We’ve all seen the hanging stars that are made to go over a Nativity scene. Some are flat and painted; others are much more elaborate. Those hanging stars look great during the holiday season but they’re not just for Christmas. Make a ball star to hang over the bed in a girl’s room or make one that adds ambiance to a cushy den. No, you don’t want one of those flat, cardboard stars; you’ll be making a much more impressive ball star. Don’t think you can? Can you paint and glue? Then you’re well on your way to making that gorgeous star. Get the few materials ready – you won’t believe how easy it is!
To make a ball star you’ll, of course, need the ball. Not an ordinary ball, though; a Styrofoam ball from a craft store. The choosing of the ball can be sort of tricky. That’s because the size of the cones you use will be chosen by the size of the ball you select. Before you know it, though, you can end up with a huge monstrosity much larger than you thought it would be. However, if you don’t choose the proper ball and cones the finished piece will end up looking like something much different than a beautiful ball star. To explain, if you use a huge Styrofoam ball, and short paper cones, you’ll create a lumpy thing that has no name. At the other end of the spectrum, if you use a small Styrofoam ball, then long paper cones, it ends up looking like a weapon that should be attached to a club and chain. It’s important to use cones and Styrofoam balls which are proportionate.
Get a general idea of how large the finished star will be by finding out the length of the cone. Add two cone lengths together, then add in the diameter of the ball, and you’ll have an idea of how wide and how tall the star will be when finished. Although you can purchase paper cones, made for adding fluids to your vehicle, it’s best to make your own cones. That way, you can create the length of the cone to be just what you need rather than chancing the outcome of a ball that isn’t proportionate to the cones used. Also, when making your own cones, you can choose from a huge assortment of paper colors and designs whereas purchased cones are generally white only. A general rule of thumb when using purchased paper cones is to start with a Styrofoam ball that’s slightly larger in diameter than what the largest end of the cone is.
Wad up a towel and lay the Styrofoam ball on it. The towel will keep the ball from rolling as you’re working. It’s so easy to put the star together that it will literally take only a few minutes. Start by taking a length of ribbon and tying the ends in a knot. Push the end without the knot through the tiny hole at the tip of the cone. Add a small amount of glue to the knot then position the knot just underneath the cone point. This will make the hanger for the ball so decide how low you want the ball star to hang before cutting the ribbon.
Add glue to the rim of the opening of one of the cones. If you’re making your own cones be sure you’ve trimmed the open end so that it is even all the way around. After adding the glue simply stick the cone to the top of the ball. Take another cone, add the glue, and position it at the bottom area of the ball. It’s important that the bottom cone be directly opposite the top one. Continue on by gluing the two side cones on and keeping them directly opposite one another. The finished look of the ball star is entirely dependant upon the cones being perfectly aligned.
As you’re looking at the star thus far it has a cone at the top, bottom and each side. The blank area now, directly in the center of the ball, is where you’ll put the next cone. Just opposite it, on the other side, you’ll add yet another cone. It can be tricky to add these last two cones since you have the previous cones sticking out, here and there. It’s helpful to slide the bottom cone into a vase or jar to hold it still while you add the front and back center cones. After gluing these on the basic design of the star is finished.
There are some things to think about before actually starting the craft. For example, if you’re making your own cones, and you choose gold, glittery paper, you won’t need to paint the paper cones – just the ball. So, paint the ball first, then glue on the cones. However, if you’re using store-bought cones you’ll want to paint the entire ball star. Glue the cones on first and then paint the star. Use glitter paint or, alternatively, paint the ball star, coat with glue, then sprinkle on glitter.
You can hang the ball star as-is or you can wrap a strand of lights around it. Tape the lights in place, here and there around the star, or create a definite pattern with the lights. You can use white lights all the time or you can change the lights so that they fit holidays like Christmas, Easter and Halloween. This project is easy and inexpensive but creates a gorgeous ball star that will grab attention!
