This is a tutorial on how to build a Sparkle Ball. It's fun, easy to build and very cool looking! By Gaspar Muniz & Thais Oliveira find me at Instagram: capturehunter
This is a great demonstration. In the 1970's, my mom made something similar using small dixie cups and a styrofoam ball to build around. At that time, they didn't have small string lights so they dipped the rim of the cup in Elmer's glue and glitter to make them sparkle. You can still glitter the rims of the cups in this project for added sparkle.
I should have paid more attention to the video and read through the reviews before going out and purchasing cups. After a dry run of just the 1st row I knew something was wrong the ball would have been enormous. Which is cool but I wouldn't have had enough cups. Lol. Anyhow I am most appreciative of you sharing your comment before going out & buying more cups. Ty.
Thank you for this video. I made a couple of these, and learned a few things I wanted to share. 1) I bought dollar store cups, and they cracked very easily... so next time I will get the SOLO cups. 2) Drilling shattered the cheap cups, so I used a large drill bit, held it with a rubber handled pliers and heated the bit in a candle... melted holes into the cups really easily. 3) since the cups cracked so easily, I used a hot glue gun to hold the lights in, and to glue a number of the cups together, since the staples didn't work that well. All in all, they turned out well, just a little more work on my part, but it's still a great idea and fun decoration! Mine are hanging outside, waiting for Thanksgiving weekend, so I can turn them on! :)
Led lights. They are L. E. D. Lights. Holes can be made by heating up an old screw driver with a propane torch or stove top gas burner. More than one cup can be done at a time this way.
Well, I had to modify this as a drill only cracked my cups so i used a hot glue gun without the glue to make the holes which took forever. Then when I tried stapleing them together, the cups cracked, so I used hot glue to have them stick. I was so excited to make these for the holidays, but it takes hours the way I am doing it. Otherwise, I am still hoping it turns out at least halfway good. Love the idea--so here's hoping.
One suggestion I would have if you wanted to take this to the next level of awesomeness ... Drop some silver paint at the bottom of each cup for a little reflection and to keep the wires from showing behind the cups B-)
We made these in the 70's. we used soldering pen guns to melt solder the cups together. I cannot tell you how many of these my sister's and I made. Thanks for the blast from the past!!
Artz Female His "mother used a hot glue gun, without glue in it, to make holes in the bottom of the cups". The tip of the glue gun is hot enough by itself to make a hole, and you don't have to use a drill, which is kind of an overkill.
NanaTexSB Did you notice how long it took to drill just one hole? I also was thinking using hot end of glue gun to just melt out the hole. Then I realized if I put a block in bottom and then drill it would have taken seconds.
Hot glue guns don't put blobs in the bottom, it makes a little lip so if you put your light in it's hard to take out so you don't have to redo it if you did it wrong.
aglegro if they were tungsten then the whole thing would have melted down as tungsten only burns at a very high temperature - I think you meant to say that they are Incandescent bulbs.
I really appreciate you sharing these instructions so clearly and well! I've wished to know how to make these for years, and now I have learned how from you-thanks!
I've made those. If you use a hot glue gun (A) You can burn the holes in the cups and it's faster and (B) you can get the lights to stay in their holes better by hitting them with the glue real quick.
Pythia Sibyls u don’t need to paint it & u can’t see the holes once it’s lighted at night. U can’t even tell/notice it’s made from plastic cups. I made one for xmas lantern. And, it’s so beautiful! Just sharing on my experience. Thx
heh, nice vid. I have been making these for over 20 years. I find a soldering iron makes the holes easier and faster. with a little practice, you can get the spacing right to make 3 holes in the cup instead of 1. The last one I made used tri color leds that were battery powered. looks awesome hung up in the old oak tree for party lights. cheers.
Would it not make more sense to turn the cups upside down and drill through the slats on the table? Would make it a lot quicker, and could probably do more than one cup at a time.
