Cupcakes and Cards with Jane: Razzle Dazzle Tassels

Tassels are enjoying a revival at the moment and I watched a really good video by Lorrie Nunemaker showing how to make paper tassels using a special die to cut the paper.

I wanted to try my hand at making them and, being the impatient sort, I wanted to make them right away. Unfortunately I didn't have the special die and wasn't even sure if it was worth buying one, after all, it could be a five minute wonder.

I know you can use those special multi bladed scissors too, but again I didn't have any and I wanted to make my tassels there and then.

So using only tools that most of us have to hand, I came up with the following:

I cut strips of card 5" long by 1 3/8th" wide and using a ruler, I drew a pencil line along the long edge, 1" in from the edge. This was to give me a guide mark.

Then I used my score board to make score lines every 1/8th" along the length, up to the pencil line with the thinner end of the scoring tool. It sound laborious but doesn't take long. You could also use the scoring tool on the SU trimmer if you didn't have the score board.

Using a small pair of snips, cut up each scored line to the pencil mark.

To help curl the card into a tight roll, run a bone folder along the uncut edge of the cut card a few times.

Curl the beginning of the strip round the end of a thin paintbrush handle or an orange stick to begin with and then you will find you can roll it up tightly with just your fingers, making sure it is even, and use a dab of tombow or similar glue to fasten it at the end.

You can cover the end with a strip of foiled card, but I used a piece of of gold washi tape to bind the end and trimmed off the excess.

Then I covered a strip of card with the same washi tape and cut a short length to make the ring. Curl it with a bone folder first, make a loop and put a dab of glue on the ends and push them down the hole at the top of the tassel. You can use a needle tool to press inside to make sure it's stuck. Just fan the end of the tassels slightly to make them flare.

The bag was made using the gift bag board and one of the Fruit Stand DSP papers, which has some very pretty reverse sides.

Tassels are made with Peekaboo Peach and Flirty Flamingo, wrapped with gold foil washi tape, but any tape would do or use gold foil paper.

Tags are made with Tip Top Taupe overprinted with a stamp from Timeless Textures and vellum white embossed with the World of Thanks stamp.

Flirty Flamingo Swirly Scribble die cut was used to link to the colour of the tassel.

I love them and I hope you do. Thanks for stopping by.

Jane

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