One of the most delightful gifts and favors to receive for special occasions is “surprise balls.” In a surprise ball, small toys, tzatchkes and candies are wrapped up with crepe paper streamers into a ball, ready for the recipient to discover all the goodies hidden inside. It’s similar in concept to a piñata, but instead of hitting it with a stick, you unravel the streamers.
While the classic surprise ball is a sphere, I’ve adapted the idea into an apple shape for Rosh Hashanah celebrations. Besides being more appropriate for the new year, an apple is so much easier to create than a sphere because you don’t have to form a perfect shape.
What You’ll Need
Crepe paper streamer
Small toys, tzhatckes and candies
Tape
Scissors
Glue stick
Green and brown paper
1. Start with your largest object in the middle. Mine was a miniature Rubik’s Cube that I found at the party supply store. Wrap the paper streamer around it, criss-crossing as you go until it is completely covered. Tape the end of the streamer.
2. Add the next object to your first rolled up ball and wrap another length of streamer around that until you form a slightly larger ball.
3. Keep going, adding more trinkets and candies, wrapping each individually with the streamer until you form an apple shape that’s about the size of a fist.
4. To finish the outside of the apple, cut a few feet of the streamer lengthwise in half. Then cut these pieces into pieces that are about 6 inches long.
5. Wrap these skinnier pieces around the apple, securing the ends with a glue stick. Repeat until the whole apple is covered in these thinner strips.
6. Cut a stem shape from brown paper and a leaf shape from green paper, and attach these to the top of the apple with a glue stick.
Jonathan Fong is the author of “Flowers That Wow” and “Parties That Wow,” and host of “Style With a Smile” on YouTube. You can see more of his do-it-yourself projects at jonathanfongstyle.com.
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