This does look good, but it didn't sparkle that much to me. Maybe add something like the shiny clear gift accent stuff (maybe it's cellophane, I don't know) to throw the light in a few other directions? Just a suggestion(:
hello gasper,i have trie 4 times to this lovely sparkle ball, but i cant get the round shape they just go in a curve , any idea what i am doing wrong please. lin
Not bad. But too fast of a Video! I would also staple all sides! Instead of 2 sides while there is 3-4 sides. And also leave a tiny opening. Say the final 4 cups at the top. Just paper clip them together. In case something happens. It would be nice to see a slow Step-By-Step Video on how to make this. I'm confused on which way or if there is a row-by-row thing to install the Lights to the Cups.
it's 2017, Jan. and I tried it but bought the wrong plastic cups. im return them and continue searching until I find the right ones so I can achieve your style, lol. it's very cute Happy New Year!
I like the sparkle ball video. I was wondering what the 2 songs were on the video? The main song sounds kinda like Santana , and the second sounds like Groove Habit . Thanks
Thanks so much for the amazing tutorial. Our 2 grandchildren made this for their Mother for Christmas. It was a smash hit!!! This was a really neat, inexpensive craft for anyone to create! Thanks again!
Very good but I would have put some lots of fire crackers inside the cups so when you light them , the ball jumps all over the house and scares everybody.. It would be a great way to get rid of unwanted relatives at Christmas and they will never return because they would be too worried!! :-)))))
Very Important Point! Be sure to use Solo brand cups, not any store brand (even if they're 9 oz.). I learned this very important lesson after buying 160 of the store brand ---- which I then could not return because I thought I'd be so smart and drill the holes in all of them before I stapled them together!! What the heck am I going to do with 160 cups with holes in the bottom?! (That was rhetorical......)
Well I'm just watching this video because our teacher said that we have to make a sparkle ball so yeah ;) (I wrote this because most of the comments I saw was that they are doing it for their home)
Okay look, first off there is a way 100 times better than staples, glue, or drilling...are you listening? Get solo cups 9 ounce...not the tall ones but the short ones...they are wider and easier to work with. A 50 cup pack will do one ball. Get the multi function LED light string...I recommend the 100 multi color...but if you like white or whatever...that's up to you. Next...get a pencil style soldering gun...40 watt works best, but 30 watt will do...make sure it has the narrow pencil point. Heat that soldering gun up...we are melting-welding our cups together...no messy glue or awkward stapling required. Plus...those never hold together for long. Are you with me? Start with 2 cups...line them up...side by side...take the heated soldering gun and jab it through the bottom of one cup...and melting it into the other...it welds the two together...give it a few seconds...then move to the 3rd cup...do it the same way...welding it to the third. You get the idea...now make a complete circle by continuing to add cups...you always start with a circle of 12 cups...it will look similar to a wreath when all 12 are in place. Now...start adding the second layer...straddling your first layer all the way around...soldering each into place with the connecting cups...keep working your way up until the half circle is complete. Make another half exactly the same as the first...starting out with the 12 cup circle...and start filling it in with cups as well...EXCEPT...you MUST leave the last 3 or 4 cups out...in order to leave room for you to thread the lights into the cups. If you wish , you can thread the lights before the halves are joined...making it easier to get to...my hands are smaller...so I just go ahead and weld the 2 halves together...but remember...I left 3 or 4 cups out of one half...I then start with the string of lights from the end...and go to where the center cup of the completed half is...I start there...take the soldering tip in your right hand...with the lights in your left hand. Right hand is outside the ball with the soldering iron...left hand is inside the ball...make a small hole in the bottom of that first cup...then quickly pop a light from the backside through the hole...go to the next light and do the same in the same cup...you will have 2 lights per cup. Then work your way around in a circle either clockwise or counter clockwise...popping 2 lights in each cup...eventually you will have worked your way around all the cups...leaving you at the opening where the last cups will go...I usually go ahead and pop the last lights in the 3 or 4 remaining cups...BEFORE I weld them in place ...there may be a couple extra lights...just put 3 in a cup for the extras...just be careful not to melt your cord...otherwise you will have to start over. The multi function controller will be hanging from the bottom...along with the plug end. One thing...the little control box is NOT waterproof ...under a porch would be ok...you could even waterproof the control box and wiring going into it with plumbers goop or silicone. You don't have to use the multi function lights...but they do look amazing! Once you have assembled a few of these...you can do one complete in like 45 minutes or less. Well...there it is..you know the secret...this is the BEST way...trust me! Give it a try...let me know.
