PARTY DIY | New Year's Eve OlyFun Fringe Ball
It's New Year's Eve and we're staying in tonight. Of course we needed a ball to drop, so I made this one with fringed Fairfield World OlyFun. This would be great for any party, tonight or otherwise. This ball party decoration would also look snazzy with scallops or other shapes, but fringe is the easiest and less precise of the trims. OlyFun comes in 19 colors and 4 metallics, making it great for many color combos. It cuts like paper, doesn't fray, and takes hot glue well. My biggest tip on using hot glue with metallic OlyFun is to remove the glue strings quickly, as they tend to cling to the foil layer.
SUPPLIES:
Fairfield World, DecoArt, and Ad Tech provided me with their products for this project. Fairfield World paid me to create this project. All thoughts, opinions, photos, and instructions are my own. I use Amazon and Share A Sale affiliate links. Any purchases make using those links results in me being paid a small commision by the companies. This does not affect your purchase cost.
INSTRUCTIONS:
1) Expand the lantern and insert the metal stretcher. Note which end is the top, as that should have a bump for cord later.
2) You have two options on painting the paper lantern
3) On the back of the silver OlyFun, with the ruler and pen, mark several 2" high strips, the width of the OlyFun. With scissors, cut out the strips.
4) With scissors and OlyFun strips, cut slits 1 1/2" up, spaced 1/2" apart, to create fringe.
5) Lay the silicone craft mat out. Plug in the hot glue gun. Insert a glue stick. Put the temperature on high, but switch it to low once the glue is hot.
6) Starting at the lantern bottom, work in small section adding hot glue and the fringed strips. Make sure the glue only touches the top band and not the fringe. Overlap the ends and cut any excess. Work in rows that slightly overlap for the best coverage. Feel free to shorten strip lengths when going around tricky curves, like the top.
7) Tie a piece of twine or ribbon around the metal bar of the lantern top.
8) There are three ways to hang this fringe lantern:
A year goes by fast, especially as an artist who is constantly making something every week. When I started this journey, I made things just to make them, without the final purpose in mind. Now, I make things with a purpose. In this case, a piece of decor to celebrate the new year and the beauty of our remodeled den and studio. We're still finishing up the studio, but the den is pretty sensational. I'm hoping to make more wonderful projects in my studio, other than making it over. There will be posts on that, after years of progress, but that's for another day. Whatever you're making, whether it be resolutions or things, have fun with it. Happy New Year and Makery!
SUPPLIES:
Fairfield World, DecoArt, and Ad Tech provided me with their products for this project. Fairfield World paid me to create this project. All thoughts, opinions, photos, and instructions are my own. I use Amazon and Share A Sale affiliate links. Any purchases make using those links results in me being paid a small commision by the companies. This does not affect your purchase cost.
- Fairfield World OlyFun in Metallic Silver (Rose Gold and Gold are also good options)
- Paper lantern
- Krylon silver spray paint - If you live in a very cold climate, spray paint won't dry correctly
- DecoArt Dazzling Metallics acrylic paint in Shimmering Silver
- Bakers twine or ribbon
- Decorative large head nail/upholstery tack
- Cup hook and wall anchor (a sturdy alternative for large lanterns)
TOOLS:
- Plastic table cloth or drop cloth
- Wide artist paint brush
- Paper plate
- Cup of water
- Paper towels
- Clear quilting ruler
- Pen
- Scissors
- Ad Tech Multi-temp hot glue sticks
- Ad Tech Two Temp hot glue gun
- Silicone craft mat
- Hammer
1) Expand the lantern and insert the metal stretcher. Note which end is the top, as that should have a bump for cord later.
2) You have two options on painting the paper lantern
- For warmer climates/weather, spread out the drop cloth outside. Lay the lantern on drop cloth. Shake the spray paint well. Lightly spray the lantern silver. Wait for one side to dry before spraying another side. This doesn't need to be a sold silver, just enough to make the lantern silver.
- For cold climates/weather, spread the drop cloth on a table. Shake up the silver acrylic paint well. Pour some paint onto a paper plate. Working in sections with a wide paint brush, paint the lantern silver. This should be a light coat, as too much moisture could cause the paper lantern to tear. Let the wet painted section dry before moving the lantern to paint another side. Rinse the paintbrush in the cup of water and dry it on a paper towel.
4) With scissors and OlyFun strips, cut slits 1 1/2" up, spaced 1/2" apart, to create fringe.
5) Lay the silicone craft mat out. Plug in the hot glue gun. Insert a glue stick. Put the temperature on high, but switch it to low once the glue is hot.
6) Starting at the lantern bottom, work in small section adding hot glue and the fringed strips. Make sure the glue only touches the top band and not the fringe. Overlap the ends and cut any excess. Work in rows that slightly overlap for the best coverage. Feel free to shorten strip lengths when going around tricky curves, like the top.
8) There are three ways to hang this fringe lantern:
- For a big lantern, use a hammer and large nail to make a hole in the ceiling big enough for the wall anchor. Insert the wall anchor. It should fit snugly. Screw in the cup hook. Suspend the lantern on the cup hook, deciding how low it should hang. Tie the lantern onto the cup hook with at least 2 knots. Cut away excess, leaving a 2" tail.
- For a small lantern, decide how low the lantern should hang. Tie a slip knot at that length. put the spike of a decorative nail through the slip knot. Hammer the nail into the ceiling. Pull the slip knot tail to tighten the knot. Cut away excess, leaving a 2" tail.
- For any sized lantern, loop the yarn over a curtain rod, adjust the ball height and tie two knots to secure in place. Cut away excess, leaving a 2" tail.
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