Grace & Favor – A Life Worth Living

Sunday, October 17, 2010

My take on a Tussy Mussy

I was enjoying a post over at A Cottage Industry where Tracey had made some darling Halloween hats.  She had been shopping at one of my favorite stores "the dollar store".  For the cost of $1 you can purchase a package of party hats, the package I picked up had eight hats in it.  Anyway....looking at Tracey's darling hats got me to thinking about what you could do with the same party hat by turning it over and filling it with seasonal greens and flowers much like a tussy mussy. I love the results and will do a few more of these for Christmas, the fillings are endless, candies and cookies to be given as gifts for the holidays rather than greens and berries.
I followed Tracey's directions using liquid starch.  I actually had to go to three stores before I could find a bottle of it, I guess people who use starch at all now days use spray starch, I know I do.  I picked up some decorative sheet paper at Hobby Lobby, again by using different papers your tussy mussy can take on any decorative direction.
I cut the paper into random pieces and dipped them in the starch and then placed them on the party hat. Couldn't be easier, just overlap the papers making sure the decorations from the hats are completely covered.  You may see a bleed through of the hat under the paper when its wet but this will disappear once its dry.

A paper punch was used to put a hole in each side of the cone and I used a pretty fall colored ribbon through the two holders, tying a knot on the outside for a little extra decoration.  Do this before you start to fill your tussy mussy as its much easier, we won't discuss how I know this. 







Next I hot glued a chunk of floral foam inside to give me something to push the floral picks into to keep them upright and stable inside, continue to add leaves, berries, pine cones, whatever you have in your basket until you think it looks finished.
If you were going to fill the tussy mussy with treats you will need to either line the inside of your tussy mussy with more of the starch paper our you could use tissue or shredded papers as liners.



So we went from this....

To this with very little cost involved.

What a great little gift to leave hung on someones front door knob during the holidays.
I am participating in
Metamorphis Monday
with Susan
 

14 comments:

Sharlotte said...

This is too cute! I love the fact that they are so versatile! Thanks for sharing!
Sharlotte

Kathleen said...

They look beautiful! I saw them on Maddy's Muse and I thought I would try to make them for favors for a family Cmas party for the kids to take home. I better start working on them!

Nancy said...

What a wonderful idea! You were clever to see the hat and run with it.
Nicely done.
Nancy

Savannah Granny said...

This is a great idea. I think I will make them for Christmas. They would look great on the back of each guest's dining chair filled with favors. Thank you for sharing. This is a real WINNER.

Paula@SweetPea said...

So that's what you were doing with the liquid starch...

I love this project! Your tussy mussy is beautiful. This would be a fun project for just about any holiday and it would make a great party decoration or gift, too.

Rettabug said...

What a terrific idea...thanks for telling us about them, as I missed Maddy's post.

I bought "Best Press" liquid starch by Mary Ellen at our JoAnn's store. It truly IS the best starch I've ever used & I love it for quilting & heirloom sewing. Its a bit expensive but very much worth it. I could easily use it for this project, to.

Wouldn't these be a pretty way to dress up each person's chair at the dining room table? We could personalize them & have them work as place cards, as well. Oh the possibilities!!
Thank you again.

Slice of Pie said...

Very nice ...would be great for May Day baskets, too! Thanks so much for sharing this super idea.

Miss Char said...

Y'all are right about the possibilities of these little gems and since the hats come in different sizes you can choose whichever one fits your needs. Some little bobble hanging from the bottom would be cute too. I do plan to hang these from the backs of my chairs when I have them all finished. I also like the little banner that Tracey used on her hats and I'll add something like that to these too. I think I'll do up a bunch for Thanksgiving at my son's home. Everyone will have a little something to take home and the chairs will look so festive in the dining room with a tussy mussy hanging there.

Thanks for the lovely comments girls.

Char...

Unknown said...

Oh wow...those look great! My head is spinning with holiday possibilities.

Cathy said...

I like! Great idea.

Michelle said...

Love those!!!! Great idea!!!

southerninspiration said...

Look at you!! How cute those are! You are just so smart, ma'am!

Suzanne

Designs on 47th Street said...

Very fun and clever! I must get back to my crafting days. So many great ideas to try!

Sherry @ No Minimalist Here said...

Oh my, I love these! I am thinking they would look great as Christmas decorations on my tree. Thanks for the inspiration.
xo, Sherry