How to Make a Surprise Ball Gift or Special Invitation
Brighten someone’s day with a surprise ball – a ball of crepe paper with small gifts wrapped inside with every wind of streamer. We show you how to make a surprise ball gift or special message.
The Surprise Ball was popular in the 70s, but you don’t really hear much about them anymore.
Let’s bring the fun back!
How a surprise ball works.
A surprise ball is a collection of tiny gifts all rolled inside a ball of crepe paper.
Each “surprise” is discovered as you unwind the ball.
You can make the ball as big as you wish – and you’d be surprised to see how many prizes you can wrap inside.
Just one roll of crepe paper can hold 20 prizes, depending on the size and shape of the items.
Why send a surprise ball.
There are all sorts of occasions for a surprise ball:
- Party invitation – start with each detail of your party and wrap it in the crepe paper. Then add tiny gifts that hint at your party theme. As they unwind the paper, they will be excited about the gifts. When they get to the end and discover the party invitation, they will be thrilled!
- I miss you – grandmothers & aunties can send one to kids, lovers can send one to their special someone, mothers can send to daughters. Include their favorite little things & collectibles, or a big thing like a ticket to a movie, play or concert.
- Get well soon – wish someone best wishes when they’re ill with herbal tea packet, little goodies and trinkets
- Goodbye winter blues – cheer someone up with happy little things or ticket invitations.
- I love you or even “Will you marry me” – this is the BIG surprise in a surprise ball. Send wonderful little things at first with the ring tied at the end. It will be a surprise after the other gifts, for sure!
How to make a surprise ball
Discovering the trinkets you want to include is the most time-consuming part. Winding the crepe paper streamer is the fun part. You will need at least 2 crepe paper streamer rolls, and maybe more, depending on how many trinkets you found, and how big you want the surprise ball to be.
Step 1: Whatever you want the recipient to read last is the first item attached to the crepe paper.
The first thing you attach to the strip of crepe paper is usually the sender’s name (unless you’re planning on handing it to them), or the message.
This is what they will see last, after they have received all the trinkets. It’s the big TA-DA!
- tell them who sent the surprise ball
- put the party information if it is an invitation: time, date, place
- send your birthday or love wishes
Step 2: Add your trinkets or gifts
Start adding your trinkets with the smallest-sized gift. Put it on the crepe paper and roll the paper around once or twice to hold it in place.
Put the next sized gift on the crepe paper, roll the paper around . . . and so on, wrapping the gifts from smallest to largest.
After a couple of prizes, when your ball has some bulk, start wrapping in a criss-cross pattern to create that distinctive ball shape.
Don’t add too much crepe paper between prizes; the idea is for the trinkets to drop out as they unwind – just one or two circles to cover it and ensure it will stay in place.
If you need to use another roll of crepe paper just tape the two ends together and keep wrapping gifts inside. (We started with green and ended with yellow!)
Step 5: End with a message so they know what it is.
Your message (Surprize, I love you) should be bigger than the width of the crepe paper so they can get a firm grasp on it to begin unwrapping the ball.
Cut the crepe paper strip and firmly fasten message to the ball.
You may want to include a gift card with instructions explaining how the surprise ball works – assuring them that it’s not some prank or terrorist plot!
You’re ready to mail it in a box or courier envelope, or leave it somewhere for them to discover. Just wait for the excitement to begin!
