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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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Crepe Paper Tutorials

Crepe and tissue paper decoration detail

I need some Spring color!  Enter: an array of tissue and crepe paper garlands, tassels, and streamers. For a list of crepe paper tutorials on how to make each and every item shown scroll on down!  Instead of making the regular ho-hum mantel display I thought I would give my entryway some Spring umph.  As an added bonus I set up an area to take some pictures of the kids,using the decorations as a photo backdrop.

Crepe and tissue paper decorations
You’ll note that none of the kids are actually sitting nicely enough for pictures. So I used myself.  Yeah I am really that pale.

Crepe and tissue paper is inexpensive and can be turned into garlands, tassels, streamers, puffs.  Basically it is some versatile shiznit if you want some cheap and fancy looking decorations.  I really wanted a mix of textures and colors.  You can see a bit of the variety in this detail shot.  After making them all, I hung them from some lightweight command hooks.  Easiest thing to make a temporary display, plus crepe paper is so lightweight it takes nothing to hang them.

Crepe Paper Tutorials

 

Since I basically had a love affair with tissue and crepe paper I have a ton of tutorials to offer:

Crepe Paper Tutorials

In the mean time check out some of the details:

Crepe and tissue paper decoration detail

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