I dearly love ric rac, and this project turns it into cute little stars which bedeck a decoration for your tree. I started with a styrofoam ball, painted with a couple coats of acrylic craft paint.

To make five-pointed ric rac stars, you'll need a piece of ric rac like this one. Take a look at the little peaks in the ric rac. There are six of them in this piece. Cut yours just like this.

Fold this piece in half, matching up the peaks and valleys in the ric rac.

Now, thread up a sewing needle. Sew a seam of tiny stitches across the ric rac. See how I began at the bottom of the peak and sewed toward the top? That's exactly how to do it -- the direction you've sewn will become important in a minute. Oh, and at the end of your little seam, do not tie off or cut your thread.

Also, a little note here. I'm using contrasting thread for better visibility. You'll want to use matching thread.

Now, open your ric rac out into a circle, like this.

With the thread still attached to the end of your first little seam, now take your needle and make a tiny stitch in the next peak of the ric rac. The thread will string itself between the two peaks, which is exactly what you want.

Keep going, taking a tiny stitch at each peak in the ric rac. Work your way all the way back around to your original seam.

. . . And when you get there, pass your needle back through, as shown here.

Now, pull your thread tight. This will gather the ric rac up.

Take one last stitch through your original seam, as shown. Go ahead and tie off your thread here, and cut it.

You may also want to trim the seam-allowance of your original seam a bit. It should be about 1/4" or so.

Flip your ric rac star over to the front. It won't look much like a star at first . . . .

. . . Until you start poking your index finger into each of the points from behind. This will flip the point so it faces upward. Work your way around and do the same to all five points.

When you're done, you'll have a perfect little star!

You can attach the stars to your styrofoam ball simply by sticking a glass-head pin through the center. Stick them on in any pattern you like.

You can make a little hanger the same way. Just cut a length of ric rac, form it into a circle, and stick a pin through the spot where the two ends overlap. And you're done!

Keep in mind, you can also sew these ric rac stars to any fabric project, and even stitch a little bead or sequin in the center. And you can experiment with longer pieces of ric rac, so you end up with six, seven, or more points. Too much fun!