Paper Cloud {tutorial and details}

 Last summer I had a vision of this "paper cloud" I wanted to make to hang on the top of my hall bulletin board. I like to do some kind of decoration that can be left up all year. I have done paper pom-poms and paper buntings but I wanted to do something a little different and this paper cloud was just perfect.

Everything you need can be bought at Walmart or on Amazon.

What you will need:

Cardstock

{amazon link}

I used a variety of different colors and even a ton from my "scrap bucket". 

You will need lots of different colors and sizes.

Foam Piece

{amazon link} 

This picture is the exact piece of foam I bought from Walmart. 

It is a 36x12x1". It cost $7.46 at Walmart or $8.68 on Amazon.

Ball Pins

{amazon link} 

I used 1 1/2 box of these pins. There are 360 in each box. So, my paper cloud has around 500 pins in it. {Sore fingers.. yep! Make sure you pick the pins that have balls on the end.} This little box is $2.97 at Walmart or $4.19 on Amazon.

Pipe Cleaners

{amazon link}

I used probably around 30 different colored pipe cleaners.

Also, I made a matching small wreath to hand on my door to tie in my door to my bulletin board. 

I bought this small foam wreath from the Dollar Tree.

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So, to make the paper cloud {or wreath} is the simplest thing you can do. 

It just takes awhile. Be patient!

Cut TONS of cardstock into different lengths and sizes.

Fold the card stock about an inch from the top or bottom into a L shape.

Pin the folded part into your foam.

repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat and REPEAT

and just randomly throw in some pipe cleaners here and there by 

twisting them around a pencil to make them curly!

 So, just a few other tips or insights...

This took me several hours. But, it was a mindless activity I did while watching TV.

The foam sheds little pieces.. be warned it makes a mess!

 Put down a sheet to cover your floor or table to make cleaning up easier.

Figuring out how to hang it up was the hardest part! Seriously, my mom and I did a lot of thinking! She ended up hanging it with long nails. It is actually nailed into the wall above my bulletin board NOT into the actual bulletin board. 

Don't forget to do the sides and bottom of the foam piece.

After we got it attached to the wall and board I added a bunch more paper to fill in some gaps.

I took my wreath off my door after about a month. It was losing a few pieces. I don't know if this was from the cheap foam piece I bought at Dollar Tree, from it being on a door that was consistently opening and closing or maybe from little hands touching it.

I joked about the cloud on the board that it might not last a month. It lasted ALL YEAR! In fact, I stopped by my room today {June 30th} and it is still going strong. 11 months later! This picture above shows it the last week of school. 

It worked perfect on my hall bulletin board all year and 

I love it just as much today as I did the day I finished it.