How to make paper floofs for your party.

I've been meaning to tell you how to make these fabulous tissue paper poofs we used at the Mighty Haus Party at Blogher since I made them last year for our Take This House And Shove It Party.

I first came across them at a party Jordan Ferney threw, look here. Then I realized she throws the world's best parties, please see the Kirtsy/All Top party if you need convincing. So I started a bookmark file where I collect her ideas to use at our parties. Which, while not original, is okay since I'm freely admitting to taking inspiration. It would only be really weird if our social circles mixed together and all her guests were like, "Mustaches? I know a girl in Michigan who does that....."

Anyway here's a tutorial for making your own big tissue paper poof balls.

You'll need 20x30 standard tissue paper, wire,  scissors and fishing line to hang your poofs when you're done.

You can do these in several colors or stick with one, I think it looks lovely either way. For Logan's birthday I used orange because I ordered about 400 sheets of tissue paper to make the poofs for the Mighty Haus launch. That is, in case you're wondering, a metric shit ton of tissue paper. So orange it is! Well was! And if we have another party anytime soon, guess what? Orange!

I use 8-10 sheets of paper stacked nice and neat. Fold the paper like an accordian or a fan making the folds about 1-2 inches wide.

When you've folded the entire sheet, find the middle of the strip, take a piece of wire (about 4-6 inches long) and wrap it around the middle of your tissue strip twisting it and making a loop (to hang your fishing line from after you fluff the thing up).

Now cut the ends. You can do a scalloped edge or a pointy end that I prefer.

Open the strip like a fan and start opening the paper on one side of the wire, gently pulling apart the layers (I open half on each side to keep them rounded.) To keep your poofs from becoming half pom-poms, make sure you pull the first layers of the poofs up toward the middle as much as possible. It will make it easier to make them round later.

Continue pulling apart until you have one half of the poof open. Flip to the other side, fan it out and repeat the process.

Sierra Nevada is optional.

When you're done find the wire loop you made and give it a little shake like a cheerleader. Even though you were never a cheerleader and didn't want to be. This will make them poofy.

I am very particular about how my poofs are fluffed so I have to do them myself. It takes a little trial and error but you'll come up with the way that's easiest for you to do it.

Good luck!

Comments

[Desiree Fawn]

Ah! I LOVE these!
I will definitely have to make some for our house warming party in December -- OH! And my baby shower in Sept!
Merci!!

[Elizabeth]

I made them for a baby shower and they were perfect, everyone loved them, and then the moms used a few of them as a mobile after the baby was born - she loves staring at them...
Here's a pic of the shower...
http://flickr.com/photos/e_and_e/2467792945/

[amy]

yay! gorgeous. I am glad you found yr staches!

[sarah]

We used the smaller versions of these as centerpieces for our wedding reception, and everyone was wearing them in their hair as the night went on! Three small flowers fit perfectly in a votive holder. My mother & 6 year old brother used mod podge to cover the glass votive holders (plain glass, in different shapes, 50 cents each at Pier One) with tissue paper to coordinate. Festive, frugal & un-fussy!

[Melanie]

I absolutely love these in orange. I made one frillion floofs for my SIL's wedding last October, so I have in floof detox. These pictures, however, have sort re-awakened my will to floof.

[Tiffany]

I made these for my wedding reception! I was floofing the morning of while I was getting my hair done. I hated those things by the time I was finished, but I absolutely LOVED the finished effect, and they were a big hit with everyone else!

[DR]

Fond memories...different name. We just called them tissue flowers. In the late 60's we used them on homecoming floats when we weren't stuffing chicken wire with tissue. Our name originated from first making them from kleenex. In the 70's we used them as flowers for the hippie movement decor in our rooms. Good to see they are still being made... Great art project for kids, too. Fold a fan and then separate the layers. Also, a big hit in our day was lightly spraying with cologne and using thin dowel rods as stems.

[Allison]

Love em.... We made 280 of these in 4 shades of pink for my sister's wedding reception in January. Lots of work... but TONS of impact for a small amount of cash! We just loved to hear people tell us at the party "We've never seen ANYTHING like this done before!". Such satisfaction.

[SY]

Love these, but as the mother of two boys is this too girlie for a 5 year old's bday party? I'll use his favorite colors of green, yellow and orange...

[Barb]

We used to make these using Kleenex. They were popular in the '70's for decorating the cars in a wedding party. Tissue paper is so much classier! I'll have to bookmark this for future reference.