this is not fun and NOT easy. i have wrestled with it for days because my daughter wants one. how the hell he staples them so easily is beyond my comprehension. every time i try the cups move out of alignment and then i can't get a circle and then the 9 & 4 don't fit. IT SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and i give up. i'll just buy my daughter one or two this christmas and keep my sanity thank you very much
Nice idea and a pretty finished article. Would look better if you used a set of lights with either white or clear cable. Dark green looks a bit ugly through the clear cups :-)
This is a great demonstration. In the 1970's, my mom made something similar using small dixie cups and a styrofoam ball to build around. At that time, they didn't have small string lights so they dipped the rim of the cup in Elmer's glue and glitter to make them sparkle. You can still glitter the rims of the cups in this project for added sparkle.
Really nice! Thank a lot for your channel :)
🗿
If you are making one of these, you can't use those hard plastic Chinet cups. You need to use the small 9oz Solo cups that have flexible/thin plastic.
I should have paid more attention to the video and read through the reviews before going out and purchasing cups. After a dry run of just the 1st row I knew something was wrong the ball would have been enormous. Which is cool but I wouldn't have had enough cups. Lol. Anyhow I am most appreciative of you sharing your comment before going out & buying more cups. Ty.
Thank you for this video. I made a couple of these, and learned a few things I wanted to share. 1) I bought dollar store cups, and they cracked very easily... so next time I will get the SOLO cups. 2) Drilling shattered the cheap cups, so I used a large drill bit, held it with a rubber handled pliers and heated the bit in a candle... melted holes into the cups really easily. 3) since the cups cracked so easily, I used a hot glue gun to hold the lights in, and to glue a number of the cups together, since the staples didn't work that well. All in all, they turned out well, just a little more work on my part, but it's still a great idea and fun decoration! Mine are hanging outside, waiting for Thanksgiving weekend, so I can turn them on! :)
I used my soldering pen to melt the holes no cracking then. It is really quick too
I like the way how cups form into circle, great!
nice!!!!! I'll try...you can use this light ball for any event!!!! thanks for sharing!☺❄🎊🎵
Happy Holidays!🌲
FYI, make sure the drill bit is the same size or a tiny bit bigger than the stem of your lights, otherwise they will not hold in place.
Led lights. They are L. E. D. Lights. Holes can be made by heating up an old screw driver with a propane torch or stove top gas burner. More than one cup can be done at a time this way.
K. Fuentes wat about a iron melter
Well, I had to modify this as a drill only cracked my cups so i used a hot glue gun without the glue to make the holes which took forever. Then when I tried stapleing them together, the cups cracked, so I used hot glue to have them stick. I was so excited to make these for the holidays, but it takes hours the way I am doing it. Otherwise, I am still hoping it turns out at least halfway good. Love the idea--so here's hoping.
Did you use the hard plastic cups? There are hard and soft.
if they are hard cup try using a soldering gun/pen to melt the hole in the bottom
One suggestion I would have if you wanted to take this to the next level of awesomeness ... Drop some silver paint at the bottom of each cup for a little reflection and to keep the wires from showing behind the cups B-)
Erik Cho sdxfXvct a
Great instructions. One suggestion: 'Led' should be called by the initials L.E.D. -- it's short for light-emitting diode.
In Brazil (and perhaps other Latin countries) they say led lights :) instead of calling by initials
Who came here because of Maria (GentleWhispering)? Hmmm? Anyone?
Me too! :D
These are the cups: www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00TOORBYG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Cool lamp, I made one from spoons, look at you 👍
A leather punch works well also. THANKS cool video.
