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How to Make Elegant Tassels From Tissue Paper

Elegant Tissue Paper Tassels

I spotted some tissue paper, tasseled garland on Pinterest and immediately wanted to make some for myself.  It was pretty plain, just some twists hung together.  But something about the fluttery colored tissue looked so good.  I started thinking about how it would be nice to replicate the tassels but make them more elegant, more like a home decor tassel.  So I came up with a quick way to add a rounded portion to the middle.

Elegant Tissue Paper Tassels

 

Supplies

  • Tissue Paper
  • Scissors (Rotary cutter speeds this along)
  • Cotton
  • Wire (Only if you really need to reinforce the tissue)

Step 1

I wanted to make a number of tassels in different colors at once so I stacked various colors together and cut long strips about 1/4 to 1/2 inch (and frankly all sizes in between).

Cutting tissue paper to make tassels

Step 2

Take two strips of paper and twist them together to make a tiny tissue paper rope.  Then repeat.

Making tiny tissue paper ropes
Twist and Shout!

Step 3

Make two bundles with about half of your strips.  Twist the middle together.  Uh…  Take a look at what I am talking about here:

Somethings are easier to show than describe
Somethings are easier to show than describe

Step 4

Twist the two bundles together, curve them into a loop and tie with one of the tiny tissue paper ropes.  If you want added strength you can twist the two bundles around a wire, but I found they were pretty sturdy without it.

Creating the tassel top

 

Step 5

Take 1/3 of a cotton ball and roll it in your hands to make a tighter ball.  Gently separate the tissue paper pulling it back so you can get the cotton as close to the underside of the knot as possible.  Then pull the tissue around the cotton to cover it and secure with the second rope.  You can leave the rope ends or trim them off.  I also tended to straighten the bottom of my tassels after they are complete by trimming them a bit.

Creating the puff portion
Yeah, I consider the puff to add elegance. I mean we are discussing something made from tissue paper… how elegant can it get?

 

Notes

Pushing the bottom rope up gently will make the ball portion a bit more rounded.  You can get one tassel per half sheet of tissue paper.  Plus you can see the tassels in more detail at my Spring Garland Photo Wall post.

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This post was entered at Shabby Creek CottageSomewhat Simple, Craft-o-Maniac, & Today’s Creative Blog.  Visit there for more great DIY’s, crafts, and recipes.

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Simple Garland: Twisted Tissue Paper Puffs

Twisty tissue paper garland

Want to make a cheap, quick and easy garland?  Then enter tissue paper.  The green garland in the picture is the one we are going to learn how to make:

Twisty tissue paper garland
Okay, so technically there are two green garlands in this photo… Focus on the bright one.

 

Supplies

  • Tissue paper
  • Scissors

Step 1

Cut long thin strips out of the sheet of tissue paper.  I made mine around 2 inches in thickness.  Feel free to eyeball it, you are going to be twisting it anyway.  So no cutting judges will be out to check your work.

Cutting strips of tissue paper
Do as I say and not as I do. An astute observer might note I cute these on the shorter side. It still works but you have to attach a ton more pieces together.

Step 2

If you folded the paper because you are lazy to make the strips quicker to cut then unfold each piece until it is a single thickness.  Take one end and begin to twist the paper through your fingers.  Gross, but useful tip: If you lick your fingers the twist will take tighter.  I mean you could probably dampen them with a sponge, but really…

Strips of tissue paper
If there was ever an action shot. This is it. #sarcasm

Step 3

Every 6 inches or so leave a gap in the twist of about two inches.  This will make the puff part.  When you come to the end of the strip overlap another piece by about 1 to 2 inches and twist it in.  It will take a little planning as you near each end so a puff doesn’t occur right as you are trying to add another piece.

Twisting the garland
Overlap, pinch, and twist. That is all there is to it.

Notes

The tissue paper is light enough that the twist holds all the pieces together without glue or tape.  However, I wouldn’t try scaling any castle walls with it.  Also one piece of tissue paper makes 12-16 feet of length.  So this project is very inexpensive.  Also to see more details of the garland in action you can go to my Spring Garland Photo Wall post.

