Creative Mama: Tissue Pom-Pom Love

It was a Thursday night right before my youngest sister-in-law's baby shower. I had a beautiful tutorial on Martha Stewart for tissue paper luminaries and a stack of tissue paper in front of me that was refusing to turn into pom-poms. They kept crumpling, and so did my confidence. Finally I happened upon some happy discoveries that helped them start to look like pom-poms, not wilted flowers.

• I made them with more paper than the tutorial called for- twelve to fifteen sheets- and they instantly became more fuller. It might have something to do with the dollar store tissue paper I was using- maybe you can get by with only eight sheets if you're buying yours at a craft s. But if they're not filling out how you would like, definitely try adding more sheets.
• I didn't try to cut through the whole stack at once when curving the ends. I cut through about half of the stack, then carefully worked on the other side. This helped me to control the curve much better and was easier for my scissors too. 
• I unfolded one side at a time- completely finishing that side before moving onto the other side. They unfolded much better this way, and I was able to adjust them afterwards. 

Storing them was a little bit tricky, with curious little fingers about and their tendency to get crushed under their own weight. I put them out-of-the-way (on our old front porch) and handled them as little as possible. When it came time to transport them I carefully nestled them in a large moving box, which we had plenty of (smile). Definitely make them as close to party-time as you can get away with. 

For displaying, we stuck a few into the corners of a door (my older sister-in-law's great idea) and hung the rest over the beverage table- see the top photo. They were a cute way to add a "pom" of color- get it?- for less than a dollar each. They come together quickly too, once you get the hang of them. 

Here's a peek at the rest of the decorations, and a sleeping (non-posed!) little girl. I tried to wake her up and move her, but she said, "No Mama, I'm comfortable." Luckily she woke up in the time to join most of the festivities. She's not one to miss a party, especially when there's presents and cake!

Helpful Tip: If your tissue paper starts to get too crumpled by your practicing, you can iron it flat again. Choose a low, no-steam setting iron setting, then iron on a ironing board using small smooth strokes. This is also an easy way to make crumpled tissue look great for re-gifting.

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