How to Make Holiday Light Balls
Sep 27th 2023
Looking for a cute DIY project for the holiday season? These easy Christmas light balls are perfect for your porch or front yard to cultivate holiday cheer. Finding new decorating ideas can be tricky, but this colorful DIY project will fit in perfectly with your outdoor lights. After gathering a few specific materials, you will be well on your way to a delightful, homemade Christmas decoration.
Supplies and Materials
To get started, you will need to gather all of your supplies. These include gloves, measuring tape, chicken wire, small wire cutters, and LED mini lights.
Getting Started
In order to create a spherical shape, you will need chicken wire that is twice as long as it is wide. For example, to create a 2-foot ball, you will need chicken wire that measures 2 feet by 4 feet. Cut the chicken wire to fit your specific dimensions but be sure to wear your gloves while doing so to avoid any injuries.
Once your chicken wire is cut to size, place the two long sides together and twist the wire to connect. You should end up with a cylinder of chicken wire.
Shaping your Light Ball Frame
Begin pushing the cylinders' sides together. Bringing the bottom edges together is a good place to get started on rounding your frame. Then continue on the top and sculpt your chicken wire to make it as round as possible. Trim any chicken wire edges that are necessary and twist together to ensure the ball stays together.
Adding LED Lights
Once you have your frame as spherical as you can make it, it's time to add the LED lights. Small lights tend to be easier to weave into your ball, but it is simple to check whether the lights you have can fit through the chicken wire. Be sure to leave the male plug exposed while wrapping your lights for an easy plug-in. Try to wrap the lights as evenly as possible around the ball. You can use multiple strings of lights for added brightness, but a common rule of thumb is to use at least one string of lights for each foot in diameter.
You can use any color LED lights that you would like. Matching your Christmas balls to your home décor is one option, or you could stick to holiday colors like red and green. Multi-colored lights are another popular option to increase holiday cheer.
Find more helpful holiday décor tips at dripworks.com and shop our holiday lights. Decorating for the holidays can be fun and making DIY projects is always a great way to show off your own creativity.