Behind the Snow: DIY Tutorials

Upholstered Backdrop with Snowflake Doilies

2 foam core boards (We used 32in x 40 in.)
Duct tape
3 yards of fabric
3 yards of cotton batting
Scissors
Stapler
White paper doilies (We used 12 in, 8in,
and 4in.)
Double stick tape

1. Use Duct tape to adhere the two boards together side-by-side. Using foam core gives you a lightweight, yet, sturdy backdrop.
2. On a flat surface, lay the batting across the boards. Trim the batting so that 3 inches of batting extend beyond the perimeter of the boards.
3. Pull the batting taut and staple it to the back of the board; starting in the middle and working around the perimeter. 
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 with the fabric of your choice. 
5. Once your backrop is fully upholstered, use double stick tape to adhere the doilies to create a snowflake effect.  

Ice Cream Cone Ruffle Trees

Sugar cones
Buttercream frosting
Wilton tip #103
Piping bags

1. Holding the base of the ice cream cone, grab your piping bag fitted with tip 103. With the thin part of the tip toward you start piping in a slight up and down motion going around the cone to create a ruffle effect.
2. Continue with this same technique, layer by layer until the entire cone is covered in frosting.
3. Place a wooden skewer into the cone and stick finished cone into a styrofoam block until you are ready to place on top of the cake.

Click here for more instructions and how-to photos for this project courtesy of 

Yarn Christmas Trees

4 foam cones (We used 1 large, 2 medium and 1 small)
3 – 4 packages of yarn
Hot glue gun

1. Add a dab of hot glue to the base of the foam cone.
2. Carefully adhere the end of the yarn to the base of the cone. 
3. Add additional dabs of hot glue every 1-2 inches along the base and adhere the yarn to the cone.
4. Once the yarn is firmly glued to the base, you can put down the glue gun and wrap the cone until it is completely covered in yarn. You can choose either an organic look with crisscrossing yarn or a more linear look. We chose an organic look to give the trees more dimension.
5. Grab your glue gun one last time and dab a bit of hot glue at the top of the cone to adhere the yarn tail to your tree. Optional: Embellish your tree with pom ornaments or leave it just yarn for a contemporary look.

Fringed Tissue Tassel Banner

1/2 sheet of 16.5 in x 24 in tissue paper per tassel (We used Spritz by Target.)
Scissors
Ribbon (We used white 1/2 in grosgrain.)
Twine or string

1. Fold your 1/2 sheet of tissue in half. Continue folding all your 1/2 tissue sheets until you have your desired number of tassels. 
2. To create the fringe, cut 1/2 inch tissue strips toward the fold. Stop cutting about 1 in before the tissue fold. (To speed the process, cut several tassels at one time by stacking 3 or 4 folded sheets and securing them at the fold with clothes pins.)
3. Once all the sheets are cut into fringe, unfold each sheet to begin assembling your tassels.  Lay the fringed tissue sheet on a flat surface. Beginning at the center crease, roll the tissue tightly. Fold the tissue in half again to create your tassel. Twist the top to create a loop. Secure the loop of the tassel by wrapping it with twine. 
4. Repeat step 3 until you have created your desired number of tassels.
5. Use your ribbon to string the tassels. 
6. Hang your fringed tissue tassel banner and let the party begin!