![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij7XRsOzoPQCy1zIb7Jt5gmLLO1PoV8pZRVqQcKvRda53eGIphxRLhiTVTsGHUuJelFjmtR0bq_R_0vo8E-aOikofleiPQJtqom1qbQ6cXMGbUmwWDwrXcdGD040HmZeYEPXIDPMW4b7so/s400/3D-paper-ball-ornament.png)
I love 3D paper things.
Love. And when I saw a little picture of what appeared to be paper balls in a CB2 catalog, I thought, "I am going to make those."
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXx8T5qQS7ZjniQSx-hjmiq4tJm6oaZb8G9gzXzoWZk9-9mE8BIqZ9rEnuhxa9p486lS-FAZvVnrRRV5J_2g37JbGT_pmOwJW-joJJxU8PN2jJDyVcDgzrhtdo0hDHmzRQM7n3WuQzaEs5/s400/CB2-catalog.png)
So the other day while Alex was writing a paper about mysterious things like polymers and flexible films and tactoids, I made a paper ball. Then I proudly announced I had created a tactoid and it was sitting on my desk. He giggled. Apparently a tactoid is not a paper ball.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSvL-Kvc8e3IvR9Gky9e9xvZqO2rlMlaM4OeoTJk4a5i8tmzg6DuAGwr2xflLAZ6D5XWlyUSSRHd3ua1Q1Hv4HNlNMRw45g4w7RxtwfdxRKDCnUAdhtsKQGFBSJICPjAlFF6722NN5snW3/s400/DIY-paper-ball-tutorial.png)
These are made from 12 slotted flower shapes that fit together to form a sphere. No adhesive needed; the only ingredient is paper. I made a template in Illustrator and cut out the shapes with my Silhouette machine, but you could also print out the pages and cut by hand instead.
Download the PDF templates here:
Large ball (10")– print/cut 12 sheets
Medium ball (5")– print/cut 2 sheets
Small ball (3")– print/cut 1 sheet
Download a Silhouette .studio file here:
Small ball (3")– unzip the file; cut 1 sheet. (The shapes can be scaled up or down in Silhouette Studio if you'd like to change the size.)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5sF4uN30UW7D-i7J1Nj9w3SaZGePVguv2UmohpgLoXuS6l4wcI3s6alyMhQUM7xmaEFkN6NWiu-4ODuQ61QfUgovWMTnQkLZmDKnj3Qc4VDliY_FWGZl12t-7e7iJ1SvVkOIY3FAd0VFG/s400/tape-string.png)
If you want to hang your ornament, you might like to add the string before assembling the ball. I placed a piece of tape on the back of one flower so the hole wouldn't tear, then used a needle to pull string through, forming a loop on the front side. I secured the ends of the string on the back side with another piece of tape.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju8Tvy3wOGqkV8HzsjUmWX9O1kux4XB1HMjwntXcZWznQVWW-z3ctvFZ_6MWiXSk6gFTsNsY2Aq3t6XMmZ6iEAenp3ngFUL3MAHA2qRVXN06d7GZjY9fZi_LcFgWVmrfh0MtEPygVbFveW/s400/start-building.png)
Use the slits to join petals together. Keep adding shapes, connecting as you go, so that every petal is connected to another petal on a neighboring flower.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtUXNt073_S0u7CQJsEbcPMbVNbxZ6xa4AdwbNclDSKT_1eE4aS6w0yWLpB79u1J5iXWTUWnD81Y5UlNZ57UKZrwJ-dCCnuguCdBY1jLqvQNnrY2Nh3A5ML7cu-yzdAqWEbvy_VTIpQ2ud/s400/paper-dodecahedron.png)
It might be helpful to think of the first piece as the "north pole," and then add a row of five flowers encircling it. At this point, the ball is half finished.
Here's what it looks like upside-down:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN0Be_RohUTVQI37PAne9NhhFpONFfvTJl-59nyiXP0WhvhFadlxUNhcE3BuZ0PdeD5HTx27MNZNnItglxOmxCxomzPw09ymAdlC5f-ZlTUQzWTbzcaGYMXvMeqZNXaJmTThy9LRBMp2kL/s400/half-finished-ball.png)
Attach the next row of five flower shapes, and finally, add the "south pole" piece to finish the globe.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFaoWvgqAOdGCUdp-Ix4FtycYKvxQqmaIxtkTZodcNr6IpOsLAaP_uh2EKm6F98rJ4tco13d1SAlK9W_Qj1vAf6Bjh6yJCY32KBahM-Y-osu2jJc9KH93fPpqO2Rivy2gQzgzSUYj91u0H/s800/hanging-ball.png)
The colored balls are made from regular-weight computer paper (Astrobright from Office Max) and the white balls are made with cardstock. The big sphere is the size of a basketball; the little one is approximately a baseball. And the medium-sized guy is maybe a large grapefruit.