Thursday, February 23, 2012

Present Ball: A Gift that Thrills All Ages



My youngest celebrated his birthday yesterday and his big present was a pet lizard and a tricked out terrarium with all the accessories.

That meant that his other presents needed to be a lot less expensive - but I still wanted to wow him. 

My solution - a present ball.


All you need is small presents and several rolls of streamers. 
For this ball I used most of three rolls; pink, red and fuchsia - because I love him :-)


I made a tab to show him where to start unravelling and let him have at it. Everyone was a little skeptical at first.


Then the first gift started to peak out. Excitement!



Make sure to completely hide each layer so what comes next is absolutely unknown.


This is so fun.


My other two boys were on the edge of their seats watching to see what was coming next.

Fancy marshmallows, hot drinks, imported cookies...


A Yo-Yo!


And as the streamer pile grew, so did the smiles.


It looks pretty darn festive, don't you think?



In the end, I think we spent close to fifteen minutes opening this present and every little treat was met with squeals and joy. You know that wouldn't have been the case had I wrapped it up in a box.

Afterwards my kids were talking about all the fun things you could put in a present ball. 

Some of the ideas:

Sewing: charm pack, pattern, fat quarters, scissors, rotary cutter, refill blades
Crafts: Ink pads, rubber stamps, glue gun, embellishments
Baking: cupcake liners, baking mixes, spatula, whisk, candy decorations, candles, extracts
Beach: inflatable beach ball, sunscreen, chapstick, drink mix, drink cozie, water gun
Reader: book, bookmark, tea, hot drinks, cookies, 
Movie Buff: DVD, popcorn, boxes of candy, cans of soda
Romance: Candles, soft music CD, tickets to an event, jewelry, coupons
Cyclist: Mini Bike Pump, CO2 cartridge, wrench set, tire patch, GU, shot blocks, sunscreen, Clif bar
Young Child: Stuffed Toy, Ball, Yo-Yo, Playdoh, plastic cookie cutters
Traveller: small fancy shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, neck pillow, book, iTunes card, votive candles, trail mix

I hope you try making one of these. While it can be a little frustrating at first, the reward is well worth the effort.


9 comments:

Ashley Newell said...

I need a present ball! This is fantastic!

Alison said...

What a fantastic idea!!!! I am absolutely going to do this! Thank you for sharing!

Michelle S said...

This is brilliant!!! Love it!

Anonymous said...

My son turns 13 next month, and this is the perfect way to bring a little magic back into the day... this is so sweet, Nicole! I'm doing it!

Princess of Everything (and then some) said...

That looks like it was so much fun! My grandsons would love that. You are so smart and creative!

Maggi said...

What a cute idea! Looks like it was a hit!

Preppy Pink Crocodile said...

Oh I remember seeing these as a kid but forgot all about them until now. I love your list of fun ideas!

KK

Q @ JAQS said...

I could so imagine doing something like this for my son - what a fun idea!

Love for you to share it at my "Made by ME" Linky Party Wednesdays :)
http://www.jaqsstudio.com/2012/02/made-by-me-20-linky-party.html

whimsyspace said...

This is a cute idea, I will have to try this for my kids' next birthday!