How to decorate a Christmas tree ball, using the technique of decoupage, the original black and white idea
No New Year celebration is complete withoutdecorated Christmas tree. The tradition of decorating them dates back to the pre-Christian era. Ancient people brought branches of the evergreen plant into their homes and decorated them as a magical act designed to appease the spirits and get prosperity with their help in the new year. In those distant times, apples, cookies or other edible crafts were hung on Christmas trees. Now the choice of Christmas tree decorations is many times larger, however, every needlewoman strives to decorate the fluffy green beauty with original hand-made crafts. The most popular things for decorating a Christmas tree are balls of various sizes and colors. One of the techniques that allows you to make bright and beautiful Christmas tree decorations from them is decoupage. Fun fact: in the modern world, decoupage crafts are expensive works of art, however, this was not always the case. In its heyday (the 17th century), furniture with appliques served as an inexpensive analogue of oriental-style products with inlays, which cost fabulous money. In Europe in the 1600s, elegant crafts were in fashion, in particular, richly decorated furniture from Japan and China. Not everyone could afford to buy it, so craftsmen found a way out. They cut out various appliques with oriental patterns and glued them to simple furniture. In order to make the difference between a cheap fake and an expensive original less noticeable, craftsmen covered the furniture with many layers of varnish. The cost of the item was several times less, and such crafts were in demand. In most cases, decoupage technique is now used instead of colored paper. The words "decoupage" and "napkin technique" have become synonyms, because modern production creates beautiful and bright napkins with prints of various themes. Some of them, for example, New Year's ones are perfect for decoupage of Christmas tree balls. You can choose a specific picture with New Year's images like a smart Christmas tree, Santa Claus and snowflakes, or you can simply choose festive New Year's and Christmas colors - white and red, or create an original black and white ball. We offer such monochrome themes for decoupage in this article. New Year's ball in decoupage technique Option 1You will need:
- Christmas ball.
- Liquid for degreasing (alcohol or acetone).
- White paint (acrylic).
- Scissors.
- Brush.
- Glue for glass surfaces.
- Napkin or card for decoupage (white black or white red).
- Glossy acrylic lacquer.
- Decorative cord (it will make an excellent loop for hanging the ball on the Christmas tree).
- Elements of decor (sequins, crystals, etc.).
Before you start decorating the ball,need to be prepared. To do this, clean the surface from paint (if any) and wipe with alcohol or acetone to degrease. Next, cover the ball with white paint. If you want to make a beautiful mount in the form of a decorative cord or ribbon, then the mount must be pulled out. While it dries, you can work on the paper blank. As a material for the applique, you can use a two-color napkin or print it on thin paper. It is necessary to measure the circumference of the selected ball and cut the paper blank to a length slightly larger than the resulting figure. Now carefully use scissors to cut out triangular fragments from two opposite sides of the sheet, as shown in the photo.Now apply a thin strip of glue along the equator of the ball. Carefully glue the paper blank.The simplest thing remains – it is necessaryglue each triangular petal so that their corners meet in the center of the ball. If you use a string instead of fastening, it must be glued to the ball before this stage. We cover the craft with transparent glossy varnish, wait until it dries completely and the New Year's ball is ready.Option 2You will need:
- Polystyrene balls.
- A cloth with a white red print (abstract symmetrical pattern).
- Glue.
- Scissors.
- Acrylic lacquer.
- Brush.
- Decorative twisted lace (for fastening).
- Wooden beads of different sizes.
- Acrylic paint (white and red in tone print on fabric).
Even little kids can make this craft. The ball blanks do not need to be cleaned or degreased. Just cut the fabric into pieces, cover the ball with glue and attach the blanks.When everything is dry, cover the ball with another layer of glue. Wait for it to dry and apply a layer of varnish on top.Now we start painting the beads. We use bright New Year and Christmas colors for this – red and white.In our dried ball we make a small hole where we will glue the cord. It is necessary to string beads on it beforehand.We wait until the glue dries completely and decorate the tree with bright and beautiful balls.Advice! You can make a hole in the ball before gluing the pieces of fabric using a thin knitting needle. If you don’t have fabric of a suitable color at hand, you can use wrapping paper or napkins.