We made these in the 70's. we used soldering pen guns to melt solder the cups together. I cannot tell you how many of these my sister's and I made. Thanks for the blast from the past!!
There called christmad balls they my mom used to make them 30 yrs ago and hot glue gun with out glue in it to make holes un cups us faster and eaiser
I think you typed too FAST for your comment. I've just read it 5x and still can't understand. Even using Anagram format.
Artz Female His "mother used a hot glue gun, without glue in it, to make holes in the bottom of the cups". The tip of the glue gun is hot enough by itself to make a hole, and you don't have to use a drill, which is kind of an overkill.
NanaTexSB Did you notice how long it took to drill just one hole? I also was thinking using hot end of glue gun to just melt out the hole. Then I realized if I put a block in bottom and then drill it would have taken seconds.
Sammy Smith is and an
Hot glue guns don't put blobs in the bottom, it makes a little lip so if you put your light in it's hard to take out so you don't have to redo it if you did it wrong.
I think that is a great idea .
I love the one with clear lights but I think it might look even better if you bought the lights on white electrical cord instead of green.
Anyone noticed that those are ordinary chistmas lights with tungsten in this video, not LED's...?
aglegro yeah, I did too.
aglegro if they were tungsten then the whole thing would have melted down as tungsten only burns at a very high temperature - I think you meant to say that they are Incandescent bulbs.
Haha, nice video but it got way too cheesy with the clapping at the end!
oswm....loved it...it will help in festive decor...
Awesome!!! The 4 a great idea!!!👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
I really appreciate you sharing these instructions so clearly and well! I've wished to know how to make these for years, and now I have learned how from you-thanks!
Thanks for that! I always wondered how they are made. I tried making one without instructions some years ago, but failed.
Use lights with white wire. Looks better. I Prefer multi color lights and the smaller clear plastic Condiment cups.
These are beautiful. My grandmother made these years ago and they were my favorite to see at Christmas!
1Brenda Hyde
They all r wonderful,.....
I've made those. If you use a hot glue gun (A) You can burn the holes in the cups and it's faster and (B) you can get the lights to stay in their holes better by hitting them with the glue real quick.
frg
+domainjester Great idea :)
thank u guys for the great feedback! its fun easy and it looks awesome!
Is it okay if i use bigger cups??
Shabia Saeed yup
you need cops like his. arger en narrower is not possible. you have to use the same size
Usha Kulkarni
nice so good
I think I'll try painting the bottoms of the cups white so you can't see the cords.
Pythia Sibyls u don’t need to paint it & u can’t see the holes once it’s lighted at night. U can’t even tell/notice it’s made from plastic cups. I made one for xmas lantern. And, it’s so beautiful! Just sharing on my experience. Thx
Does this guy know its not led, but l.e.d. = light-emitting diode
I know right lol also, they're normal Christmas lights and not LEDs..
Anyway, cool idea
heh, nice vid. I have been making these for over 20 years. I find a soldering iron makes the holes easier and faster. with a little practice, you can get the spacing right to make 3 holes in the cup instead of 1. The last one I made used tri color leds that were battery powered. looks awesome hung up in the old oak tree for party lights. cheers.
that looks really effective
Wow! Very nice tutorial and very well explained. Thank you so much for this wonderful tutorial and for your sharing your talent with us. 😃
what size cups did you use I can only find what seems to be slightly bigger than what you used thanks
Solo 50 x 9oz Clear Plastic Cups. Ideal for Sparkle Ball. 50 Cups Per Pack.
wow awesome ideas
this is a great project, though you might try using lights with white wires, or possibly even something with glass fibres.
Would it not make more sense to turn the cups upside down and drill through the slats on the table? Would make it a lot quicker, and could probably do more than one cup at a time.
This does look good, but it didn't sparkle that much to me. Maybe add something like the shiny clear gift accent stuff (maybe it's cellophane, I don't know) to throw the light in a few other directions? Just a suggestion(:
Cool idea.
need to do 2 lights in each cup
Yes exactly my thought. I think that there should be a mirror or rhinestones at the bottom of the cups......
