Tissue Paper Pomanders: Simple DIY Wedding Project!

Floral pomanders, also called kissing balls, are a lovely addition to any wedding. However, pomanders made with real, fresh flowers can be obscenely over-priced. Follow these simple steps to create your own wedding pomanders out of tissue paper. They won’t wilt or fall apart, and will be very kind to your budget!

1. Collect your supplies.
You will need one styrofoam ball, per pomander that you would like to make. The 3 or 4 inch styrofoam balls are a good size – your pomanders will turn out to be around 6 to 8 inches in diameter after you add the tissue paper flowers.

You will also need about 75 sheets of tissue paper per pomander, in which ever color(s) you choose.  Pick up some 18-gauge wire, wire cutters and scissors and you’re ready to go. Based on the cost of the supplies, each pomander you make will cost between $2-5.

2. Now for the flowers!
There are a few different ways that you can create beautiful ‘flowers’ from your tissue paper. One way would be to cut the tissue paper into 5" x 7" rectangles, stack 4 or 5 sheets together and make 1/2" accordion folds in alternating directions. Tie a 10" piece of wire around the middle of the ‘fan’ and wrap it around 4 times – be sure to leave enough wire on the end as that is how you will attach the flower to your styrofoam ball. Next, cut the corners to create pointed ‘petals’ then pull the sheets of tissue paper apart and fold them upward, until they make a flower shape, like this:

For flowers shaped like peonies, cut flower designs of different sizes – cut 4 ‘large’ petals, 4 ‘medium’ and 4 ‘centers’. Here is a shape that works well:

So your flowers have more dimension, slightly wrinkle each petal layer and stack them together. For this design, you won’t use wire – instead you can stick a small sewing pin through the middle of your stacked flower and into your styrofoam ball to attach the flower to the ball.

It’s easiest to attach your pomanders (with either wire or pins) as you go. Play around with the placement to make your pomander flowers as loose or tight as you’d like. Add a ribbon to the pomander so it can be held – you can hot glue it or pin it to the styrofoam.

This project has tons of room for your own customization and creativity.  You can use multiple colors of tissue paper, colored pearl pins contrasting your tissue paper, crystal-tipped pins, use a combination of flower shapes, or different types of paper – like cardstock or coffee filters. The possibilities are endless!