Earlier this year, when my daughter’s forfeited their old bunk beds for a new big bed I decided it was time to give their room an inexpensive mini-makeover.  The girls loved their new color scheme, but the room was a little bottom heavy – it needed some color at the top.  That’s when I came across a cute Martha Stewart tissue paper pom-pom kit in the craft section of WalMart.

The kit came with several do-it-yourself pom-poms in varying shades of pink.  They looked so adorable and easy to make that I decided to pick up a few other colors of tissue paper from the wrapping paper section and make a few pom-poms of my own.

Honestly, the project couldn’t have been easier.  In less than 30 minutes, I had 5 big, fluffy pom-poms to hang chandelier-style in my daughters’ room.  I took a bunch of pictures to show you but I think Martha’s tutorial is a little easier to understand so I’ll add that for you here (you can see her original post by clicking here).

Step 1: 1. Stack eight 20-by-30-inch sheets of tissue. Make 1 1/2-inchwide accordion folds, creasing with each fold.  *I cut mine to several different widths so they would vary in size.  For smaller balls, you’ll want to use fewer sheets of tissue paper.

Step 2: Fold an 18-inch piece of floral wire in half, and slip over center of folded tissue; twist. With scissors, trim ends of tissue into rounded or pointy shapes. *I actually found that it was easier to trim my paper before folding it – once it’s folded it’s kind of bulky and hard to cut.  For spiky pom-poms cut your edges like in a zig-zag, for rounded pom-poms cut your edges in curvy or scalloped pattern.

Step 3: Separate layers, pulling away from center one at a time. *Be gentle with this step – the tissue paper can tear easily.  If it does, don’t worry about it, the little mistakes won’t show once they’re finished.  I also found that my little container of ‘Take Hold’ (that pink sticky stuff sold in office supply stores to help your fingertips sort through paper) came in very handy.

Step 4: Tie a length of monofilament to floral wire for hanging.  *I trimmed the remaining wire ends to about 3″ and formed it into a hook shape inside the pom-pom.  Then, I tied a piece white sewing thread to each pom-pom wire hook (I varied the length so they would hang in a cluster).

To attach the pom-poms to the ceiling, I inserted a small, white cup hook into the drywall and tied the strings to the hook.  The pom-poms were lightweight so I didn’t need to worry about pre-drilling or anchoring the hook.  I just twisted it in corkscrew-style.  Viola!  A bright and cheery addition that added the perfect pop of color to my daughters’ room – all for less than $10!  Just thought I’d pass it on.

You should know, this solution will only work if you intend to keep your beds up against the wall. My girl’s room is too small to have freestanding beds, so this worked great for me.

Rather than buy two twin size quilts. I bought one king size and cut it right down the middle. Luckily, king size children’s bedding is almost always the first to go on sale, so I got a steal (as a bonus, they usually come with a pair of shams). After cutting the quilt, I simply stiched up the rough edges. It wasn’t particularly pretty, but it didn’t matter because no one ever sees the wall side.

The quilts look normal from the room side, but actually only hang down 2 or 3 inches on the wall side. It’s so much easier for my girls to make their beds now that they don’t have to fiddle with the extra width. The king size is a little longer than the regular twin size, but that actually helps too. I fold the excess length under the mattress and tuck it under the mattress supports. It helps keep the quilt from shifting all over and makes it easier for the girls to straighten.

I’ve washed these quilts tons of times and so far, the edges have held up well. I’m sure it won’t last forever, but getting 2 sets of bedding for under $40 is tough to beat. Just thought I’d pass it on.