How to Make a Tissue Paper Pom Pom Flower Accent

I definitely cannot claim the tissue paper pom pom idea as my own (I think perhaps that title maybe goes to Martha Stewart), BUT I haven't seen anyone customize one yet to make it as an embellishment.

I made some pom poms recently for a luncheon, and added them on my napkin rings. It got my wheels turning on how I could make them for my cards, altered items, and layouts.

Start by figuring out how big you want it to be. I wanted mine about 2 inches wide (or so), so I cut 6 pieces of tissue paper into 3" x 6" pom poms. (You need to make it a little bit more on the sides because you will trim it in a bit.)

Stack the pieces of tissue on top of each other.
Accordian fold them.
And squish the accordian folds down. I discovered that cutting two notches out of the center helps for the next step.
Wrap some skinny thread or ribbon around the middle (I used crochet thread). Tie it tightly and trim off the ends.
Trim the sides; I did large, rounded "petals;" you can also make them pointy or use decorative edged scissors. Experiment for different looks!


Gently pull apart the layers on each side of the flower and fluff them around until it's to your liking. I wanted to put something in the middle of my flower, so I squished it down...

Like so.
This makes such a pretty accent for a card! They are rather bumpy, as you can see, so you may need to "squish it" more if you want to put it in an album. I think these would be so pretty on something altered as well!
Try using different colors & patterns of tissue in the same flower, or white tissue and then spritzing the edges with Maya Mist. I love that they are such a fast & easy way to make a truly unique embellishment. There are definitely lots of possibilities with these- and you'll be seeing more of them on my projects for sure!