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Easy Crepe Paper Ruffles

Crepe Paper Ruffled Garland

There are thousands of how to’s and tutorials on making crepe paper ruffles.  But really it is easy to make this gathered garland.  Each tutorial out there offers many good tips, like gather foots, pleating etc.   But in reality if you can thread a sewing machine (or con someone into threading it for you) and press the foot you can get a ruffle.  You don’t really even need to be able to sew straight.  It is that easy.  Plus who isn’t thinking about feminine ruffles and dainty pink items on Valentine’s day?

So if you want to make these crepe garlands follow along:

Crepe Paper Ruffled Garland

 

Supplies

  • Crepe Paper Streamers
  • Thread
  • Sewing Machine
  • Wine/Beer/Mixed drink (Just a suggestion for most crafts)

Step 1

Grab some extra crepe paper streamers.  Especially if you have hand-dyed yours, use some extra at first because you will need to play with two settings on your machine.  One is the length of the stitch and the second the thread tension.  I set the length pretty long and the tension high.  When you get it right the paper will come out the back automatically ruffled as you sew.  The tension will also make your ruffles tighter or looser.  Just pick what you like.

Sewing Machine Settings
I bet this is the most exciting picture you have ever seen in a tutorial.

Step 2

Start the crepe paper a little past the presser foot.  You waste a little paper but it keeps it from getting stuck in the feeders.  Then “Sew, Sew like the wind” (Please tell me someone else is a fan of the Three Amigos).  The last picture demonstrates how to hold two different colors together and sew off the roll.  Doubling the crepe paper makes a thicker ruffle.  I like to mix a light and dark color together.  Yep, it really was that easy.

Creating crepe paper ruffles
Easy as 1, 2, 3.

Variations On The Theme

While, it is very easy to make these ruffled crepe paper garlands.  You still have the option of adding some variation to them.  Here are two different options Fringed Ruffle Garland and Twisty Ruffle Garland:

Fringed Ruffle Garland

Take the completed ruffle garland and fold it in half.  Make tons of tiny snips down each side making sure to leave the middle intact.  The ruffles will cause some little pieces to be snipped out but it adds an overall fluffiness to the crepe garland.  You can see the completed fringed garland in the first picture, the top one in pink.

Creating Crepe Ruffled Fringe
Yeah those are some awesome fringing scissors. If you are doing more than a few feet they are totally worth the $12 investment.

Twisty Ruffle Garland

Simply move the stitches back and forth as you sew.  This makes the garland automatically twist around when you hang it.

Twisty Crepe Ruffle
This is a good one to do if you happen to not be able to sew straight or you imbibed any of the wine listed in the above supplies.

 

See it really was easy.  No pulling threads or special presser feet.  Just crepe paper, wine, and someone to thread the dang machine.

Want to see what you can do with all this crepe paper?  Check out the inspiration for this tutorial in my Spring Garland Post.

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This post was submitted to 504 Main. Where you can find more create crafts, DIY, and recipes.

 

 

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How to Dye Crepe Paper

How to Dye Crepe Paper

I wanted to dye crepe paper streamers so I could get a whole variety of colors and variations in my decorations.  I love color but the brightly dyed store bought colors just weren’t enough for me.  However, pouring paint etc on the streamers tended to make a soggy-fugly mess.  It took me awhile to figure out a process for dying them that would keep the crepe texture.

How to Dye Crepe Paper
Colors! I love Colors!

 

Supplies:

  • White or Light Colored Crepe Paper
  • Dye– See the recipe here
  • Alcohol: 90% is best (If you want pastel)
  • Um yeah that’s it…  Sometimes crafts don’t require a lot of things.  But don’t mention it.  I’ll take any opportunity to take a trip to the craft store.

Step 1

Make rolls of the colors you want to create.  One large roll of crepe paper is around 150 ft.  I always divide mine into three.  And no it isn’t necessary to be as anal as myself and wrap it so neatly.  That just takes a special kind of crazy.  It will dye if the rolls are fairly tight.

