Creative party decorations on a budget

Browsing around blog land, I often "oohh and ahhh" at the amazing party decorations that are showcased. Often filled with inspiration, I quickly determine that they will either take too much time or money to replicate, so I just think....someday, it will be my season.

Well, not so with this 'easy to make and even easier on the budget' example of fun and fabulous decor that even my two daughters could help make.

My sweet friend, Cynthia from An Accomplished Woman, shared what she did for her daughter's birthday and I squealed with delight. This was something that I could do, and better yet...I wouldn't even have to shoo away my little girlies.


I found tissue paper at Target, but then scored some more at the Dollar Store for 1/3 of the price. :)
Seriously, this whole project could be done for just two dollars. :)
Gotta love that!!
Here are the 'more than simple steps' to mastery.
Take eight sheets of paper, line them up and fold them accordion style.

Once folded, wrap a rubber band in the middle, but not too tightly. Thinking this would be a fool proof craft, I put my rubber band on too tight the first time and my pom pom ended up looking a bit like a dumbbell weight. :)
Once finished, round the ends to make a softer flower look (not pictured :).
Save the ends and use them later for additional decor.
Begin to separate the layers, and carefully pull each sheet out one at a time.
It was easy to have the girls help with this step as we sat on the floor together...bonding. ;)
As I completed one side and went to take the picture, I realized this would be an adorable centerpiece just like this. It makes a fairly large pompom, and the size can be altered based on the size of your tissue paper.
Take any kind of ribbon or raffia and tuck it into your rubber band as the hanger.

TA DAA!! I couldn't believe how fabulously they turned out. My hubby came down in the morning and commented, "Wow, this looks very professional."
Due to time constraints, I only did three large pompoms and hung them from our great room door opening.

Our ceiling is almost ten feet tall, so this gives you an idea of how large they were when finished.
I attempted to get a wide angle shot of all three, but I couldn't fit them all in.
They are still hanging up and I just don't want to take them down. They just make me happy. :)
If I had more time, I would have alternated and made some smaller ones as well to hang in between for a really dramatic flair.

I can't wait to use this for so many differing party occasions.

Look what I did with the left overs from the rounded edges? My daughters had fun sprinkling them all over (and I mean..ALL) over and I experimented with a tiny pom pom...such fun. :)

Enjoy these creative party ideas on a budget - I sure did.

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Has anyone else made these pom poms? Send me a pic and I'll add them to our "gallery."

Julie just sent me this picture from her friend's wedding. I had mentioned that I thought an "all white" theme for a bridal shower would be gorgeous.
They did a creative, casual twist by hanging the pom poms from a tree.
Look how fabulous this looks. :)


Stephanie showed me the adorable accents in her daughter's room. Check it out!


Kendra sent me this picture of the pompoms that she made for her daughter's birthday. I apologize for the quality. I couldn't get it uploaded correctly, but you get the idea of how cute they were. :)

And since I don't follow Martha Stewart nearly as much as I should, I totally missed this.

Thanks, readers, for letting me know. :)

See Martha's tutorial (but don't make it more difficult than it is)

Posted at Real Life Sarah

Kimba's DIY , Shabby Chic Cottage