Do you remember the first time you watched the New Year’s Eve Ball drop? I do. My parents had told me at midnight we watch this special sparkly ball drop at midnight. I remember being so excited just at the idea of staying up until midnight. When it was time, I remember waiting with anticipation to see this sparkling ball drop! Then the countdown began and the ball started to lower… what? my heart sank… It was lowering not “dropping”. In my head I had pictured that the ball would be released and fall to the ground. I didn’t know what would happen when it “fell” all the way down but this was not what I had pictured. What was I thinking? What a mess it would have been. LOL! I told this story to my kids when they were old enough to watch the ball drop for the first time, and now we laugh about it. I will show you how to make your own New Year’s Eve ball and I have 2 options for you. You can make these to lower down or just hang as a decoration. The great thing is you can use them for more than just New Year’s if you like.
Option 1
For both options – you’ll need 2 flower hanging planter baskets. Pull off the chains but save one set for hanging it in the end.
Stack your baskets like this to form the ball shape.
Use wire or I used Christmas bulb wire hooks to twist tie your flower baskets together.
For this New Year’s Ball I’m using these rope lights that I found at Walmart.
Hot glue the battery pack to the inside of the base of the flower basket.
Wrap the rope light around the baskets placing it between each set of wires on the basket. When you get to the end, tie the top together to secure it with wire or Christmas ornament hooks as I did. I let the extra hand in the center of the ball.
Here is what it looks like lit up at this point.
Hot glue some tinsel garland to the basket.
Start wrapping the ball with the garland. I wrapped two times between each wire and on either side of the rope light. This project took 2 tinsel garland packs that were 15 ft. each and $1 per pack. Hot glue the ends to secure.
Add one of the flower hanging basket planter chains to the top so you can hang it.
Your first ball is done!
Now on to the second option…
You’ll start the same as the first option by stacking and securing the baskets into the ball shape.
I’m using 2 beaded strands of lights from Walmart in the bridal section.
Using wire or Christmas ornament hooks secure the strand of lights onto each wire of the hanging basket and wrap around the ball.
Using wire or Christmas ornament hooks secure the strand of lights onto each wire of the hanging basket and wrap around the ball.
Hot glue your battery packs to the bottom of your ball inside the basket. (I’m open to other ideas on this if you have them please share them in the comments. I’d love for them to not be in the ball at all…)
Hang it up, turn it on, and you’re done 🙂
Which one do you like better?
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I’ll be making this on Hometalk’s Facebook Live DIY – December 17th at 7pm EST.
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This looks really great, Chas! I really like the first one the best 🙂 You made a good point about the battery pack in the second one. Everything this year seems to have a battery pack which means at night you have to turn the all on, then turn them all off. I have several new decorations this year that I really like, but the battery packs are going to drive us crazy! LOL
Thanks Linda – so true! There are a few things this year that have battery packs and timers built in – I thought genius! I put one in the back of my light up canvas art – it turns on every night at about 4pm and turns off around 10pm.
I really like Option #1. 🙂
Option 1 was faster and easier 🙂
What an awesome idea!!
I love them both~
Christmas blessings~
Thank you so much Debra, Merry Christmas to you 🙂
This is such a cute idea! My littlest kid would LOVE this!
Thank you Kari 🙂 – we are excited to hang them up and have our own count down
I too remember being so disappointed in watching the ball drop; I remember thinking “people stay up for this?” LOL. These are such cute options. Thanks for sharing with us at the Virtual Refrigerator. Pinned.
Thank you and thanks for the Pin. I love that you felt the same as me about the ball dropping – I’m not so crazy – ha ha.
You are so very creative. I never would have thought you could make a new years ball out of hanging planter baskets. I have some sitting around, so it would be fun to make this with my nephews and nieces. Thank you for sharing your fun idea! Have a great holiday season!
Thank you Natalie, and I’m so pleased you want to possibly give it a try 🙂 Happy Holidays to you 🙂
What a fun way to make New Year’s Eve more special! Thanks so much for sharing at the #happynowlinkup!
Thank you Leslie – love your link party 🙂
What a cute and creative idea. I never would have thought of this.
Thank you Elise 🙂
Oh I like that a lot and I think I could adapt it and use outside lights
Mollyx
Thank you Molly and love that you want to adapt it for outdoor use. The rope lights are made for indoor and outdoor too 🙂
Your New Year’s eve ball turned out great! I especially like the second option. Thanks for sharing at Sew It Cook It Craft It. Merry Christmas!
Thank you Lina. I was debating on which one I like better and I think I’ll keep them both – lol. Thanks for stopping by – Merry Christmas to you!
Fun idea and would make a nice NY decoration. Thanks for sharing on MM.
Thank you Erlene, we are so excited to have our very own NY Eve Ball to hang up. I have kept both because I couldn’t decide which one I liked more 🙂
It’s so pretty (both versions)
I confess I only know the sparkly ball drop thing from watching the New Year episode of Friends! Here in the UK our TV stations all show Big Ben chiming 12 and fireworks at New Year Midnight. It’s fun to find out what people do round the world.
Thank you Julie, and thank you for sharing what you experience in the UK. We just took a trip to England this past summer and enjoyed our time there very much! I will share your Big Ben story with my family – they’ll truly appreciate it 🙂