[Calee]

These are great! I'm always so envious of your party decorations....

[Mom, Ink.]

Oooooo, how purty! (She said as she bookmarked this post for her next party.)

Last time I needed fishing line for a craft project, I asked hubby to borrow some. Barring a coherent response, I helped myself to a yard or two from the first spool I found. Which turned out to be his uber expensive fly line. He now hops to it whenever I ask to borrow supplies.

[Ninotchka]

Those are great! Thanks for the how-to.

[Jordan]

Thanks Melissa!

It was so nice to meet you. Thank you for the compliment and the link. So nice.

[Velma]

I've made huge variations on these for my daughter's room for her "fairy" room. Her dormered ceiling is covered with about 7 of the "giant flowers", with green pool noodles for stems. She loves 'em!

[Leeann]

I love the floofs! I will totally make these for the party I am having in September. Oh, and IMO, Sierra Nevada is NOT optional.

[april]

These are fabulous and you are fabulous. Feel free to come down to Asheville NC and fluff some poufs with me for my next party.
P.S. Beer not optional but mandatory.
Cheers!

[Kia]

Those are incredibly simple and yet really cool! Love it. Thanks for the tutorial!!

Oh, and psstt... I heard orange is going to be THE hot colour for Christmas this year.

Yeah, I lie sometimes. But it could happen.

[janey]

Gorgeous!

[Dana]

I LOVE these!!!! And, I remember making them in grade school art class in the late seventies. Thanks for the reminder. I am going to make them with my three year old!

[Astrogirl]

I love several things about this:

1. These look amazing and classy and very retro, in a moderny kind of way. You know what I mean.
2. These can be used for everything from baby showers to weddings to kids' birthday parties, as evidenced by the comments above. And they don't cost a ton.
3. It's fun to shock innocent bystanders with the following remark to your friend, as you stand in line at the grocery store: "Yeh, the hubby and I spent 4 hours floofing last night, my hands are so sore!" Heh.

[Monkey loves Kitten]

Sierra Nevada is NEVER optional. ; 0 )

[Danielle]

What a great idea! I can totally relate to the long days of summer and looking for something to do with the kiddos. By the time I get home from work, my son is "ready to do something not boring" in a big way... Luckily, spend a good chunk of my day editing cool project ideas for kids, so I can bring them home and pretend I made them up. Makes me look really smart with my five-year-old ;) But definitely have to put these floofs in the rotation!

[Jennifer Knox]

I love these! So retro and cheap! We used to make these in elementary school, and I had completely forgotten about them! I have a First birthday coming up and will make these as decorations! And orange rocks, by the way...I totally agree with ya on that one!

[janey]

Gorgeous!

[lindasands]

The large ones are gorgeous! I also go for the pointy edges, but I wonder if that's anti-fluffer mentality, because those domed scalloped edges.. well...

[JennyM]

These are so pretty! Can anyone vouch for their retaining their floofiness outdoors in 80%+ humidity? I'd hate to have wilted floofs....

[Bonnie]

I love those. I want to have a party just so i can make them. :)

[Kerblotto]

Are they flammable?

[sharon]

what a great idea! love your floofs? any suggestions as to how i cna hang it from my ceilings without having to drill holes/use nails? don't want to damage my ceiling. will tape hold them up?

[misty]

Yes you can tie the fishing line around a push pin and use them that way. We Had these for my neice's party and used pins to attatch them to the ceiling.

[a.h assan]

ahhhhhhhhhhhhh i cant blieve i made them if you make them smaller you can put a clip through it to make it a clip eepppppppppppppppppp

[Deltrice]

Beautiful!

blaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

do u think they would suit a hell themed party?

[Jazzy]

I make these with my Girl Scouts all the time, they are beautiful and you can do so much with them by just changing the shape, edging and/or size.

[cjsavvy]

Great post. Just what I needed to impress my couple of nieces.

[Michelle]

This is great! I'm planning a party soon and I will definitely use these.

[sasha]

What a great idea!!!
I am having an Audrey Hepburn's "Breakfast At Tiffany's" inspired cocktail party for my 30th Birthday and these will be excellent decorations!! They have that retro look that I want, and they are nice and easy (and cheap!) to mass produce!!!
Thank you!

[Jennifer Yarbrough]

These are going to be great for a bridal shower I am throwing for a friend. The theme is orange and chocolate!