Baby C's Nursery: DIY Project #1

 Ever since I can remember, I've always made home-made cards for people--thank you notes, birthday cards, anniversary cards, etc. It's gotten to the point where everyone knows that's my M.O. and I'd almost rather skip the card altogether if I don't have time to make it myself.

SO being such a crafty gal...I really feel like I should (and I WANT to!) have as much homemade decor in the baby girl's (Baby C...and sorry folks, the "C" is for the first letter of my last name--NOT a hint to her first name!) nursery.  Not to mention, it will save us a lot of moola.  AND make her room one of a kind!

Project #1 was inspired by a photo I found when skimming nurseries on Ohdeeoh.

I love the tissue paper pom poms hanging from the ceiling--they add another level of interest to the room (a fun carpet on the floor... cute pictures and shelves on the walls....but why not give some attention to the ceiling?).

My first real task was deciding on a color scheme for the room.  I'm not really a pink person (I don't mind the color--I do wear pink and I'm sure the baby girl will have plenty pink outfits in her wardrobe--it's just not my absolute favorite) so I chose purple, aqua and yellow.  My nursery theme is garden-ish--flowers, bunnies, frogs, butterflies, etc.  So I'm calling the pom poms "flowers."

Next, I found a similar project online that was for tissue paper flower napkin rings/embellishments and simply did it on a larger scale.  Here's how:

1.  You'll need 8 sheets of tissue paper (if you're not buying in bulk, most packs of solid colors actually have 8 sheets per pack, which is nice).  Unfold and line up all the edges.

2.  On the SHORTER edge (I tried using the longer edge for my first attempt--because the creases were already there...but it ends up being too long and floppy) do an accordion fold.

3.  Smooth out your folds so the creases are nice and crisp.

4.  Cut each corner (you can cut to a round end or make into a point...the point is a little easier : ) 

5.  Make your cuts on both ends of the tissue paper stack.

6.  Fold stack in half, to mark the middle.

7.  Use about a 4 inch piece of wire (floral wire would work best--I didn't have any so I scrounged around the house and found an old piece of ribbon with wire edges and just cut the wire off the ribbon) and twist around the middle.

8. Fan out the stack of paper a bit.

9.  Begin pulling individual sheets up (be VERY careful!  I tore quite a few on my first try...).

10.  Pull from each end and begin to shape the flower/pom pom.

11.  After half are pulled, turn over and pull from the other side.

12.  Mess with it a bit until you get the shape you want.

Voila!  A lovely, inexpensive, eye-catching addition to your baby's nursery!  Loop some string or invisible fishing line around the wire in the middle and hang from the ceiling.  Mine will probably go in a corner, all hanging at different lengths.

Stay tuned for more DIY's!  Happy Labor Day Weekend.

xo

Jayme