Girl in Pink: Tutorial: Create a Whimsical Winter Wonderland with Handmade Snow Puffs

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Tutorial: Create a Whimsical Winter Wonderland with Handmade Snow Puffs

Create a whimsical winter scene with tulle snow puffs!

I have admired photos of pretty tulle poms on Pinterest for months now! I had hoped that one day I would dream up a reason to make bunches of them! They are lovely for weddings, window displays and children's rooms. I recently had the thought to make them in ivory, in various sizes and hang them from branches as pretty puffs of snow. What a magical, wintry scene you could create!

Here are the larger ones I made to accessorize my recent Cinderella Cabinet Makeover. See the smaller ones hanging from the "tree"? They were simply tied to a ribbon to create a garland.

I added little acrylic "crystals" (found at Michaels craft store) with needle and thread to these puff ornaments for some extra glam!

After reading through a tutorial on making tulle poms and failing at my first attempt, I played around with the idea a bit more and ended up going in a slightly different direction. I thought I would share with you the method that worked best for me.

I started by cutting my tulle into strips. The length and width will vary depending on the size of puff you wish to create. For my small ornament snow puffs and those made into a garland, I used 2 strips per puff, each 3 inches wide by 5 feet long. I found it easiest to measure out 5 feet of tulle off the bolt and then refold it, just as it was on the bolt. I then used my rotary cutting tool and mat to cut that length into 3 inch wide strips.

I then took 2 of the 3 inch by 5 feet strips and wound them around 2 fingers. You can also use the handles of a can opener, or something similar. I find that my index and middle fingers work best for me, but trying to take a photo of my hand while my fingers were turning purple wasn't working out for too well, so I opted for the can opener handles! Next, I used a strong string to tie all the way around the center...creating something that looks like a bow. Making that knot tight is probably the trickiest part for me. It really helps to have some assistance at this point... someone to put that finger down to hold the string taut while you tie the knot. It is important to have this tied good and tight. My 5 year old was a huge help with this step and he was so proud to have participated in the making of the snow puffs!

When I slid the tulle off of my fingers (or can opener handles), I end up with something that looks like this.

I then carefully cut through the loops. See the photo below for more detail.

I used the back of a barstool when I made my larger puffs. I thought I would share this photo as it is a little easier to see where to tie and cut than it is on the photos of the smaller version.

Once I had cut all the way through those loops, I had my snow puff, but you can see that it wasn't quite perfect.

No problem! With a snip here and bit of trimming there, I had evened it out. Once I had figured out the length and width of the tulle strips to cut, and had my method down pat...I was turning out a snow puff every 5 minutes. Easy, fast and fun...my kind of craft project!

I have been enjoying using my snow puffs for photo props as well as in my display at the shop. I think it's high time I make some to go along with my own Christmas decor!