DIY Tissue Paper & Tulle Topiary

Mr. Juggling Act's sister is getting married!  (Ok, so by the time I get around to finishing this post, she'll be an old married woman....)

Since he and I have been together for nearly two decades now (we met when we were twelve!), she's like my little sister.  When it came time for her shower, I knew I wanted to make a few special things.

I also made these for Olivia's birthday party.  They a little addicting, actually!

This tissue paper and tulle topiary takes the traditional pom poms to the next level and coordinated with the wedding colors.  I just love how it came out.  Here's how to make your own:

DIY Tissue Paper & Tulle Topiary

Materials:
Container
Styrofoam block
paper straw or dowel
ribbon
tissue paper
tulle
hot glue gun and glue
floral wire

Instructions:

Glue the Styrofoam to the inside of your container and set aside.

Cut eight sheets of tissue paper into a square - mine were about 10x10.  Next make a 1-inch (See the Martha Stewart tutorial with photos here).  Now make a 1-½ inch fold and continue back and forth in an accordion style, creasing as you go.

Next, fold the tissue paper in half to bring the two ends together. In the middle, secure it with a piece of floral wire (dental floss also works really well!  Bring the ends together and snip them so that they are rounded.

Gently pull the layers away from the center, fluffing as you go. Take care not to rip the tissue paper - this part is time consuming, so just go slowly.

Next, cut 3x3 inch pieces of tulle and fold to make a triangle. Continue folding about five times, then snip the ends in a rounded manner and fluff out the tulle.

Using hot glue, carefully attach the tulle in between the layers of tissue paper.  Be very careful because it's so easy to for the hot glue to seep through the tiny holes in the tulle and burn your fingers!

On Olivia's (pink one above), I glued in some Minnie Mouse ribbon loops in the middle of the tulle, which I thought looked really cute and helped pull the theme through more.

Glue a paper straw or dowel to the center of the puff.  Once the glue is set, carefully glue the other end to the Styrofoam, taking care not to use too much glue (the hot glue melts the Styrofoam).

Finally, add a few more of the tulle puffs in the container to hide the Styrofoam block, and add a cute ribbon to the paper straw or dowel.

Check out these great party recipes: