Tissue Poms

Tissue poms are a great way to add fun, color & whimsy to your party (or even a bedroom, nursery or playroom). They are easy & affordable to make. No need to buy them, they are really easy to make & take only a couple of minutes each. I even have had my 6 year old make them! Martha Stewart has a great tutorial here. I have found that pipe cleaners work better than wire, as wire can tend to rip the tissue (maybe because I use dollar store tissue!). I usually buy my tissue at the dollar store! You can make numerous poms out of a $1 pack of tissue. They even work with used/old tissue, just flatten it out a bit. Cutting the ends differently creates different effects. You can even make little ones for garland, napkin rings, whimsical flowers, etc.

Clothes Pin Doll Cake Toppers & Tutorial

I love the darling clothes pin cake toppers that I came across some a few months ago on Etsy & decided to make the one pictured above for Abby's 6th birthday (back in December, still need to get the pics up, our camera was on a weird setting so I don't have many great pics-bummer!). Granted I decided to make hers the day before & had to improvise as I couldn't find the proper "head", but I think it all worked out, yes her dress is a bit wrinkled but hey we all have a wrinkled day every now & then!

I scrounged up things around my house. I used a thread spool for the cupcake base and wrapped it with a ribbon scrap. I topped the cupcake with pink painted fiberfil (no we didn't light the candle, realized it was a complete fire hazard!). I also used the fiber fill for the snow & sprinkled on my favorite Martha Stewart glitter. I wrapped foil balls with small pieces of fabric to create the candies & used an old rubber stamp base for the gift. It was a really fun project to do with Abby & looked darling as the centerpiece of her sweet shoppe. Wouldn't this be a fun project for older girls at a doll themed party.

Want to make your own? Here is a great tutorial (could've used this when trying to figure out what to use for her head, I used a wooden bead, but she has a hole in her head!)

CLOTHES PIN DOLL TUTORIAL

Lots of other cute ones out there!

pictures via flickr

Spider Web Art

Spider web art is a great project for children and an affordable way to change up your Halloween decor.

The delicate and intricate geometric shapes of a spider's web can be preserved and enjoyed with only a few materials and a little practice.

Materials Needed

Sheet(s) of black paper or white paper (construction paper or heavier work best)
Can of hairspray or spray glue (to make your paper a bit tacky)
Can of white spray paint or black spray paint (on white paper)
Can of varnish or clear spray paint

First find a few spider webs. This should be relatively easy since spiders usually build a new one every day. The following procedure can be tricky and will need a bit of practice so it's good to find several webs. First make sure the web is not being used by its builder.

Gently spray your paper with spray glue or hair spray making it slightly tacky but not wet. Gently spray the web with the spray paint. Make sure the spray does not damage the web but only covers it with paint. You will have to act quickly since the spray dries quickly. The most difficult part is next and will usually require a bid of patience. Place the sprayed tacky piece of paper behind the web and gently bring it into contact with the web. Carefully cut the strands of the web. Finally to preserve the web, spray the paper with the attached web with a protective coat of varnish. Frame to preserve. Now you can display the interesting geometric patterns of your own spider web for months to come.