Day 201: Joy Balls

I've added a new photograph to Creative Journey in my Photography section:
Day 201 - Joy Ball

Once again, I'm playing with pointing the camera into a light source -- this time the Christmas lights which are about five feet behind the joy ball. I also had some light on behind my lens to light the ball. I didn't get quite the perspective I'd hoped to achieve, but the photo still works for me.

So, what is a Joy Ball you ask? One of these days I'll have to put up a slide show in Cameo's Crafts with some step-by-step directions and photos. In the mean time, here's an overall idea of how they are made:

1. Cut 20 circles of equal size out of old Christmas cards.
   
   
2. On the back of each circle, make an equilateral triangle (all sides the same length, all angles the same). Make sure that half of the triangles have a point at the top of your image, the other half have a point at the bottom.
   
   
3. Fold each circle on the lines drawn.
   
   
4. Now take five of the "point up" circles and glue the sides together, leaving the bottom of the image unglued. This forms the top of your Joy Ball. You might glue the sides, then hold them together with paper clips or clothes pins until they dry.
   
   
5. Next take five of the "point down" circles and glue the sides together, leaving the top of the image unglued. This forms the bottom of your Joy Ball.
   
   
6. The remaining circles are arranged by alternating them "point up" then "point down." Glue carefully until these ten circles form a ring. This is the center section of the Joy Ball.
   
   
7. Now join the "joy ball top" to the center section of the ball, aligning the bottoms of the "joy ball top" to the "point side down" triangles of the "joy ball center."
   
   
8. Now join the "joy ball bottom" to the center section of the ball, aligning the tops of the "joy ball bottom" to the "point side up" triangles of the "joy ball center."
   
   
9. Punch some holes at the very top of the Joy Ball and thread a string through it, then tie the string into a loop so that you can hang your ball.
   
   

I've made four different sizes of Joy Balls. The size is determined by the size of circle you choose to cut out. It's possible to make very small circles of one inch in diameter, glue your circles together, and use your Joy Ball as a tree ornament. But the smaller the circle, the more difficult it is to handle.

Beginners might try making Joy Balls out of colored paper or a nice thick foil wrapping paper. With all solid color circles, it is not so hard to figure out the "point up," "point down" part because there are no pictures that need to land in a certain direction.

I learned to make Joy Balls when I was in elementary school, so this is a craft that kids can accomplish. In fact, my girls helped me make these Joy Balls several years ago. We are able to decorate with them year after year because we store the Joy Balls in one of those giant popcorn tins so they don't get squished in the off-season.