GetCrafty Craft Facts

Q: I'm new to this ng, so I'm hoping this is an appropriate question: Does anyone know where I can find patterns or kits for sequined and beaded x-mas ornaments made with styrofoam balls?

A: There is a company that does nothing but design these kits. They are fabulous and the name of the catalog is "The Cracker Box". I don't have an address for them, but you can usually find their ads in the backs of magazines or in the little magazines of catalogs that come in the mail. If you like to do these, then you really should have this catalog. They design new ones each year, and retire some of the older ones, so the styles are always changing. My Aunt has been doing these type of balls for close to 25 years now (she was always way ahead of her time when it came to crafts). She uses styrofoam balls that are covered with a material called "Swiss straw". You wet the straw and cover the ball with it. It used to come in many colours and now it is harder and harder to find. She also goes around to yard sales and picks up neat jewelry, takes them apart, and uses the stones to create focal points at the crown and base of each ball. I have ornaments that are so old, they are called antiques. I remember when I was 5 or 6 (in the 70's), she gave me a covered ball, pins, sequins, beads, and a bit of glue. With it, I made my first Christmas ball. I just hung it on my tree on Sunday! It's a lime green, egg-shaped ball with a little plastic top hat, two beads for eyes, and a crystal for a nose! If you need any further information about how to make them yourself, check out 'The Cracker Box', or you could E-mail me and I could give a few pointers and tips.