I used to get a helium tank, and a bunch of balloons in the colors of the party. Then I'd sit the morning of the party, and blow up all the balloons I got. This was annoying on so many levels. First, there are so many other things I'd have preferred to do the morning of the party. Second, a helium tank is not cheap. And third, in an outside party, a little bit of wind can turn the balloons from a nice decoration into quite a distraction. So, when I came across a picture of these cool 3-D paper balls in a magazine, I decided to give them a try. They have since become a staple at all our parties... I just change up the color scheme to match the theme of the party, and I'm ready to go. And you have to admit, they look so much cooler than balloons...
- 12 pieces of 8.5x11 card stock in your color(s) of choice
- A pair of scissors
- Tape
- Invisible string (or any string strong enough for hanging)
- A needle
- A printer
- A pencil
Print & Cut
Click on #1 below to get the free template, and print it on top of each of your 12 pieces of card stock (#2). Then, cut out the flower shapes, making sure to also cut out the 5 slits on each flower.
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Prepare for Hanging
Pick a random flower piece, and use a needle to pull the invisible string through the center. Then pull it back to the front, and make a knot, making sure to leave enough loose string to hang the ball. I placed a piece of tape on both sides of the flower to help the string stay in place (#6). I hope the images below are clear enough - this string really is invisible!
Of course, you can use any string to hang your balls, but I love the 'floating in the air' effect. It's even cooler with 'floating posters', and you can head over to my Frozen Party Post for more details on that, but for now, let's get back to our paper balls...
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Label the North & South Poles
Turn over your flower piece, so that the long piece of string you're going to use to hang the ball is on the bottom. Then, take another flower piece and place it on top of your flower with the string. Make sure the slits on both flowers are facing the same direction. Now, write 'south pole' on the top flower, and 'north pole' on the bottom flower. It is essential that you label on the side of the flowers that was actually at the top when you aligned the slits of the two flowers.
Put it Together!
Take your 'North Pole' flower, and make sure the label is facing up. Pick another flower from your pile. Use the slits to join two petals together (see #7 below). Remember, your 'North Pole' flower should be at the bottom with the label facing up. Pick another flower piece, and this time join two sets of slits together - one at the bottom and one at the side (see #8 below). Repeat with two more flower pieces, joining two sets of slits for each additional flower.
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Now, attach the last flower piece, this time joining the slits in three places - once at the bottom, and then at each of the two sides. You should have half a ball at this point, and it should look similar to #10 below.
Get the flower labelled 'South Pole', and repeat the process starting with #7 above. Make sure the side you labelled 'South Pole' is facing up, and use this flower piece as your bottom piece, attaching 5 other flower pieces all around it (as in #10 below). You should now have two 'half balls'. Place the 'north pole' half ball on top of the 'south pole' half ball (see #11 below), and again use the slits to join the petals together. The sphere you end up with should be about the size of a basketball!
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In the image below, I used one color (bottom left), then two colors (bottom right), and then finally three colors for the top ball. I think I like using two colors the best. Which one is your favorite?
I hope you give this a try. It's fun to make with the kids, and it makes a beautiful party decoration. We made quite a few of these for my daughter's Frozen party, and I thought together with the photo booth and the floating posters, we created quite the 'Frozen' mood - and all with super cheap DIY decorations! Oh, and by the way, these are totally re-useable - just take them apart for easy storage, and reuse for your next party!
See you soon,
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