugs~

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  3. The Cheese ThiefDecember 16, 2011 at 5:40 PM

    Thanks so much for linking back. Your woven ball garland looks great.

    I am a HUGE fan of your blog!

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  4. Jessica JonesDecember 16, 2011 at 5:42 PM

    No, thank YOU for posting the directions!

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  5. Tiffany HarveyDecember 16, 2011 at 8:13 PM

    Ha! I'm totally there with you on that choreography song.

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  6. Grandma GDecember 16, 2011 at 8:19 PM

    If you make them all the way here, it could be a pretty good-sized garland by the time you arrive! ;)

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  7. bettaDecember 17, 2011 at 4:06 AM

    so cute!

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  8. AnonymousDecember 17, 2011 at 7:42 AM

    But wait I love that number...not as much as I love the rest of the movie, but I still love it!

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  9. LauraDecember 17, 2011 at 8:22 AM

    Cool! Great paper craft. :)

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  10. Jessica JonesDecember 17, 2011 at 8:52 AM

    Anonymous, what can I say. Every year I fast forward through that part of the movie. :)

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  11. GossamerDecember 17, 2011 at 10:26 AM

    How about throwing a bell in the middle of it?

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  12. Rose ClearfieldDecember 17, 2011 at 11:29 AM

    Fun and so easy!

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  13. Camille RyckmanDecember 17, 2011 at 11:33 AM

    what length paper did you use?

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  14. Jessica JonesDecember 17, 2011 at 11:36 AM

    Oops, good question. 11" long; I sliced letter-size paper into strips vertically. I just updated the post with that info.

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  15. morgancynDecember 17, 2011 at 12:36 PM

    Oh, sylvi...birch bark bobbles...beautiful brilliance!!

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  16. Stylish logo designDecember 17, 2011 at 1:11 PM

    Love them!!!

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  17. Amber AlvarezDecember 17, 2011 at 10:09 PM

    So rad! You can show these off at Amber Ink's Pinny Party, where we show off things we learned on the internet (on pinterest) these look like they'd totally fit the bill. I love the neon colors too. http://amberinklings.blogspot.com/2011/12/pinny-party-4.html

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  18. HannasvirrvarrDecember 18, 2011 at 8:37 AM

    Hi! I found your inspiring blog when i googled for instructions on a paper bow. The orange one.

    A had the chance to do some christmas crafts on finnish television (I'm a finnisch-swedish blogger) and jused for instance the paperbow.

    Here also a post on my blog, about reusing materials when packing presents. http://hannasvirrvarr.blogspot.com/2011/12/ateranvand-nar-du-paketerar.html

    Thanks for an inspiring blog and merry christmas!

    /Hanna

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  19. AnonymousDecember 18, 2011 at 8:54 AM

    How cute! I'd love to make them for our Christmas tree.
    I just wish there were more hours in a day. •Linda•

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  20. AnonymousDecember 18, 2011 at 7:53 PM

    That is the cutest ever.

    tictaczo.blogspot.com

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  21. pakDecember 19, 2011 at 11:02 AM

    Fun paper balls! And I totally agree with you on that song..ugh, I actually hate it. White Christmas has been a favorite (all year!) of my youngest daughter since she was 3. She is now 16. Yes, I have had to listen to that song that many times... Thank goodness we all love the rest of the movie.

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  22. AnonymousDecember 21, 2011 at 11:49 AM

    I want to try to figure this out!

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  23. twelfthzodiacDecember 21, 2011 at 6:28 PM

    Ohhh...I want to make these with little jingle bells inside!
    Around these parts, they will most likely end up as kitten toys, like anything else round. Or made of paper. Or on the tree. Etc.

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  24. JonnaDecember 22, 2011 at 10:19 AM

    Lovely - and totally addictive! Thank you for the tip!

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  25. kgp845December 22, 2011 at 6:42 PM

    I'm having trouble accessing the Cheese Thief blog. I've clicked on your links as well as googled "The Cheese Thief Blog" but none of them will access the site.

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  26. Jessica JonesDecember 22, 2011 at 11:43 PM

    I just checked the links again and they work for me... not sure what to tell you!

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  27. GTDecember 23, 2011 at 7:57 AM

    Best part about this? If you are making single-colored balls, you don't even need the piece of tape. Just cut a strip twice as wide as you need, then slice it in half to about 1/2 inch from the top. Voila -- perfect strips, and no need for tape!

    [Discovery of which was mostly born out of necessity, since I didn't have any tape on hand...]

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  28. Jessica JonesDecember 23, 2011 at 2:10 PM

    GT, why didn't I think of that? Ha! Seems so obvious in hindsight. Thanks for the tip!

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  29. PaperandthePeaDecember 26, 2011 at 1:43 AM

    Totally cute!

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  30. B.Tech MCA training in chandigarhDecember 26, 2011 at 5:44 AM

    i will try this for sure....

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  31. DominikDecember 27, 2011 at 5:00 PM

    Very nice idea! I'll tell my sister about your blog. She just started her art studies and loves paper works

    Greetings from Vienna/Austria

    yours,
    Dominik

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  32. angelinaDecember 27, 2011 at 11:38 PM

    Thanks for the wonderful tutorial! Just to let you know, I featured it here: http://bluegreenorange.blogspot.com/2011/12/merry-christmas.html

    :)

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  33. angharad handmadeJanuary 6, 2012 at 3:30 PM

    So pretty! I wish I'd seen these before twelfth night. Earmarked for next year now!

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  34. Fia.March 8, 2012 at 10:49 AM

    I can't see the instructions! The cheesetheif website won't open for me, did anyone save the instructions!?

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  35. Jessica JonesMarch 8, 2012 at 10:53 AM

    I just clicked the Cheese Thief link, and it worked for me. Here's the URL:

    http://www.thecheesethief.com/2011/11/how-to-weave-paper-ball-ornament.html

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  36. mlcbNovember 17, 2012 at 8:54 AM

    These will be adorning my Christmas tree this year, can't wait! Thanks for another gorgeous craft x

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  37. AnonymousJune 25, 2015 at 4:18 AM

    your beads are so cute... mine are elongated:(

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  38. AnonymousNovember 28, 2015 at 1:42 AM

    Mine are bad but you gotta try anyway, right?

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  39. AnonymousOctober 17, 2016 at 1:04 PM

    so cute!! it saved my sukkah from being decorated with only bought decorations :)

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