Surprise Balls for New Year’s Eve

It’s hard to believe that another year is almost over! In preparation for the big day, I recently created a New Year’s Eve surprise ball for my little one and she couldn’t be more excited to open it come December 31st. 

If you’ve not heard of surprise balls before, they’re a ton of fun and really easy to make, which is a total win in my books.  

What you’ll need:

• a roll of crepe paper party streamers (or crepe paper sheets cut into thin strips)
• foil confetti (or other type of glitter)
• white glue
• paint brush (not necessary, but helpful)
• tape (not necessary, but helpful)
• small NYE treats of your choice

The New Year’s Eve treats I went with include a small package of fruit snacks, some balloons, a packet of homemade hot chocolate mix and a mini bath bomb to enjoy just before bed.

To get started, select your most spherical object and begin wrapping it tightly with a length of crepe paper. Depending on the size of your object, the crepe paper may be too wide to lay perfectly flat, but not to worry, it’ll sort itself out as you continue to create your surprise ball. Or if you prefer, you can fold your crepe paper so you’re dealing with less width in the beginning.

When you’re done wrapping the first object, it should be completely covered in paper.

Next take another treat item, tuck it alongside your current ball, and continue wrapping until it too is fully hidden with crepe paper. When you run out of crepe paper, simply hold the end in place with your finger and begin wrapping a new length directly on top of it — no tape or glue required!

Continue adding objects until they’re all incorporated into the ball. During this process, try to keep an eye on the overall shape of the ball and add goodies to the spots that are slightly indented or lacking roundness in order to keep the ball as spherical as possible. 

When all of your treats have been added to the ball and you’re happy with its shape, secure the loose end of crepe paper with a dab of glue or a small piece of tape.

Now for the fun part! Squeeze some white glue onto a portion of your surprise ball’s surface and gently spread it around using your finger or a paintbrush before dunking it into the confetti or glitter. 

Continue this process until your surprise ball is completely covered with glittery goodness.

That’s it! Let your New Year’s Eve surprise ball dry for several hours before tucking it away for the big day. Come New Year’s Eve, invite your little one to unravel his or her confetti-covered treasures layer by layer.

And if you’re not a fan of glittery messes, not to worry, surprise balls can be decorated any way you like. Leave yours plain, stick the year on it using number stickers or use a marker turn your ball into a funny face — it’ll be a hit no matter what.