Christmas Kissing Ball

How to make an artificial Kissing Ball for Christmas. This classic Christmas decoration is made with faux greenery, red berries, and a red velvet bow. Hang this handmade craft from your ceiling, in your entryway, or on your front porch to add a festive pop of color to your holiday décor.

For years I’ve decorated our home in neutral Silver & Gold Christmas décor. It’s a theme I think will always fit with our home décor style and I’ve collected a lot of pieces for. In recent years I’ve been leaning towards more classic red and green Christmas decorations, like this Embroidery Hoop Wreath. Inspired by this recent love for nostalgic holiday décor, I created a DIY Kissing Ball with a red velvet bow.

This holiday craft reminds me of my childhood. My mother used to hang mistletoe above the entryway arch into our kitchen with a red velvet ribbon. It’s one of those little details that are just fun to add to your holiday decorations. With that memory in mind, I knew I wanted to make a faux kissing ball for the entrance to our kitchen. It’s an open arch that leads to our Christmas tree and adds just the right pop of Christmas red to our décor.

Christmas Kissing Ball DIY

Kissing balls can be hung from the ceiling, on your front porch, or a light fixture right in your entryway. During the holiday season, you may be able to find real kissing ball spheres made from fresh evergreen leaves at local tree farms or stores. However, this Christmas craft is made using artificial leaves that will last for years to come.

I found the artificial kissing ball at Michaels and used a variety of evergreen picks from local craft stores. A red ribbon was already attached for hanging, but this could easily be added with metal wire and hot glue. You will want to collect an assortment of greenery and berry picks to decorate the kissing ball. I used a mix of frosted greenery, holly, faux mistletoe, and berries. Gathering the picks in groups of 3 to create a cohesive look.

Kissing ball supplies

A faux evergreen kissing ball
10-15 small greenery and berry picks
Ribbon
Hot glue gun
Red velvet bow
Optional: holly, mistletoe, pine cones

How to make an artificial kissing ball for Christmas {VIDEO TUTORIAL}

Start by trimming the stems of the evergreen and holly picks to fit the kissing ball.
Add hot glue to the stems and separate the branches to nestle the pick in between. Tip: use the biggest picks first and work your way around. Fill in the gaps with smaller picks, using longer sprays to add dimension.
Decorate with red berries.
Add a red velvet bow to the top of the kissing ball.
Hang with ribbon to decorate the entryway or ceiling with your DIY kissing ball.

Kissing Ball Foam Sphere

If you’re unable to find a faux kissing ball at your local craft store, you can use a foam sphere to make a kissing ball.
You will need evergreen leaves and double the holiday picks to fill the sphere.
This method will require you to hot glue the picks directly into the foam sphere, continuing to work your way around until it’s completely covered.
Create a small loop and twist the ends of floral wire to stick at the top of the sphere. Loop your ribbon through to hang the kissing ball from the ceiling.