Pom Pom Tips (and other handmade party details)

Pom Pom Tips (and other handmade party details): "

I had lots of questions on the tissue pom poms in the last post. They are super easy - it's a Martha project! (and not one of those Martha projects where you wonder who in their right mind would ever try it.)

Having made dozens of them over the years, I feel like there are a few tips of the trade I can share with you:

• 8 pieces of tissue paper looks great in the small poms, but the larger ones actually need about 10 sheets to look nice and full

• Use smaller fan folds in the tissue paper - about an inch wide for the small size and no larger than 2 inches for the big ones (I try to fold mine at about an inch and a half)

• Make sure those folds are really creased! After folding the length of my tissue, I always go back and press the creases again with my fingers, making sure it gets through all the layers. The better the pom holds its crease when it is fluffed, the better it will look.

• Tie your length of string for hanging to your loop before fluffing the pom (so you don't have to dig for it later).

• Always fluff the poms from the center and resist touching the edges, and pull the layers apart one sheet at a time, one crease at a time. To get a good grip, I hold the pom on the crease directly behind the one I'm fluffing (hope that makes sense!)

• Fluff one side of the pom completely before moving on to the opposite side. This also means they will lay flat if you need to transport them. For my party, I fluffed one side of the poms at home, and then completed them on location. If you try to transport them fully fluffed, they are sure to get smashed.

• Hang immediately! :)

They look especially nice if you have a fan or air conditioner running in the room, making the poms spin slowly. It is mesmerizing!

A great place to buy tissue paper in bulk is Paper Mart. They have a nice variety of colors, and the price can't be beat.

We also made these gray table runners with sprinkled confetti to decorate the tables. I already had our color scheme picked out when I saw this post on The Crafts Dept. blog. Talk about perfect timing! I promptly ordered a roll of 12' bogus paper.

Instead of fringing the edges, we punched it (or rather, my friend Nancy punched it) with a scalloped edge paper punch. I'll be honest - it took her a long time. But it looked great!

I also made a trivia quiz game to put at each place setting, and the ladies filled it out during dinner. I got the idea from this baby shower featured at Hostess with the Mostess.

I have so many projects in progress right now, my head is spinning - another maternity refashion, a home decor project, and something for Oscar are all in the works. Not to mention the fact that his play kitchen has been on our deck, half finished, for almost two months. Oh, and there is that whole Easter holiday I should probably prepare for. :)

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