Playground Ball Ornaments

Total Time Needed:: 2-3 Hours

A snow-covered playground can take the bounce out of any ball. Fortunately, this temporary disguise lets an out-of-work summer toy masquerade as an oversized ornament.

Materials

Lightweight rubber playground ball
Aluminum foil
Disposable plastic table cover
Rubber band
Clear packing tape

18-gauge (or thicker) craft wire
Gold plastic cup (available at party stores)
Pushpin
Wire cutters
Wire coat hanger

Instructions

Wrap the ball in aluminum foil to keep its color from showing through.
Gather a large square of the table cover around the ball (we used a 54-inch square for our 8 1/2-inch ball), securing it at the top with the rubber band and adding pieces of tape where needed. Trim the excess table cover to about 2 1/2 inches.
Tightly wrap one end of a 16-inch piece of craft wire several times around the gathered table cover. Trim the plastic cup to leave a 2 1/4-inch-tall bottom section, then use the pushpin to poke a hole through the bottom. With the cup turned upside down, feed the wire through the hole, then slide the cup down over the bunched-up table cover.
Bend the wire into a loop close to the cup, twisting it around itself to secure it in place, then trim any excess.
Finally, use the wire cutters to cut a piece from the coat hanger and bend it as shown for a hanger.