DIY: Pom Poms

Lets welcome Spring with big DIY pom pom flowers!

I have seen these large pom pom's on a lot of wedding blogs, and I was really curious as how to make them.  So I decided to look it up and make some to hang in my room.  Martha Stewart's website has step by step instructions, and I will repeat them on here for anyone interested in how to make them.  They are super cute and really easy! I think they would be great for any type of event: wedding, wedding shower, baby shower, birthday party, and more.  They would also be cute as home decor, like my roommate and I did by hanging them from our ceilings in our bedrooms.  Here's how!

What you'll need:
-Your desired color of tissue paper (could also be patterned)
-Scissors
-String (I used dental floss)
-White or clear thumb tacks

Step 1
Open the pack of tissue paper and unfold them to lay flat.  Depending on how thick you want your poms to be, you can use as little as 6 sheets or as much as 20.  I would recommend about 10 to 15 sheets.

Step 2
Fold the sheets of tissue paper in 1" folds accordion style. 

Step 3
Tie the string around the middle of the folded tissue paper.  Leave enough slack to hang the desired length.

Step 4
With the scissors, cut the ends of the tissue paper to make it either rounded or pointed. You can also cut several inches off of each end if you would like to make smaller poms. I have demonstrated rounded edges below:

And pointed will be demonstrated in the next picture.

Step 5
(This is a smaller, patterned, pointed pom demonstrated below.) 
Now begin to peal back the layers of tissue paper one at a time.  You will pull from the front and back to cover the entire area.  When one side is spread out, turn it over and do the same thing on the other side.

Once all the layers are separated, go around and fluff the layers to get the desired full look. 

Step 6
Tie the end of the string around the clear or white thumb tack and hang the pom from the ceiling or beam.

The finished product.

These are both larger poms (no length was cut from the tissue paper). The pink one has rounded edges and the blue one has pointed.

Let Jitters help you out by making these for your next wedding or event!

Patterned ones can be fun as well.  I found some striped paper and in the end it looked more like a pinata.  But I figured this could be a great decoration for a fiesta!
 

Good Tidings and Cheer!

 Christmas is the time of year to gather with your family and friends and celebrate the birth of Jesus.  It is a time for happiness and cheer, and thanking God for such a wonderful gift that He gave us! It is also a time for fun decorating and holiday parties. When decorating for Christmas, you don't have to stick with the traditional red and green.  In this blog we will show you ways that you can use hot, bright colors good for any 

holiday party!

Here, we created a centerpiece out of brightly colored tree ornaments stacked together on top of cake plates and a fun zebra striped platter.  We hung a blue boa and tassels from our light fixture, and put bright colored stars in the windowsill. You could also hand ornaments from the light fixture, or have them hang in the window as well.

You can jazz up your chandeliers and light fixtures by adding colors, tassels, and feathers

.

You can even dress up the windowsill 

Add interesting touches such as peacock feathers mixed in

 

You can also add bright colored packages, feathers (we added peacock feathers), and unique ornaments of all shapes, sizes, and colors to make your centerpiece decorative and unique. 

Now we will show you how to dress up and set the table for a dinner party! 

Recipe: Strawberry Surprise Cupcakes

Strawberry Surprise Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 stick (1⁄2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 2⁄3 cup sugar
• 11⁄2 tsp baking powder
• 1⁄4 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1⁄2 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 11⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1⁄2 cup seedless strawberry jam, chilled
• Strawberry Frosting
• 1⁄2 cup diced strawberries
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 3 oz chilled cream cheese
• 3⁄4 cup heavy (whipping) cream
• Garnish: 12 whole strawberries

Preparation

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line 12 regular-size (21⁄2-in. diameter) muffin cups with paper liners. Have ready a large pastry bag fitted with a 1⁄4- to 1⁄2-in. round piping tip.

2. Beat butter, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl with mixer on high speed 1 minute, or until blended. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, until combined. On low speed, beat in milk and vanilla (batter will look curdled), then beat in flour just until blended. Spoon into lined cups.

3. Bake 20 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in centers of cupcakes comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 5 minutes before removing from pan to rack to cool completely.

