A Christmas bauble as an alternative to a classic tree
I hope this simple tutorial will be useful for those who might not have space for a full-sized Christmas tree in their apartment, or who aren't keen on a wreath as a design solution. An optimal replacement is a Christmas bauble – in this tutorial, it's medium-sized (the base ball is 14-15 cm in diameter), but you can make it larger to hang from a bracket in the center of a room.
For this project, you will need a Styrofoam ball (available in craft stores, though I found mine in the stationery section), wire cutters, satin ribbon, decorative dried flowers and spruce sprigs, natural pinecones, and a glue gun.
Prepare the pinecones in advance by dipping each one into paint at different angles: this makes the white droplets look more natural than painting them with a brush.
Don't forget to wrap the base ball with ribbon immediately (secure it with glue), leaving a top loop for hanging and free ends of a suitable length at the bottom. Start attaching the pinecones with the glue gun, arranging them based on their size and shape.
Cut the spruce sprigs from the main branch. It's better to sharpen the tip so it enters the Styrofoam more easily. For extra security, you can apply a little glue to each sprig.
Decorate the finished bauble: choose spots with visible gaps and fill them with spruce sprigs and dried flowers. For a festive touch, cover individual berries with bright glitter. All done!
It's just what I found in the store )) Actually, I visually prefer short-needled branches more. I really wanted to find cypress-like branches with those angular blue berries, or use rowan berry clusters and decorate them with artificial snow. In general, it's a fertile topic, everything just depends on the availability of the source materials