https://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/decorative-tissue-paper-chains • Posted by eccemullier
I started using these type of chains because I have a balloon phobia =<. When I was a kid my older brother was playing with Chinese fireworks and as I didn't know what they were I almost pick up one from the floor, fortunatelly, my brother took me out of the way with only a cut in my arm and temporally thef symptoms. The consecuences now a days is that I hate to be near something that can explode (like balloons in the hands of small kids during a party). Besides, these chains really look out of the ordinary and you can complement the decoration with other stuff you will find in my future proyects.
I started using these type of chains because I have a balloon phobia =<. When I was a kid my older brother was playing with Chinese fireworks and as I didn't know what they were I almost pick up one from the floor, fortunatelly, my brother took me out of the way with only a cut in my arm and temporally thef symptoms. The consecuences now a days is that I hate to be near something that can explode (like balloons in the hands of small kids during a party). Besides, these chains really look out of the ordinary and you can complement the decoration with other stuff you will find in my future proyects.
First, fold to half your tissue paper sheet by the wide side. Cut it in half. Then fold the halves again into halves by the wide side (always) and make another cut. Repeat the fold and cut process one more time and now you have 6 tissue strips with the perfect size.
Repeat step 1 with all the tissue sheets so you have 12 strips of each color.
Take one strip of each color and paste the tips of each as shown in the picture. Make sure you place one base strip straight and the other two in diagonal pose over the first one.
Fold the straight strip to the front, as you may notice, you folded the strip that remains in the bottom of the formation, this is a pattern you must follow during the whole folding process, meaning that the next strip you have to fold is the one remaining at the bottom of the unfolded strips (in this example the orange one in your left). Finally fold the missing strip.
You will start having a formation similar to a pentagon. Follow the folding process untill you end the 3 initial strips.
Paste a new strip to the corresponding color as shown and keep folding until you finish joining all the strips, the 12 of each color.
When you finish joining strips you will have a bunch like this. You can use these chains for Birthdays, Baby Showers, Halloween, Christmas, Easter, St. Patrick's or any other celebration you have selecting the colors for the occasion you have. In my case these are the usual colors for fire, because my boyfriend is a Leo (sign of fire) and we completed the decoration with paper craft lions printed from www.paperinside.com. The idea for hanging the lions out will be found in another project as soon as I can.
Your finished chain will look like this one.
For hanging the chain you have several options, and maybe you will like to use your own, but, if you don't have a good clue, I recommend that first you hang a guide line with fishing line and pushing pins or nails, please set the guide line as tall as it is possible, because you will have to make some loops with the chain and your guests can get tangled.
For making smaller chains (and actually less tangled) you can use just two colors for the tissue sheets. Prepare your strips as in step 1. Paste the tips one against the other in "L" angle.
Fold the strip that is in the bottom on top of the other one.
Fold the remaining strip on top of the first one and start folding one against the other until you finish your strips.
The small chain will look like this one. Well, if I'm missing something, please let me know I will be glad to help you if it is in my hands. This is a really easy craft, but takes a long time because of the folding process.
To complete your decoration, you can use any paper craft or DIY decoration, for example, I used some paper craft baby lions I found at: http://paperboxworld.weebly.com/users.html My boyfriend loves lions and these ones are really cute =D
I hang them up with fishing line and pasted them to de ceiling with Sticky squares, actually, I had to string them with the fishing line and a needle, at the bottom of the lion I tied up a paper clip. Think of them as gifts too, my boyfriend is planning to transfer his new "pride" to his bedroom. And actually the really look cute =D.
For a Twilight party, I did 3 sets of these figures for my daughter's birthday with cardboard, black marker, and pencil colors. hang them up to the ceiling the same way I hung up the lions. After the party, my daughter hung them up to her favorite Rob Patts' poster.
And then my daughter did these for my birthday, I don`t know who invented these stars, but she learned to do them with some friends at school. i couldn't hang them up like the lions, actually, these are a little bit heave.