Pinwheel Decorations

Recently we had a baby shower for my sister in law and we decided to do something different than flowers for the center pieces, so we went with pinwheels. Now because we had to make so many, we came up with a quick and efficient way to make them, they were just for looks so unfortunately they didn't spin, they just sat pretty!

Quick Directions on how to make Decorative Pinwheels:

Depending on the size pinwheels you want, cut perfect squares out of decorative paper. NOTE: both sides will show, so use a paper that is decorative on both sides, solid, or at least solid white on the back. I made 3 sizes shown above in the pictures:

• X-Large Pinwheels: 8 x 8 inches
• Large Pinwheels: 7x7 "
• Medium Pinwheels: 5 x 5 "
• Small Pinwheels: 4 x 4 "

First cut out your perfect square, then cut in a line from each one of the corners to the center of the square, stopping about an inch or two from the center. A paper cutter works great for this and made it go really quickly.

Next, put a dime size hot glue in the very center of the square and pull in one side of each corner (practice before your put the glue down.)

Hold it there with your finger for a minute until it dries.

Add a button or brad to give it a finished look. With a glue gun, attach a straw, skewer, or dowel to the back of the pinwheel. We were actually able to attach our straws to the inside of one of the loops of the pinwheels so that the back of them looked more finished.

If you use straws, you can stick one inside the other to give it more length and you can also cut them to different heights very easily so that you can display them at your liking!

*** We also filled our vases with candy for the center pieces, the ones in the pictures have the following candies (which we bought inexpensively in bulk from Winco). The candies held the pinwheels in place (and served as a fun snack for guests!):

• lemon drops
• bubble gum balls
• double bubble
• cinnamon disks
• orange slices
• mini and large marshmallows
• colored, wrapped swirly balls
• giant gumdrops

.....We stayed clear of anything that would melt in the sun!...

Table Top Centerpiece...

Here's a really easy craft- it would be perfect to do with a bunch of girls on a craft night because the supplies are minimal and the prep is pretty simple. All you need is a 2 x 4 and access to a table saw. I had my father-in-law cut these for me in 4", 5", and 6" blocks. I pre-marked them with a pencil, and he cut the whole 2 x 4 in just a few minutes. After that, I gave a quick sand to the ends to get rid of any sharp edges, then painted the blocks and wrote the letters. I originally saw them in a boutique downtown (they were pink and green with yellow letters and said "SPRING") I couldn't resist the chance of making a set of my own. You could get really creative with the season, sayings, or even use names on them for a kids bedroom. Use glitter or ribbon or whatever other embellishments you want and display them on any table or buffet for your next gathering!