How to Make Giant Jingle Bells Out of Large Inflatable Balls
This festive season, we're diving into a fun and budget-friendly project using inflatable balls from your local dollar store or Dollar Tree.
Follow these easy steps to create impressive DIY oversized Christmas decorations that can be proudly displayed under your Christmas tree. Let's get started on how to make giant jingle bells!
This post was transcribed by a member of the Hometalk editorial team from the original HometalkTV episode.
Tools and materials
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For this project, it's time to head down to your local dollar store or Dollar Tree and grab some inflatable balls.
How to make giant jingle bells
1. Place the ball on a stand
What we need to do is have a base to set our project up on. I used a plant pot.
2. Prime
The first thing we have to do is get some good primer. This is applied before the paint.
Primer is excellent. What it does is it gets rid of the color and it gives something for the paint to stick to. It doesn't need to look pretty but get just enough on, not too thick. We don't want it to run.
Once we get it on, flip it over. You're going to have to paint that little spot on the bottom that doesn't get hit and it gives you time to go ahead and make sure it gets really nice and dry.
3. Paint the ball gold
Then grab some gold paint. The better the quality, the better it's going to turn out. Now, when you're painting, it's better to put thin coats on first instead of really thick. We don't want any runs.
Let this dry for a good 24 hours and let's bring it inside.
4. Measure and mark
Now use that manufactured line as the straight line to make that first mark, right at the top of the ball.
Take a measuring tape and place it on the 6-inch mark because we want to go 6 inches on one side and 6 on the other. So make a mark at the 12th inch and make a mark on the back end at the beginning of the measuring tape.
Do this 90 degrees on the other side. You're going to do this again with the 1-inch mark and the 12.
5. Paint the jingle bell detail
Grab some black acrylic paint and a foam brush. Start at the top, right down the manufactured seam right there, and take that right down to your first mark, 6 inches down. This foam brush is 1 inch wide and it's the perfect width.
Go back to the top. Go all the way around the back side, all the way to your other mark. So you're going to have a full 12-inch line.
Turn the ball around 90 degrees. Make a mark there because we're going to put a big X on top of this ball right here.
We're going to make a circle at the end of each of these lines. That's what's going to make these jingle bells look really cool. You want to make sure your circle at the end is a little bit thicker than your line.
How to make giant jingle bells
I wanted to put this under the Christmas tree, so I put out some fabric right there, and then I placed our giant jingle bells right underneath. I made three of them.
I loved how these Christmas bells turned out. Easy to do and inexpensive. I hope this inspired you to build your own jumbo jingle bells. Let me know what you think of this project in the comments below.
Comments
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This is such a cute idea….. I never would have thought to do this……but, I am going to !!!
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