What to do when it's snowing outside? Upcycle!

That wedding was beautiful, and the tulle really served well. But what to do with the leftovers after the "I do's" are proclaimed and rings are exchanged? Of course, I stuffed the tulle in a bag and forgot about it (that's what I do with most wayward things in my house. Perhaps a future post will be about a self-inflicted bag ban). 

If I recall correctly, I had about 5 yards worth of tulle. Of course, my first step was checking out Pinterest to figure out a new use for the netting. I considered making pom poms, but then what would I do with a whole bunch of white fluffy pom poms? Then I thought about a wreath, but it would have to be an inside wreath in order for it not to be filthy in a couple of nanoseconds, and I don't have any interior doors in need of adornment. 

Then I spotted a tulle tutu tutorial (say that three times fast). Disclaimer: I've actually attempted a tulle tutu before, but quickly abandoned the idea once I figured out HOW MUCH it would cost using rolls of tulle. Instead, the one I bought on Amazon cost half as much as one roll of tulle. But I digress... the bottom line is that this is a great project if you buy yards of tulle and make your own strips. If you go the convenient route, expect to pay for the convenience.

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Yesterday was a snow day, and I dearly needed it. I feel like my weekends fly by. I still have a mess in my dining room from Christmas (um... wasn't Valentine's Day just the other day?!), and I sorely needed some time to hang out in in my house and do stuff. So yesterday I tackled the chaos of gift bags, wrapping paper, and gift tags still lingering about. I found a wad of tulle that I originally purchased for my mother-in-law's wedding (we hosted at our house, the weekend after Turkey Day). Here was its original purpose:

I didn't really follow any particular tutorial, because this one is pretty self-explanatory. Here are my simple steps:

Step 1: Gather materials

I had some leftover ribbon from an old wreath and about 5 yards of tulle.

Step 2: Cut strips

I cut strips of tulle. A lot of them. I wasn't precise at all - the strips don't have to be perfect.

Step 3: Loop and tie strips to a ribbon (or elastic, for longevity)

I tied the ribbon between a door knob and the handle of my china hutch to give it some tension and make tying the tulle strips easier. Then I looped and tied the strips onto the ribbon, until I had enough to fit all the way around my kiddo. 

Step 4: The finishing touches

I hot glued some ribbon over the tops of the loops. You could also leave it as is, but some of my knots looked messy. To finish it more, I did some hand stitching, just to keep everything in place. Then I put the tutu on the kiddo, and trimmed the tulle until I liked the length. She was pleased as punch, and it was the perfect way to dress up her jammies on a snow day. As she said, "Mommy! Now we're ready to go to the royal ball!" 

Perfect.