Monday 20 July 2015

How To Make Tissue Paper Pom Poms

Photographing older babies and children is always the perfect excuse to have fun with props and create a themed set.

One of the easiest props to make yourself are tissue paper pom-poms - you see them all over Pinterest - and they are so easy to make!

I'm even going to show you how you can dismantle them and store them flat at your studio ready for your next session (assuming they are not all covered in butter icing and cake!)


You will need

Sheets of tissue paper - at least 8 sheets per pom pom
Scissors
Paper clips
And cotton thread if you want to hang them from the ceiling or backdrop stand

 



Step One

Lay at least 8 sheets of tissue paper on top of each other and fold in a concertina.
You do not need to be terribly accurate




Step Two

Cut off the ends in a semi-circle shape.
Again, you do not need to be super accurate.




Step Three

Secure the middle with two paperclips.
(If you do not want to be able to dismantle your pom poms, you could wrap some florist wire around instead, but please be careful if using them around children)




Step Four

Separate each layer and fan out from the centre.
Try being gentle as the paper is so easily ripped at this point




Step Five

Keep fluffing out from the centre and you will end up with a ball!
If you want to hang your pom poms, wrap your thread round the paper clips in the middle.




Step Six

If you don't have space to store your pom poms, find the middle, take off the paper clips and straighten out the layers.
All ready for re-making and using next time!




Try using a different colour in every other layer for a different look





Don't be too mean with how many layers you use.
You need a minimum of 8 sheets to get a nice rounded ball.
Anything less and you end up with a sad and stingy pom pom.
The more sheets you use, the fluffier your pom pom

I used just 5 sheets of paper and got this pathetic looking pom pom


If you make any pom poms after reading my tutorial, I would love to see your images of them in use!  Post to my facebook page here 


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