Exactly. You can't call it a sparkle ball if it looks like a dying light bulb.
LOOOOL
nice indeed, but afraid the plastic cups may melt?
I'm using LED lights and they don't get hot like the regular ones.
Oooohhh😑😑😜😜😜
Great video Gaspar! I tried to build one and it turned out to be 100 cups in size. Did you use standard staples or heavy duty staples?
he used heavy duty staples!!!
This is absolutely beautiful and so clearly explained!!! Thank you very much.
Really bad editing... Could have cut it into a minute..
great job...👍👍👍
hello gasper,i have trie 4 times to this lovely sparkle ball, but i cant get the round shape they just go in a curve , any idea what i am doing wrong please. lin
too many cups in the starter row?
One girl, 50 cups.
I am glad to see this
great idea but what is the music .does anyone know what the track playing is . it has a santana feel to it ???
Darude - Sandstorm
Cheers
Narritus That is not the song.
It's pronounced " L, E, D", not "lead".
Jon Hohensee fhkfr
Super I have done this in my clg competition I have got good response I get prize amazing
Can you tell me what size cups you used?
to much work,but is ugly,..i think is better if the cups are silver,will be much shinning :D
my grandmother makes these
Beautiful! Wish I seen this a month ago.
can we paint the plastic cups p.s your awesome
what is the cup size that you are using in this video
nice...... useful for diwali purpose.....😊😊😊😊
point of note, the cups must be 9oz. tumblers
Not bad. But too fast of a Video!
I would also staple all sides! Instead of 2 sides while there is 3-4 sides.
And also leave a tiny opening. Say the final 4 cups at the top. Just paper clip them together. In case something happens.
It would be nice to see a slow Step-By-Step Video on how to make this.
I'm confused on which way or if there is a row-by-row thing to install the Lights to the Cups.
because of u my friend i got prize in science exhibition thanks to u Friend
it's 2017, Jan. and I tried it but bought the wrong plastic cups. im return them and continue searching until I find the right ones so I can achieve your style, lol. it's very cute Happy New Year!
For the white light one, try and find the same clear lights but with white wires. They wont look as obvious in the ball.
Incredible!
reali nice butifull and amesing super 👌👌👌👍👍👍😃
what type of cups did you use
Wow..😍😍
Hook the guy awhile to drill through a plastic cup. He needed a new drill bit. LOL
That is an awesome DIY project.
Wouldn't the plastic melt?
Same question here. Christmas lights usually emit a lot of heat. So isn't this a fire hazard? Looks so pretty tho
leds dont put off any heat
Robby Baker These don't look like LEDs to me
or use metal rod heated from candle light to make holes.
I like the sparkle ball video. I was wondering what the 2 songs were on the video? The main song sounds kinda like Santana , and the second sounds like Groove Habit . Thanks
Thanks so much for the amazing tutorial. Our 2 grandchildren made this for their Mother for Christmas. It was a smash hit!!! This was a really neat, inexpensive craft for anyone to create! Thanks again!
what's the song's at the end title?
I wouldn't say it's the best video
Aaaaaahah...why dont u just melt the cup instead of using driller....
Wow!! I'm Loving this! I will definitely be making this Thank You😃
good idea.. recycle time
You have "simp" in your profile pic lol
Thanks, that was so awsome. You totally rock🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸
Very good but I would have put some lots of fire crackers inside the cups so when you light them , the ball jumps all over the house and scares everybody.. It would be a great way to get rid of unwanted relatives at Christmas and they will never return because they would be too worried!! :-)))))
MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You're totally mad... I love you! XXXX
vanila001 Love you too!! Are you going to try this?? xx :-)))
Chimpy Christmas I might do some day.... :)
awesome
It's not easy to find this cup Amazon is not selling this item:(
Yay!I made the Sparkle Ball. thx for the view :D
It's not led its said like el ee de js not trying to be rude tho
it is nice but...i dont have these things....😦😦
Can anyone tell me the name of the song in the background?
