Wedding Inspiration ~ Tissue Paper Napkin Rings

With our wedding fast approaching (October 8, 2011), I have decided to kick my preparations into high gear. I am doing a lot of my own decor to save on money. I knew since the start that I wanted to splurge on cloth napkins. They really complete the look that I have in my mind. I will admit, I was a little hesitant about spending close to $200 on napkins but I had come to terms with it. One day, while on CraigsList, I found a woman that was selling the ones she purchased for her wedding that were still in the packaging! Turns out she didn't want Ivory napkins, so after a few emails, I was able to get 275 cloth napkins for $50 including shipping. That's roughly .18 cents a napkin! With a deal like that, I couldn't resist.

My original plan was to go with a colored napkin so now my task is finding a way to spruce up the ivory a bit. After some research, I found the perfect way to do this. I'm going to be making tissue paper pom napkin rings! They are very easy to make and I think they really look great!

Here's what you need:
~Tissue Paper
~Scissors
~Floral Wire (I used white, cloth wrapped floral wire from Michaels)

The first thing you're going to want to do is cut 4 pieces of tissue paper in approximately a 10"x5" rectangle. Then, stack the 4 pieces on top of eachother. They don't need to be cut perfectly or line up exactly, it will work out just fine if they are off a bit.

After you have your 4 pieces, you want to fold the paper, accordian style going the 10" way down the paper. I like my folds to be about 1/2 inch, it makes it easier when you're fluffing the flower. Fold the paper back and forth until your at the end.

Once you reach the end, fold the accordian in half, this is where you'll put the floral wire. I use about a 6" piece for the small poms, I fold it over the accordian and twist at the base to form a secure hold on the paper.

Once you've attached the floral wire, you want to trim the ends of the tissue paper. You can do a rounded edge, a square edge or even a pointed edge. Each type of end creates a different look for your flower. I prefer the rounded edge look. Try to cut of the same amount on each end so the sides of your flower aren't off.

After you've cut the ends, you fluff! There are different ways to do this but I like going one layer at a time starting at the top layer. I pull the layer up towards the center on one half. Then, I go to the next layer of that half and so on until all 4 layers are seperated. Then I go to the other half of the accordian and do the same. After all of the layers are seperated throughout you can tweak the fluffing. Sometimes the edges get folded over or bent, just tweak it to your liking.

It's that simple! In my case, I will repeat these steps about 250 times! When I put it into numbers like that, it's kind of scary. Ha-Ha. Have a great day! :)