DIY Paper Pom-Poms

Just over a week ago my flat-mate and I had a joint party to celebrate our belated birthdays. I love preparing for a party almost more than the party itself, so I really enjoyed getting stuck into the decorations! 

The theme was described rather vaguely as 'Lana-del-Rey-meets-60s-Tropicana'... so I went down the route of summery pink and orange colours, pineapple and cheese on sticks, a banner of palm-trees on a sunset background, flower garlands and flamingos!

Flower Pom-Poms by day...

...and by night, with butterfly lights!
(You can also just about see my flower garlands in the background!)

I have seen lots of these pom-poms hanging up in shops and cafes ever since the party, and after so many of our guests were impressed by the home-made decorations, I thought I'd do a post about how I made them - they use up quite a lot of tissue paper, but I'd definitely make more for future parties, or even to brighten up the flat more permanently!

Instructions

I used between 17 and 20 sheets of tissue paper for each pom-pom - about 50cm x 70cm, or A3 size. You could make them with a single colour or a mix of similar shades of tissue paper.

1. Make sure your sheets of tissue paper are trimmed to about the same size, and stack the sheets neatly on top of each other. I used 3 shades of pink tissue paper for this pom-pom, interspersed through the pile.
2. Fold the tissue like a concertina all the way along the length of the sheets, in roughly 3cm sections.
3. Tie ribbon or string right around the middle of the 'fan' of tissue paper, and pull it tight enough to grip securely. Make sure to leave one end trailing long enough to hang up the finished pom-pom.
4. Using sharp scissors, round off the edges of the concertina of tissue paper, to create petal shapes - this step is optional, but I think it makes the poms look prettier and more like flowers.
5. Very gently pull a single sheet of tissue away from the folded stack of tissue. It may help to scrunch the bottom of the tissue slightly, to stiffen it and make it stand out away from the rest of the tissue stack. Be careful not to rip the tissue.
6. Do the same on the other side of the fan of tissue paper. Continue gently pulling and gently scrunching the sheets of tissue away from each other, until the tissue forms a ball shape.
7. Hang up the pom-pom using the long length of ribbon 

One pom-pom finished and ready for the flat party!

I also made flower garlands to hang along the walls, and I was really pleased with how they looked, considering how easy they were to do. I just cut out simple flower shapes from brightly coloured tissue paper and stapled them onto the paper ribbon at regular intervals, then used tacks to pin up them in loops along a bare wall. They looked so cheery and colourful!

Making very long flower garlands at home

My flat-mate also cut out these cute pink flamingos for the wall!

Maia x