On The Pom Pom Bandwagon

To celebrate the first day of summer I decided not to tackle the cleaning and made these pom poms instead. Technically, the tissue paper was part of the clutter on my studio desk so we'll say I was cleaning. While doing this I was also avoiding the laundry and there is no way to justify this helping me cycle through that pile.

I bought this huge pack of multi-colored tissue paper at Hobby Lobby a few months ago thinking I'd use it for a spring garland and various art journal projects. I love the weight of this tissue paper. It's tough but still slightly see through. It also comes in the most beautiful shades that allow for my favorite color schemes.

In case you don't have one of the hundred pom pom tutorials out there bookmarked, here's how I made mine.

Gather five or seven or nine (must be an odd number to get this look) pieces of tissue paper in two monochromatic shades (pinks & yellows, greens & blues) that compliment each other and cut them three times as long as they are wide. You'll also need some twine or embroidery thread.

With your papers stacked, fold them into a fan like so.

Don't fold them the other way or you'll get a wonky pom pom.

Trim off the ends at an angle for a petal effect.

Tie it together in the middle with your knot and extra string on the edge of the color you want at the top. I wanted yellow at the top of mine.

Fan out and pinch around the knotted area in between the folds to help it stay fanned.

Very gently, start peeling your layers down. Do them one side at a time so it all looks even when you're done.

Your middle layer should stick out in the center but you can peel it to the top or bottom a little here and there to make it look a little more like a flower.

I ran out of tissue paper before I could fill my room with them so I just have three but they are doing a find job of making me happy when I pass them and are a great reminder that summer has only just begun.

xoxo,
Rachel