Step 1 assemble rolls
Wow, I can’t believe how anal I am at re-rolling the crepe paper.

Step 2 (For Pastel Colors Only)

Remember this is for pastel colors only!  I repeat pastel only.  Soak each roll in plain alcohol to wet it.  Don’t drench it but go ahead and dampen the whole roll.

Step 2 Wet the Paper
So… you might want to consider covering your work area or putting these on a tray… I have a lovely 70’s counter top that you can see I care for a lot.

Step 3

Now the fun part!  Pour on the dye.  Soak that puppy!  I like to pour it in the middle, then flip it over and do the other side.  Now would be a good time to remember gloves so you don’t stain your hands…  Or just tell your friends it is the newest trend in finger dye.  If you aren’t going for pastel it will take more dye since the rolls aren’t wet to begin with.

Pouring DyeStep 4

This is the hard one!  Wait.  Yeah you have to let it dry.  You can squeeze a a little of the excess out, but gently.  If you squish the roll too much then you risk ruining the crepe texture.  I have been known to stick them on top of heating vents in the winter months…  Usually overnight the alcohol evaporates and you have a nice dry roll.

Final Notes

Here you can see the variation between a pre-soaked pastel crepe roll and direct dye crepe roll.  The paper itself will separate out some of the component dyes…  So in less technical terms: Orange is going to leave splotches of red and yellow.  But they are pretty splotches.

Hand Dyed Crepe Paper
So much prettier than store bought.

Want to see what you can do with all this crepe paper?  Check out the inspiration for this tutorial in my Spring Garland Post.

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This post was submitted to The Crafty Blog StalkerHouse of HepworthsSnippets of Inspiration, Sugar & Dots, Seven Thirty Three, & Craft-O-Maniac. Where you can find more create crafts, DIY, and recipes.

 

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How to Make Alcohol Inks

How to make alcohol inks

Making alcohol ink or dye from household items is super easy.  I use the alcohol ink to dye crepe paper for a nice vintage look.  Honestly this is so easy I almost think it is silly to have a how to article.  But since I am whipping these up all the time I thought I’d give you a quick run down.  You can also see my tutorial on how to make Walnut Alcohol Ink.

How to make alcohol inks
As McClain says: this tutorial is “Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy”

Supplies

  • Alcohol:  I like the high proof stuff myself ;) Joking aside, I use the 91% isopropyl alcohol if I can find it because it dries faster and for dying crepe paper changes the texture the least.
  • Glass jars: Plastic is fine but will tend to stain forever.  FOREVER.
  • Old/Cheap Markers OR Food Coloring:  I have tried a number of different pigments from watercolor to paint but they tend to not dissolve in a way that I found to fit my needs (in other words they made a craptastic mess)alcohol ink supplies

Step 1

Pour some alcohol in jars.  If using markers uncap and stick in alcohol let sit for about 30 minutes.  You can speed the process by stirring the marker around in the alcohol.  If using food coloring start with 1 to 2 drops of your color. If mixing colors you may need to add alcohol if you want a pastel color.

making alcohol ink
Only hard part here is waiting for the color to come out of the markers

Step 2

That’s it.  Color in alcohol = done.  Feel free to celebrate with a drink of ethyl alcohol (as known as spirituous liquor). Edit: apparently some people in the world don’t understand chemistry humor. So let’s clarify: isopropyl alcohol = baddy bad. Ethyl alcohol = tasty. Make sure to use common sense when having a whisky sour, glass of wine, or beer. Never drink & drive and always enjoy in moderation!

Notes

More markers per jar = a brighter dye.  The nice thing about using markers is that if you happen to have the washable type then it will not stain your hands.  However, you could just stop and put on some gloves like someone that has sense.

These alcohol based inks are perfect for dyeing paper products.  You can see these dyes in action on how to dye crepe paper without loosing the crepe texture. 

If you are looking for a way to make alcohol ink for use on plastic, metal, or glass SORRY!  I have tried so many formulas and none of them work quite as well as the commercial variety you can see here (warning an affiliate link ahead).  If I ever come up with it you will be the first to know!!!

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