DIY Décor: Paper Trimmings

I love to use old and new elements for entertaining décor, and I have a tendency to make a lot of trimmings year round from materials that we already have. There’s remnants of fabric, paper, etc. Hence, there’s usually not much that goes to waste with my home projects.

This week I will show you some very simple and stylish ways to incorporate trimming details, which is also perfect for the transitioning season into autumn (just swap out these colour combinations with your themed hues).

Lately, I’ve been reminiscing about creating 3-dimensional paper flower cards for family members — a childhood pastime. and one of many art projects that we learnt in school. These paper flowers and tassels that I created below are just two simple ways to spruce up any environment, in this case it was apart of an event that I recently decorated, so stay tuned.
You can really save a lot of money by making it yourself if you have the time. This is a basic formula to use for paper flowers and tassels, then you can get really complex the more that you create. For the tassels, I also made a few other versions using Mylar and metallic tissue paper for another project.

Materials: 

• 1 package of solid tissue paper, (cut in 10 cm x 20 cm strips)
• Crepe paper
• Scissors
• Jute twine, or yarn
• Ruler (optional)
• Sequins (optional)
• Stapler (optional)

Flowers: 

I used four to eight sheets of tissue paper since I made medium and large full flowers. *(Note: To start, you may cut the sheets in half to lessen the scale of the flower, or fold the sheets of stacked tissue paper in half twice). *My smallest flowers were cut at approx. 20 cm for length x 10 cm wide to start. Cutting your stacked sheets ahead makes it a lot easier.

1. Stack the four sheets of cut tissue paper on a flat surface.
2. Fold the paper in a fan-like style (accordion shape) approx. 6-8 folds. Make sure it’s as even as possible. As you fold, give each crease a firm press with your fingers.
3. Next, staple the centre of your tissue paper, or if you’re hanging your flowers, then make one small slit on each side at the centre of the folded tissue, and attach the string by tying knot, floral wire also works well. (see image)
4. To make petal edges, line up edges at centre and trim the edges of the tissue paper at a point. You can also make the edges rounded, etc.
5. Start slowly separating each layer of the tissue paper, forming a gathered bunch upward (this makes the flower). Using your fingers, pull each layer from the inside outward to fluff your flower. Adjust tissue paper for petal as desired. You can make them as large or small as you prefer. If you grab the bottoms of the flowers it gives you a more defined flower bottom.

I added silk stems and leaves to the bouquet as well. 

Tassels:  

Determine how short or long you want your tassels (don’t worry if you make them too long you can always cut them at the end). I made mine approx. 28 cm long. Crepe paper comes in varied widths. I used approx. 4 cm-5 cm width.

1.  Fold your preferred length of crepe paper in half (I used approx. 56 cm as my length then folded it in half = 28 cm). Repeat this step until you have 3 sheets of crepe paper.
2. Line each piece up folded on top of one another, and carefully start cutting crepe paper in even strips from bottom to the top, but leaving approx. 3 cm of crepe paper uncut. (*You may use a paper weight or small piece of tape if needed to hold in place as you cut).
3. Unfold each of the crepe sheets flattened, and lay them on top of each other. Next, start to roll the layered pieces together tightly along the uncut area (the centre) of the crepe paper.
4. Using your hands, twist the rolled piece tightly in opposite directions to form a loop. *I simply twisted the bottom of the loop closed, which works well if you have a firm hand, otherwise use tape or decorative adhesive trim to hold loop together. Repeat steps 1-4 to make other tassels.
5. Now add the tassels to your cut yarn or twine to hang, and enjoy the party.

That’s it, voila! It’s such a great way to give character to your décor, and add a bit of elegance and style. Stay tuned, you will see these in a feature coming up soon. I also made sequins tassels, and hand painted flowers.

What do you think of these paper trims?  

*See the fabulous tassel garland styled here.