Spring Birds and Bees Tassels

I have three new birds and bees ornaments in my shop. To celebrate spring, I designed this Tassel DIY to go along with them. Here in California, we didn't get a single day of rain in January, so it's hard to tell what season it is. But they're fun to make and decorate anytime.

And the ornaments make lovely valentines gift wrap.

There are three different sets of birds and bees.

To make the two larger tassels you'll need

SUPPLIES: A 12" x 12" piece of mulberry or other fibrous "rice" paper that holds up when wet, twine,  Elmers glue, and a cup of water.

 1. Fold the paper in half. Crease 1" down from the folded side. Cut into two pieces and cut fringe.

 Open each piece and roll it up.

 Twist the center to tighten it up a little. Tie the twine on one end and then wrap it around the center for two inches.

Fold the tassel in half and wrap a little more at the base of the loop. Tie it off.

 Mix about two TBS of glue with one cup water, stir well.

 Give the tassel a dip.

Here's the labor intensive part –  separate all the fringe and twist each piece between your fingers. Hang it up to dry then tie on any ornament.

Here is another slightly more complicated version that I made with the evil eye charms.