Celebrate., Create., Handmade
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dear ball-entine.

Happy Ball-entine’s Day! For my work’s fourth annual Hearts & Crafts gathering we made Valentine’s surprise balls!

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We had lots of treats set up – some for snacking…

…and some for including in the surprise balls.

We also had animal erasers, confetti packs, trinkets, stamps, and stickers (all the small gift items!) for everyone to choose from. Plus ribbons and washi tape to embellish the outside of the surprise balls, too.

Let’s make surprises!

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Materials:

  • crepe streamer paper
  • glue stick
  • treats (toys, candy, anything!)
  • scissors

Optional:

  • paper strips
  • markers/pens
  • stickers
  • confetti
  • pom poms
  • ribbon

How to:

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Start with 4 feet of crepe paper. Fold accordion style and cut in half lengthwise. You’ll need more than this, but it’s easier to work with shorter pieces.

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Wrap surprises with crepe paper strips, starting with the largest surprise object. If creating a shape other than a sphere (a heart, for example!), place a template (you can use thick card stock or cardboard) inside the ‘ball’ to help guide the shape.

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I find that it’s good to use bulkier items (like bite size candies or tiny boxes) because it helps shape the ball faster. Things like pom poms are fun little surprises that can help build the spherical shape, too.

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Wrap crepe paper in different directions, adding a surprise every few wraps. You can even add messages / hand written notes inside.

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Continue cutting and adding crepe paper until you get your desired shape. Seal with glue.

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Decorate with strips of paper, confetti, stickers, charms, anything you like. Here’s what my coworkers made!

Happy Valentine’s, Ballers!

See more Hearts & Crafts projects here, here, and here.

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