Very Important Point! Be sure to use Solo brand cups, not any store brand (even if they're 9 oz.). I learned this very important lesson after buying 160 of the store brand ---- which I then could not return because I thought I'd be so smart and drill the holes in all of them before I stapled them together!! What the heck am I going to do with 160 cups with holes in the bottom?! (That was rhetorical......)
Well I'm just watching this video because our teacher said that we have to make a sparkle ball so yeah ;) (I wrote this because most of the comments I saw was that they are doing it for their home)
Okay look, first off there is a way 100 times better than staples, glue, or drilling...are you listening? Get solo cups 9 ounce...not the tall ones but the short ones...they are wider and easier to work with. A 50 cup pack will do one ball. Get the multi function LED light string...I recommend the 100 multi color...but if you like white or whatever...that's up to you. Next...get a pencil style soldering gun...40 watt works best, but 30 watt will do...make sure it has the narrow pencil point. Heat that soldering gun up...we are melting-welding our cups together...no messy glue or awkward stapling required. Plus...those never hold together for long. Are you with me? Start with 2 cups...line them up...side by side...take the heated soldering gun and jab it through the bottom of one cup...and melting it into the other...it welds the two together...give it a few seconds...then move to the 3rd cup...do it the same way...welding it to the third. You get the idea...now make a complete circle by continuing to add cups...you always start with a circle of 12 cups...it will look similar to a wreath when all 12 are in place. Now...start adding the second layer...straddling your first layer all the way around...soldering each into place with the connecting cups...keep working your way up until the half circle is complete. Make another half exactly the same as the first...starting out with the 12 cup circle...and start filling it in with cups as well...EXCEPT...you MUST leave the last 3 or 4 cups out...in order to leave room for you to thread the lights into the cups. If you wish , you can thread the lights before the halves are joined...making it easier to get to...my hands are smaller...so I just go ahead and weld the 2 halves together...but remember...I left 3 or 4 cups out of one half...I then start with the string of lights from the end...and go to where the center cup of the completed half is...I start there...take the soldering tip in your right hand...with the lights in your left hand. Right hand is outside the ball with the soldering iron...left hand is inside the ball...make a small hole in the bottom of that first cup...then quickly pop a light from the backside through the hole...go to the next light and do the same in the same cup...you will have 2 lights per cup. Then work your way around in a circle either clockwise or counter clockwise...popping 2 lights in each cup...eventually you will have worked your way around all the cups...leaving you at the opening where the last cups will go...I usually go ahead and pop the last lights in the 3 or 4 remaining cups...BEFORE I weld them in place ...there may be a couple extra lights...just put 3 in a cup for the extras...just be careful not to melt your cord...otherwise you will have to start over. The multi function controller will be hanging from the bottom...along with the plug end. One thing...the little control box is NOT waterproof ...under a porch would be ok...you could even waterproof the control box and wiring going into it with plumbers goop or silicone. You don't have to use the multi function lights...but they do look amazing! Once you have assembled a few of these...you can do one complete in like 45 minutes or less. Well...there it is..you know the secret...this is the BEST way...trust me! Give it a try...let me know.
this is not fun and NOT easy. i have wrestled with it for days because my daughter wants one. how the hell he staples them so easily is beyond my comprehension. every time i try the cups move out of alignment and then i can't get a circle and then the 9 & 4 don't fit. IT SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and i give up. i'll just buy my daughter one or two this christmas and keep my sanity thank you very much
ok, and why should i spend a week on building that again?
One question. .. how do you replace burnt out bulbs in it over the years??
can it be 1oz cups or do it have to be a 9oz
Does anybody know what the song on the video is?
DIY video, good. Late 70's porno music, bad.
What is the size of the cups?
My stapler doesn't work
Nice idea and a pretty finished article. Would look better if you used a set of lights with either white or clear cable. Dark green looks a bit ugly through the clear cups :-)
Very very nice I like you I like this🌹😻
I tried making one it was a disaster. I couldn’t get the first ring to connect properly. I think my cup size wasn’t right.
'
that coooool...
how many plastic cups in one ball globe