DIY: Pom Poms

Lets welcome Spring with big DIY pom pom flowers!

I have seen these large pom pom's on a lot of wedding blogs, and I was really curious as how to make them.  So I decided to look it up and make some to hang in my room.  Martha Stewart's website has step by step instructions, and I will repeat them on here for anyone interested in how to make them.  They are super cute and really easy! I think they would be great for any type of event: wedding, wedding shower, baby shower, birthday party, and more.  They would also be cute as home decor, like my roommate and I did by hanging them from our ceilings in our bedrooms.  Here's how!

What you'll need:
-Your desired color of tissue paper (could also be patterned)
-Scissors
-String (I used dental floss)
-White or clear thumb tacks

Step 1
Open the pack of tissue paper and unfold them to lay flat.  Depending on how thick you want your poms to be, you can use as little as 6 sheets or as much as 20.  I would recommend about 10 to 15 sheets.

Step 2
Fold the sheets of tissue paper in 1" folds accordion style. 

Step 3
Tie the string around the middle of the folded tissue paper.  Leave enough slack to hang the desired length.

Step 4
With the scissors, cut the ends of the tissue paper to make it either rounded or pointed. You can also cut several inches off of each end if you would like to make smaller poms. I have demonstrated rounded edges below:

And pointed will be demonstrated in the next picture.

Step 5
(This is a smaller, patterned, pointed pom demonstrated below.) 
Now begin to peal back the layers of tissue paper one at a time.  You will pull from the front and back to cover the entire area.  When one side is spread out, turn it over and do the same thing on the other side.

Once all the layers are separated, go around and fluff the layers to get the desired full look. 

Step 6
Tie the end of the string around the clear or white thumb tack and hang the pom from the ceiling or beam.

The finished product.

These are both larger poms (no length was cut from the tissue paper). The pink one has rounded edges and the blue one has pointed.

Let Jitters help you out by making these for your next wedding or event!

Patterned ones can be fun as well.  I found some striped paper and in the end it looked more like a pinata.  But I figured this could be a great decoration for a fiesta!
 

DIY: Fabric Flowers

Remember those handmade fabric flowers from Jordan and Molly's rehearsal dinner? They are easy to make! Here is how.

What you'll need:
Thin fabric of different colors. Tulle works well mixed in.
Scissors
Paper circle patterns of different sizes
buttons
needle and thread
candle

Step 1.
Cut out different sizes and colors of fabric.

Step 2.
Singe the edges of the fabric circles over a candle or lighter. Be careful, it can burn your fingers if you get too close, or catch the fabric on fire or melt it if it gets too close! You just want to make the edges of the fabric curl slightly.

Step 3.
Layer different sizes and colors of circles on top of one another. Place a button in the middle and sew them together through the center of the button. You can get creative and place several button in the center as well, or stack the buttons.

These can be made into pins to wear on sweaters, blouses, and dresses.





They can also be used in floral arrangements and centerpieces like we used them in the pictures below.



They can even be put on pins and worn in your hair, or you can put several together on a headband and wear them that way.

Hope you enjoy making some fun fabric flowers!