This week you can use the pompoms to make  soft and cuddly teddy bears that you can use for party favours or even as table decorations at your child’s birthday party.

To make a teddy bear like [...]]]>

Last week I showed you how to make pompoms from circular templates and I hope you tried making a few.

This week you can use the pompoms to make  soft and cuddly teddy bears that you can use for party favours or even as table decorations at your child’s birthday party.

To make a teddy bear like the one in the photo, you will need two big pompoms, 6 smaller ones and another small one for the nose (optional). The teddy bear measures about 14cm in height.

You will need approximately 100g of Double Knit wool or 2 x 50g balls of different shades to achieve the mottled effect for the body and head of the teddy bear in the image.

Cut two circle templates with an outer diameter of 9cm and inner diameter of 4cm for the big pompoms.

Cut another two circle templates with an outer diameter of 4,5cm and inner diameter of 2cm for the small pompoms.

Make two big pompoms for the body and head, make 6 smaller pompoms for the arms, legs and ears. (See how to make pompoms here).

Make a smaller,  loose pompom  to use for the nose. Using the photo as a guideline, join the pompoms to form the teddy bear.

All pompoms are joined by threading the tying yarns through the center of the next pompom using a darning needle and then tie knot to secure these yarns.

Attach the smaller pompoms in the same way. I found that it is easier to “assemble” the whole bear before cutting the tying yarns after knotting them. In this way you will be still be able to untie,  join and tie again if you are not quite satisfied with the position of the smaller pompoms.

Tie the two big pompoms together to form the body. Tie two of the smaller pompoms to the top of the second big pompom for the arms. To make the legs, tie two small pompoms to the bottom of the second big pompom, making sure that they are placed slightly forward so that the teddy looks as if it is sitting. Tie the remaining two pompoms to each side of the top pompom for the ears. Either tie or glue the last, small pompom to the top pompom to form the nose

If you are satisfied with how the bear looks, cut the tying yarns at the same length as the yarns of the pompoms and just fluff them up nicely. Don’t be afraid to trim again after you have tied the pompoms together.

Tie a bow and glue it at the neck. Glue googly eyes in position (I used craft glue). Cut a tongue from a small piece of felt and glue in position. I used a button for the nose and glued it to the nose pompom.

And that’s it. A nice, fluffly teddy bear that even your kids (depending on their ages) can easily make on their own.

What kind of animal would you make from the pompoms? Why don’t you use the comment box to tell me about your ideas? It’s easy to do it and you will also get a little link love to your site.

Oh, and don’t forget to have lots of fun when you plan your child’s birthday party!

P.S. A special thank you to my mother for making the pompoms I used for this teddy bear! She used to make quite a lot of pompoms when I was a child. I cannot remember anymore what she used the pompoms for, but I do remember her making them. And she has not lost her touch after all these years.

They measure about 5cm across but it is easy to make them larger by simply enlarging the patterns, either by measuring and drawing it on a piece of paper or by enlarging it on a photocopier machine.

To make the boxes you [...]]]>

These little boxes are perfect to use as party favours for a girl’s birthday party.

They measure about 5cm across but it is easy to make them larger by simply enlarging the patterns, either by measuring and drawing it on a piece of paper or by enlarging it on a photocopier machine.

To make the boxes you will need the following:

- Medium-weight cardboard

- A hobby knife

- Craft glue

- Plain-coloured paper

- Contrasting gift wrap (optional)

A piece of ribbon, (optional)

Do this:

Draw patterns for base and lid on to cardboard. Score along dotted lines and cut along solid lines.

Bend sides of base up, glue flaps inside. Cut a strip of gift wrap 32cm (approx 12.8 in)  x 5cm (2 in).

Glue gift wrap to sides, leaving an extension at top and bottom. Slit extensions at corners, fold and glue down underneath and inside box.

Cut a piece of gift wrap 2cm larger around lid. Glue lid to this paper, slit at corners, fold extensions under, glue down.

Cut a piece of gift wrap 4,5cm (1,8) x 5cm (2 in), attach lid to base with this strip (see Diagram).

Line box and lid with gift wrap or plain-coloured paper.  A piece of contrasting paper may be glued around edge of lid to decorate. Attach ribbon to front of lid if desired.

Click on the diagram to open in a new window, right-click and save to your computer.

Fill the boxes with small soaps, a dainty handkerchief, lip gloss, bracelets, hair accessories or small trinkets that will suit the theme of the party and the age of the girls.

What would you put into these little boxes? 

You will need hair slides and ribbon of choice, beads, buttons, small fabric roses or flowers [...]]]>

A girl can never have enough hair accessories and these ribbon-covered hair slides are so easy to make that your birthday girl (depending on her age) would enjoy making them as party favours for her guests.

You will need hair slides and ribbon of choice, beads, buttons, small fabric roses or flowers or any other small odds and ends you can use for decoration.

The small pineapple on the blue ribbon is a button…  I threaded the ribbon through the little eye at the back and tied a knot around the pin of the slide before I started the actual weaving. I also found that the narrow ribbon gives a neater finish than the wider ones.

Here is a step by step tutorial on how to cover hair slides with ribbon:

Cut a length of ribbon – about 30 cm in length, open the hair slide and slide the ribbon through.

Measure the ribbon so that the sides are of equal length.

Start weaving by folding the ribbon over and under.

Do the same from the other side and repeat until the whole slide is covered.

Push the ribbon back every now and then to cover the slide neatly, try to keep the ribbon flat.

Turn the slide over and tie the ribbon into a tight knot, decorate further as you wish.

Making these ribbon covered hair slides can also be part of the activities at a slumber or tea party for girls and the girls can take it home with them afterward.

Have fun when you plan your kid’s birthday party!