This is a great project from last years 12 Day's of Christmas blog series. These are perfect to use as present toppers or decorations for your holiday - we couldn't leave this project out!
Here is a simple video tutorial showing you how to make the puffs:
Step One: Take 3 sheets of tissue, crease and cut it in half at the crease to create 6 smaller sheet. Stack the 6 sheets and accoridan fold them. Step Two: Fold the piece in half to create a crease so you know where the center is. Using scissors, cut the edges off in a rounded shape. Tie ribbon, string or fishing wire around the center where you made the crease. Step Three:Peel away each layer of tissue one sheet at a time to finish your puff ball ornament!These have a fun, whimsical look to them and the adorable candy cane striped tissue and blue snowflake pattern make them even more festive for the holidays!
A year ago we at Paper Zone decided that we wanted to interact with Paper Zone customers in a fun and creative way. Our goal was not to sell product, but to share ideas and foster inspiration. We had no idea how much fun we would have along the way!
When we started the blog, none of us had ever blogged before, and many of us are novice crafters so we thought "what can we teach anyone?". But when you have a love and enthusiasm for creating, and access to so much great stuff (from PZ of course!), ideas arise, inspiration occurs and I think some really great posts have emerged. We purposefully sign each post so that you know who the creator is and I am sure that you have a favorite or two in the mix. So, today I am going to introduce you to our blogging team and share with you their favorite post from the 1st year. Going back, you can see, we've come a long way baby!! Lauren. Lauren is our Marketing Manager and what I love about her posts is that she is great at bringing the unexpected: headbands, canvas gifts, etc. Lauren's posts show the real depth of what Paper Zone product has to offer. When asked which of her posts was her favorite, it was the most popular post OF ALL TIME, the tissue puffballs (aka Martha Stewart puff balls, pom poms). Lauren says she has even used these puff balls for her grandfathers birthday party. We have used them on numerous occasions (like Girlfest! above) and they never get old!
Christina. Christina is the Regional Manager of Paper Zone, overseeing the stores. She is our 'go to' person when it comes to crafting knowledge and she always has super cute ideas (and is the Fimo master). Being the mother of a 1 & 1/2 year old, I do not know how she finds the time to craft, but I am glad she does!! Her favorite post was her yellow and gray post demonstrating how easy it is to make your own wedding invitation. Christina says that she picked this post because it encompasses what she loves about Paper Zone: being able to help people on their most important days (weddings, birthdays, etc.) AND we cannot get enough of the yellow and gray color combo!!
Sandra. Sandra is our Replenishment Buyer, who makes sure all of our stores stay well stocked. She is the cardmaker of the bunch and always comes up with creative elements resulting in more than just a typical card. Her favorite post is the waterfall card. This is one of those creations that I'm thankful for You Tube for, because it was such a neat card to see. Sandra loves this card because it's versatile and the design can be used for any event, not just holidays.
Amanda. Amanda is our Merchandise Manager who is responsible for buying all the great stuff we have in our stores. Amanda's favorite post is also up with our top posts viewed by you: Glubers are Here! Having been with Amanda at CHA when she first saw the glubers, I know why she loves this post. It was like seeing a child's eyes light up on Christmas morning when she made her first rosette and proudly wore it during the show. You can't beat a product that makes crafting easy with results that are pretty darn cool.
Kim (me). I am the General Manager of Paper Zone, overseeing, well, everything and I am the most inexperienced crafter of the bunch. So, if I can make something, you know you can do it too!
I have to say that I really loved the 12 days of Christmas because we were a little nervous about trying to come up with so many ideas and, as usual, we had more than we could post. Plus I was able to trick my husband to pose with the paper hat in the "rat ring" post. Those holiday posts were about real sharing of real traditions and I loved it.
But my favorite post has to be my first attempt at quilling. I was so amazed that I was able to quill a flower and a dragonfly on the very first try I thought I stumbled upon the next great art. . .and I still feel that way!!
During the year we also had some posts by Tiffany, our Assistant Buyer who has since moved on and we will now be hearing from Malyse who brings a great scrapbooking background to the mix. We also have had great contributions from the stores and we hope to have even more in the coming year.
We remain committed to providing at least 3 great posts a week with creative project ideas, interesting techniques, sharing other blogs we love, and of course presenting all of the new and wonderful product in our stores. Please tell US what YOU love about the PZ blog!!
Stay tuned for the announcement of the winner of the $20 Gift Card!!!
Merry Christmas Everyone! I hope you enjoyed our "12 days of Christmas" blogging as much as we enjoyed sharing our projects and ideas. There were so many creative posts, I decided to share the Top 10 since the start of the holiday season, based upon pageviews and number of comments. So, starting with number ten, counting down to our most popular post. . .
10. Tissue Puff Balls - Great for any special event, our tissue puff balls or "pom poms" have always been a big hit. The candy cane tissue made a nice holiday touch (thanks Portland PZ!). 9. Paper Ball Ornament - Christina's candy cane inspired creation set the bar high for inspired paper ornaments. Love these!
8. Waterfall Card - A-M-A-Z-I-N-G This is a must watch video displaying Sandra's unique cardmaking skills.
7. The Geoball Ornament - Since posting this ornament I've been told that it is a popular idea to make these out of recycled holiday cards. So don't throw out your cards this year and start your crafting now!
5. Holiday Crafters' Challenge Winner - Sarah's recipe book & stand was nothing short of creative genius. All I can say about this is wow, wow, wow!
4. Origami Gift Wrap - Jill in Bellevue used Amanda's tutorial to create this adorable stack of gifts. This packaging is almost as good as the gift!
3. Fimo Ornaments - Christina created some super adorable ornaments using Fimo clay. We all want a cup of that cocoa on our tree!!
2. Rat Ring - While I was posting about the delight of Christmas Crackers - the rat ring took center stage. I hope this post inspired some to start a tradition with Christmas Crackers because they are as fun as they look.
1. Snowflake Template - By far, our most popular post this season was the snowflake template/video. Over 1,400 people viewed the demo and snowflakes were abound everywhere I went. This idea shows how simple a project can be and that being creative doesn't require a lot of time, money or product. Simply fantastic!!
So, what do you think? Did your favorite project/post make the list? What was your favorite idea of the holiday?
Again, I hope you all enjoyed our posts. We try to inspire all year round so keep our blog bookmarked!!
Merry Christmas everyone. I hope you all are having a wonderful day!! --Kim
I just love these tissue puff ball decorations and I think they're the perfect way to add a little color and pizazz to a party. Think of how cute these red, white and blue puff balls could be hanging from trees at a 4th of July BBQ or picnic. The best part is that you can get 4 large puffs out of each roll of tissue paper (only $3.99) so it makes for a super inexpensive decoration that makes a huge statement.
We've included a link to our video with instructions to show you just how easy these are!
Step Two: Fold the piece in half to create a crease so you know where the center is. Using scissors, cut the edges off in a rounded shape. Tie ribbon, string or fishing wire around the center where you made the crease. Click here for Step Two Instructional Video.
Step Three: Peel away each layer of tissue one sheet at a time to finish your puff ball!
These decorations would also be a great addition to a birthday party, summer garden party or even for a wedding! Look at these great ideas from Martha Stewart:
