A sparkleball is a magical ornament handmade from plastic cups and mini-lights; usually displayed at Christmas or holiday time.
You'll need 50 soft 9 oz. tumbler-style plastic cups, a hole-puncher, a drill with a 1/2" bit, a string of mini-lights (100-150), and 200 small zip-ties. (recycled clean cups will work perfectly as will an old string of mini-lights.)
You'll need 50 soft 9 oz. tumbler-style plastic cups, a hole-puncher, a drill with a 1/2" bit, a string of mini-lights (100-150), and 200 small zip-ties. (recycled clean cups will work perfectly as will an old string of mini-lights.)
Step 1: Drill the Cup Bottoms
Drill the cup bottoms of all 50 plastic cups. You can stack and drill 2-3 at a time. The holes should be about 1/4 to 1/2" wide, or large enough to insert one or two mini lights.
Step 2: Punch Holes
With a hand-held hole-puncher (the kind for punching holes in paper), punch 4 holes evenly spaced around the top of all 50 cups. Place the holes just under the raised lip. Each hole should have a hole directly opposite, but just eyeball the placement.
Step 3: Layer One
Arrange 12 cups in a circle. Attach each cup to the cups adjoining, using a zip-tie through the holes. Do not tighten the zip-ties until all the cups are connected. Then cinch each zip-tie tightly, one by one, making sure the ring of cups stays flat. Trim zip-ties.
Step 4: Layer Two
There are 9 cups in Layer Two. Place one cup on top of Layer One. With a zip-tie, connect this cup to the cup it sits on top of. Do not tighten the zip-tie all the way. Now add a second cup. Attach it with a zip-tie to the cup it sits on top of. When all 9 cups are situated on top of Layer One, forming Layer Two-- then attach each cup to the cups on either side. Every cup in Layer Two will be attached at three points. When all the zip-ties are in place, go around the ring, tightening and trimming all zip-ties.
Step 5: Layer Three
There are 4 cups in Layer Three. Fit the 4 cups into the space left at the top of the sparkleball-half. Once they fit neatly, then start attaching the 4 cups to each other and to the cups in Layer Two. The last 4 cups will be attached at 4 points. You may need to punch new holes, if the holes don't align. (AND you may end up leaving some holes unziptied.) Tighten zip-ties and trim. Half the ball is done! Now you start threading the mini-lights.
Step 6: Inserting Lights
IMPORTANT! TEST LIGHTS BEFORE YOU INSERT THEM.
To insert lights: start at the prong end of the cord. Insert the two lights closest to the prong into a cup at the outside rim. (The plug will then hang out when you put the two halves together.)
Put 1 or 2 lights in each cup. Work your way around the ball half, zigzaging from outer cups to inner cups and back. You want to end up on the outer rim, at the cup next to one you started with.
Work slowly. It's important NOT to skip a cup or miss a light. If you crack a cup, that's ok.
To insert lights: start at the prong end of the cord. Insert the two lights closest to the prong into a cup at the outside rim. (The plug will then hang out when you put the two halves together.)
Put 1 or 2 lights in each cup. Work your way around the ball half, zigzaging from outer cups to inner cups and back. You want to end up on the outer rim, at the cup next to one you started with.
Work slowly. It's important NOT to skip a cup or miss a light. If you crack a cup, that's ok.
Step 7: Build Second Half
Set aside the completed half. Build the second half just like you did the first. (Steps 3 - 5)
Step 8: Finishing the Lights
On the second half, insert lights starting from the opposite end of the cord (the plug end.) Start with any cup but make sure you finish at the outer rim. (But if you plan to hang more than ball at once, make sure the plug end hangs out between the cups, as well.)
The last lights will be the hardest to insert as you juggle the two halves. Some people use two strands of mini-lights, connecting them once the two halves are threaded with lights.
The last lights will be the hardest to insert as you juggle the two halves. Some people use two strands of mini-lights, connecting them once the two halves are threaded with lights.
Step 9: Join the Halves
Press the two halves together, making them fit snugly. Line up holes and attach loosely with zip-ties, all the way around. Then pull zip-ties tight and trim.
Step 10: Make a Hanger
Make a hanger for your sparkleball. I use a bit of chain and two "s" hooks. Choose the top of your sparkleball. (Will you want the electrical cord hanging out on top or at the bottom?) Punch holes between two cups. Insert an "s" hook into the hole and close. Add chain and second "s" hook.
You can also use zip-tie loops, clear fishing line, wire coat hangers, or ribbon to hang sparkleballs.
You can also use zip-tie loops, clear fishing line, wire coat hangers, or ribbon to hang sparkleballs.
Step 11: OPTIONAL: Beads? Glitter?
My friend Erika likes to string plastic beads on the zip-ties, as she threads them between cups. Her sparkleballs look as pretty unlit, as lit. You can also dip cup rims in glue, then glitter, or use dollops of glitter-glue between the cups.
Step 12: OPTIONAL: Chasing Lights
Multi-function, "chasing" lights turn sparkleballs into mini-ufo's. The blinking, pulsating, rhythm-changing light sequences have to be seen to be believed. If you do use chasing lights, you'll need to insert 2 or 3 lights into each cup bottom. Experiment with drill and hole sizes and lights BEFORE you begin building your sparkleball.
Step 13: Plug in and Enjoy!
To see more free sparkleball expertise and photos of sparkleballs from around the world, check out sparkleball.com.
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She used hot glue to secure hers, but I sure like the one pictured that had beads strung in with the zip ties.
Thanks for the great tut!
It would be awesome if you hooked some of these up into a sequencer so they could flash in a pattern.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-Ku3tmXg-4&feature=related
May I post your photos on www.sparkleball.com ? They are wonderful and would be the first made for Diwali! Will you email me at sparkleballlady@yahoo.com or here and let me know. I didn't want to download without your permission. If yes, tell me your first name and where you live so I can put you on the sparkleball map.
Thanks again!
Alex
I'll mail them to you as well.
Thanks for the great instructable. Had a lot of fun making it and got a lot of compliments too...
Antzy
New Delhi, India
Alex
Sonoma CA
-Antzy
I have gave gobs away for gifts and sold alot of them.
I usally use the 16 function lights from walmarts.
I've sprayed some with snow that comes in the can and used the plain colorful twinkling lights and they were pretty hung outside.
I use a sodiering iron to make my holes in the my solo cups for the lights and and then use a small high temp. glue gun to melt the cups together.
No hot glue used just the hot glue gun tip.
I had 2 use the sodiering gun to melt off the built-in stand on the glue gun to fit it into my cups.
They are nice to use on floats in parades if people have a way 2 hook up to electric.
I've made some with plastic medicine cups.They were kinda hard 2 make exactly round and were very tedious but were cute.Some came out in an egg shape but were nice for easter.lol
If they get wet, damaged, snowed or rained on, they are still as safe as any other outside light string.
Hint: At the end of the season (or when you do bring it inside) spray it liberally with some foaming glass cleaner, let it sit for a while, then spray it off gently with your water hose. After it dries, you can store it and it will be clean and ready for its next debut.
www.sparkleball.com/glitter.htm