#thomashouse2014: two DIY projects from me and my pal.

One of our house buying bonus points was a fireplace. The #ThomasHouse happens to have, not only, a fireplace, but a gorgeous mantel to top it. A contrast between the country-chic brick and the minimalist, sleek white top begged for something beautiful to hold.

After hanging our faux-taxidermy moose head (my first purchase for our home) and setting my roosters on each end, I knew something was missing but couldn't put my finger on what. Then an evening at my mom's house made it obvious -lettered blocks. Obviously.

So, I set out to make my own with the help of Mr. T and his table saw. After getting hold of some wood scraps from our patio table, I marked where each board needed trimming and set to work sanding and painting.

The letters need some finishing before I set them with a dark waxy finish (to add a country, rough feel), but for the season of busy we're living through, they make me happy and finish the mantel. Plus, everyone knows our last name now.

For my birthday a friend picked up a tassel garland for me from Target. I loved it and left it hanging for weeks until Jason could no longer stand them. So I flipped the tassels on their side and let them be some flair around the base of the letters. Then my dear blogging buddy Katie told me she knows how to make these herself. Of course, I want tassels in ALL. THE. COLORS. So when she agreed to share her mad skills on Mr. Thomas and Me, I was ecstatic.

Without further ado, here's sweet Katie and her beautiful DIY tassle garland.

Hello Mr. Thomas and Me readers! My name is Katie and I blog over at A Beautiful Little Adventure. Amber was nice enough to allow me to take over today for Tuesday's annual #Thomashouse2014 post. I"m here to share a tutorial for a tissue paper tassel garland, perfect for any party, bridal or baby shower, or holiday decor. These garlands are everywhere these days and I never knew how easy it was to make my own.

I'm hosting my best friends bridal shower this week and I began searching on Etsy to buy one. As soon as I saw that they would cost me around $30.00 I said "no way!". I was not going to pay over $15 for something made out of tissue paper and something that would potentially arrive to me bent or torn. So, I decided to make my own! That way I could pick out the perfect colors as well and make it exactly how I wanted it to look. I created a video as I know I learn best visually, especially on small scale paper projects.

Please be in touch with me, you can find my email on my blog, if you have any questions!

What you will need:

• Tissue paper in various colors
• Scissors
• Ruler
• Hot Glue Gun
• String/Twine/Ribbon/Cord to string the tassels on to be hung from.

Some Tips:

• Make sure to cut all of your strands in the same width. Use the ruler to hold up the already cut tassels so they are out of your way.      

• After rolling up the tasseled paper you have to twist the middle part. (this section was hard to see on the video). Simply twist the paper and wrap the twisted portion around itself until it forms a loop. Then secure the loop together with hot glue. 
• The metallic paper looks AWESOME but is extremely hard to cut. It easily tears on its own, almost instantly (think of a thin pretzel or chip bag that tears open down the side after you rip it open).

What I did to make it easier:

Tape the top and sides of the paper down as I was cutting the strips. 

Evenly measure out the distance between the tassels on the cord. 

If you make your own, I'd love to see pictures of your garlands!
Please share on Facebook or Twitter or Instagram with #ablatasselgarland