Pepper Design Blog

Shabby Chic {Handmade Paper Rosettes}

I love when you find inspiration in the most unexpected of places… the other day I was thinking about those little accordion paper fans I used to make as a little girl by folding up 8 1/2×11 sheets of white printer paper. They might turn into turkey tails for Thanksgiving or maybe even folded hearts for Valentine’s Day.

I found this lovely inspiration board (below) at Paper Crave and it brought me right back to the 2nd grade. The grown-up version of paper accordions comes in the form of folded maps, book pages or antique wallpaper.

I really love the simple way these accordion paper poms fit into every type of party decor. I can imagine them delicately hung above a wedding reception dance floor, lined neatly over a bridal shower dessert buffet or in bright & bold hues for a child’s birthday party.

The rosette ‘table confetti’ is my favorite. And how pretty are the button and brooch centerpieces? A little pearl bead would be perfect.

Once Wed designed an entire grey, green & pink dinner party around this theme (see top top photo), and design*sponge shares it here. To make your own paper accordion rosette, Paper Source provides a free downloadable pdf. And finally, a super easy DIY awaits after the jump! Read more »

A Lovely Paper Lantern Refashion

This is a really neat idea by Crafty Nest. Floral paper lanterns would look wonderful strung across a courtyard as an elaborate wedding decoration (for our reception we made similar floral balls that were hung across a pool – the flowers looked so real at so high up!) and would be equally lovely clustered in the corner of your living room.

This craft project calls for simple white paper lanterns and cord kits (such as those you can purchase form Ikea, World Market or my favorite online resource: Paper Lantern Store). A white garland covered in fake stems from Michaels worked perfectly for the flowers and were easily applied to the lantern with a dab from a hot glue gun.

For full DIY directions, click here.

Crafty Nest used pom-pom fringe for the second refashion, but ribbon, crepe paper, cotton balls (for a snowball?) or tissue paper cut-outs would work well too. Hope this inspires some wonderful projects!

DIY New Year’s Eve *Crackers*

Here’s a neat idea for this New Year’s Eve. If you’re hosting a get-together or dinner party consider this thoughtful treat for your guests — a homemade party cracker! Danielle and Centsational Girl share how.

This decorative tube (an empty paper towel holder in this case) is usually filled with little knick knacks (paper crowns, fortune messages, small toys…) and is wrapped in bright shiny colors. Tradition holds that two people pull from each end of the cracker until it *pops*, emptying out the contents. Read more »

A *Sweet* Buffet for a Very Merry Christmas

While Christmas has come and gone here in beautiful Sydney, I wanted to share one last treat from my favorite holiday… especially since I *technically* have one more day to celebrate in my home town time zone!

Amy Atlas does a fabulous job again, this time for the O Magazine holiday party and Gayle King!

The lavender and cherry color palette is an unusual and beautiful one — I could imagine using these for a New Years Eve celebration as well. I especially love the vase tied in ribbons and bows, and the little custom ‘popcorn’ boxes (could be filled with any favorite candy).