How to Make a Foil Pom Pom

Fold sheets of foil into a dynamic party decoration.

Hanging large, flower-like pom-poms from the ceiling to decorate a party is a quick and cost-effective way to set a celebratory scene. Paper-based pom-poms are ubiquitous party decorations, but foil incarnations are less common. Aluminum foil is ideal for the task, though. As you spread sections of the gathered foil to create the decoration’s spherical shape, the semi-rigidity of the foil needs little coaxing to stay in place. Use craft paint to create polka dots, stripes or paint splatters on the foil before you fold it, to heighten the pom-poms' visual appeal. Does this Spark an idea?

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18-inch-wide roll of aluminum foil
Craft scissors
Floral wire
Wire cutters
Clear nylon thread

Instructions

- 1
  
  Remove an 18-inch-wide roll of aluminum foil from its box. Lay it on your work surface.
- 2
  
  Cut a 27-inch-long sheet of foil with craft scissors. Handle the foil gently, to avoid creasing or crumbling it. Cut nine more sheets to the same length.
- 3
  
  Stack the foil sheets. Match the edges precisely. Orient the stack with one of the 18-inch ends closest to you -- as the "bottom" edge of the rectangle.
- 4
  
  Fold the bottom 1 inch of the stack over on top of the foil. Run your hand across the fold to make it as flat and crisp as possible. The stack is now 18 inches by 26 inches. The bottom 1 inch of the stack, which you just folded over, is now 20 foil layers thick.
- 5
  
  Fold the bottom 1 inch under the stack. Run your hand across the fold. The stack is now 18 inches by 25 inches. And the bottom 1 inch of the stack is now 30 foil layers thick.
- 6
  
  Repeat the 1-inch folds 24 times until you reach the end of the material. The resulting stack is 18 inches across, 1 inch long and 270 foil layers thick.
- 7
  
  Cut an 18-inch-long piece of floral wire, with wire cutters. Fold the wire in half. Slide the pleated foil between the ends of the wire. The foil and wire should make a capital T shape. Twist the wire ends to secure the stack. Wrap the remaining wire around the center of the foil.
- 8
  
  Cut a 36-inch piece of clear nylon thread with scissors. Tie a double-knot at one end of the thread to make a loop that is no more than 1 inch long. Center the thread under the foil stack, running in the same direction as the wire. Insert the loose end of the thread through the looped end. Pull the loose end all the way through to secure the thread around the foil.
- 9
  
  Separate the ends of the foil stack. Spread the sections into a spherical shape that radiates from the wire-wrapped center.
- 10
  
  Hang the pom-pom by the thread.