aka Surprise Balls
I am not sure where I first learned the name Bami Ballen. When I searched for them by that name after having obtained my first store bought Bami Ballen, I could find precious little online. There are a few more people calling it by that name now, but mostly they are sold as surprise balls.
Surprise balls are comprised of a wound up ball of crepe paper ribbon surrounding trinkets and treats inside.
YOU WILL NEED
- Crepe paper streamers
- Trinkets
- Ribbon
One crepe paper streamer of the type you can pick up in a craft store was all I needed for each of these. The resulting bami ballen are a little smaller than some store-bought versions, but not much. They are a pretty normal ornament size, and can be hung on a tree as decoration until it is time to unwind them.
To make them, you just wind the crepe paper round, adding a bunch of layers in between each trinket. I use the trinkets to help me build out the shape. Eventually, you will be able to compress it into a ball shape with your hands, if your ballen is a bit wonky shaped. I suggest keeping slender items like fortunes, jokes, and fortune fish to the outsides where they can easily wrap around the ball shape.
When you have wrapped up all your crepe paper, then secure the whole thing with a ribbon that can also serve as a hanger loop. I tend to gift mine with a little explanatory tag, just in case the recipient has never heard of them before.