Here's a sleighful of ideas for embellishing ordinary clear glass or papier-mâché balls with ink, paint, ribbon, or glitter. The aloha shirt ornaments use colorful Japanese folding paper cut into miniature shirt patterns.

Glass balls

Time: 10 to 15 minutes per ball

Cost: Up to $2 per ball

Tools and materials

Clear and colored glass ornament balls in various sizes

Red mesh ribbon (available from craft stores)

Scissors

Fast-drying, colorless liquid glue

White and silver glitter

Medium-point red marker

Fine paintbrush

Hot glue gun and glue stick

White or silver 1/8-inch-wide ribbon

Opalescent snowflakes

Mesh-wrapped Ball
1. Remove top from ball, place the ball on red mesh ribbon, and fold ribbon around ball, gathering loose edges around neck of ball.

2. Trim excess ribbon, leaving only a rim around neck of ball.

3. Coat neck of ball with glue and firmly press trimmed ribbon into glue; replace top.

Snowflake Ball
Remove top from clear ball. Fill ball with silver glitter; replace top. Use metallic pen to draw snowflakes on the ball.

Spiral, Polka-dot Balls
Use medium-point marker to draw spirals or polka dots around the ball.

Ribbon-wrapped Ball
1. With glue gun, apply strips of silver ribbon horizontally and vertically around a clear ball.

2. Add other strips of ribbon across these at random intervals.

3. With paintbrush, apply liquid glue to one section framed by the ribbon; immediately sprinkle silver glitter on the wet surface.

4. Repeat on some of the other sections until the ball has a pleasing balance of clear and silver shapes.