4. Spoon jam into pastry bag. Insert pastry tip into top of each cupcake and carefully pipe as much jam into center of each as possible (tops of cupcakes will bulge slightly).

5. Frosting: Stir strawberries and sugar in a large bowl; let stand 2 minutes. Beat with mixer until mashed. Add cream cheese; beat 2 minutes until well blended. Add cream and beat until stiff peaks form when beaters are lifted.

6. Up to 2 hours before serving: Spoon Frosting into a pastry bag fitted with a 1⁄2-in. round piping tip. Pipe frosting on cupcakes. Garnish each with a berry and refrigerate.

Vintage Looks for Less

I really enjoy buying old things and fixing them up, and using old "vintage" accessories when decorating. My roommates and I have this theme going in our home. This summer I bought some old end tables at at thrift store for $20 and get them a face lift. It was a long tedious process, but the end result made it worth it! It was my first time using stain, and I wouldn't suggest staining anything in the middle of the August Texas heat...but they look cute nonetheless.

Here are some of our vintage decorating ideas:
My roommate Megan bought a bunch of old pictures frames and painted some, and left some original and we used these various sizes to fill our wall above the couch.



My roommate Raychelle made some shelves out of plywood that she stained and we hung above our windows instead of doing curtains. We each had various old books, vases, candles, and statues from thrift stores that we combined to fill the shelves.


Lastly here are the end tables that I refinished.



Embossed leather was put on the top of the tables and the front of the drawers to add interest and texture
Different size, shapes, and colors of knobs were added to the drawers

Jordan and Molly's Vintage Birdcage Rehearsal Dinner

On Friday, December 3rd Jordan and Molly Anderson were married. We helped decorate for their rehearsal dinner on Thursday at Childer's Place in Amarillo, TX. We have pictures posted on a previous blog entry from Tyler and Andreas rehearsal dinner in the courtyard. Childer's Place also has inside space available which is what we used for Jordan and Molly. The catering was done there at Childer's Place by their staff, and it was delicious! I would definitely recommend this venue for a small party or reception. Their wedding theme was vintage, and their colors were gray and creme with touches of soft pink and blue. The wedding at Paramount Baptist church turned out beautiful! Molly made a gorgeous bride, and Jordan wasn't too bad either ;) We have known Jordan all his life, and are very excited that he has found someone as special and sweet as Molly! We love them both and wish them all the best!

Here are some pictures from the rehearsal dinner that Pam decorated for which had a theme of pink/vintage/birds/tea party


Music sheets were stained with tea to give them an antique look. Molly is a singer, so we thought the music would be a personal touch



Crystal and mirrors were hung from tree branches


Apothecary jars were filled with coffee beans, bird nests, and twigs


Bird feathers add a cute touch to the end of the pink and gray table runners that were made by Pam

Bird cages were filled with vintage books, tea cups, and flower arrangements to make a cute vintage/bird themed centerpiece. Each table had the vintage music sheets and tea cups as decoration as well.



These handmade fabric flowers are an easy and cute way to add a nice touch of elegance and vintage flair. Check out the previous blog called "DIY: Fabric Flowers" for step by step instructions on how to make these! Pearls and buttons add extra charm to the tablescape


Pam made this centerpiece with pink flowers and "iced" twigs. These are a good decorative touch to add in the wintertime.



We hope you enjoyed these vintage tablescaping ideas!

Check our previous blog entry on how to make those cute fabric flowers, which are a great idea for hair accessories, bouquets, table decorations, place cards, and jewelry accessories!

Tyler and Andrea's Traditional Wedding With a Twist

Tyler and Andrea Holloway got married this summer in Amarillo at Paramount Baptist Church. They are such a sweet couple and special to our family. We hope you enjoy these pictures from Kara Mercer at Vintage View Photography, and design by Jitters!










Location: Paramount Baptist Church, Amarillo, TX
Photography: Kara Mercer Vintage View Photography
Cake and cupcakes: Cake Company of Canyon, Canyon, TX
Flowers/centerpieces/design: Pam and Katryce Hotmann
Catering: Nancy Manning
Brides Flowers: Amarillo florist