how to: make string decorations

This year I decided to make some new Christmas decorations and thought I'd share how I'm doing it in case you'd like to have a go too.

I think these are really stylish and look great on the tree, in a garland or piled up in a bowl as a centrepiece. They're simple (but be warned, they are slightly messy!) to make and you could spray or paint them any colour you like to fit in with your scheme.

You will need:

PVA glue

Cotton string

Scissors

Balloons

Bowl

Thread or ribbon (if hanging up)

Method:

• Blow up the balloons so that they are roughly the size you want your finished decoration to be. I decided to have a mixture of sizes for a bit of variation.  
• Put the PVA into your bowl and add a very small amount of water to thin it slightly
• Take the string and wrap around your balloon tucking the ends in or tying off to secure. Change the direction of the string as you wrap it around the balloon and continue until you have built up enough layers to give your decoration some structure

• Dip into the glue, rolling the balloon around to ensure the string has been completely covered
• Hang up until completely dry. NOTE - You will need to put a bin bag or newspaper underneath to catch glue drips!
• Once completely dry and firm, pop the balloon and remove

• Leave your decorations natural or use metallic paint like I've done to add colour and sparkle (make sure you always follow the manufacturers safety instructions).
• For hanging, I chose some pretty ribbon but you could use sewing thread for a more invisible look

I hope you found that helpful and have a happy handmade Christmas!