Paper Pom Poms

I have two sisters, both scared of balloons, one incredibly so, therefore a room full of balloons and babies was a no-go for Millie's birthday. Instead I opted for paper pom poms, much more 'classy' and impossible to 'POP'!

I'm amazed (and a little annoyed) that I didn't discover these before our wedding because they are so easy to make and pretty cheap too. I made up for this previous lack of knowledge by going a little bit paper pom pom crazy.

You'll need:
8 sheets of tissue paper per pom pom (I used the big sheets you buy for wrapping and I got them from Amazon as they were cheapest)
Some wool (colour coordinated if you like but not necessary as you won't see it)
Good scissors
Invisible thread (for hanging)

Here's how:

1. Take your 8 sheets of paper and fold them in a concertina, approximately 5cm wide
2. Tie a piece of wool around the middle, not so tight that it bunches the paper but just enough to hold it together. Then shape the ends - see image below for different shapes and the effects.
3. Carefully fan out each side and begin to separate the pieces of tissue paper. This is quite delicate but don't worry if it tears a little as you won't be able to tell. Do four on each side, then turn over and do the rest.
4. Fully separate all the pieces of tissue and fluff about so they look full and you can't see any gaps or the centre wool.

Cutting the ends to different shapes in stage 2 gives your pom poms a different look...

 

Finally... display your pom poms! I made a rainbow (obviously) along my mantel and down our stairs. I also had some hanging from the washing line, although not for long as it started to rain!

 

 

Emily x