Coffee filter poofs (spray painted in any color!)

So it is no secret that I love crafting with coffee filters!  They are cheap and adorable when made into something like my favorite wreaths.

This white coffee filter wreath hangs in my dining room. People hardly ever guess what it is made of the first time they see it.

And this brown coffee filter wreath hangs on the inside of my garage door in my kitchen.  (This is made from brown coffee filters you can buy in the store not used coffee filters! )

And now I have found another use for coffee filters…

I am sure you have seen these poofs made out of tissue paper all around Pinterest.  (Instructions on how to make these on Martha Stewart weddings.)

I have made those before and they weren’t all that easy or extremely cheap.  You need multiple sheets of the same color of tissue which usually means buying several multi-colored packs of tissue just to use one color in the pack (even at $1 each times 6 is still $6.)  Then once you get it folded and fastened, pulling it apart to form the balls is not easy either – it tears and it is just not fun.

So when I needed to make some more poofs for a bridal shower I decided to try something different.

I started with some newspaper (FREE!) and balled it up into a ball and then secured with some tape.  I did several of these balls in varying sizes.  (If you were worried about the newspaper showing, you could glue a coffee filter or 2 around the ball to make it a solid color.)

Then I still had a pack of coffee filters left from my wreaths and I spread a bunch out on the floor. (A pack of 200 coffee filters usually costs around $1-1.50.  I got 6 small – large poofs with about 200 filters).  And I started gluing with my hot glue gun!  Just like how I did my coffee filter wreaths – I scrunched up the bottom of the filter, applied the glue, and stuck it onto my newspaper ball.

Sorry, it was late and I somehow didn’t get any other pictures.  But keep scrunching and gluing until your ball is all covered with filters..

Now you have a choice – leave it white or make them colored!

I picked up 2 cans of Krylon spray paint at Wal-mart in a light green color called “Pistachio” and and light pink called “Ballet Slipper.”  I just lightly sprayed all sides of the poof with the spray paint and let them dry overnight.  As you can see the edges of the poof are a little darker and the inside is a little lighter.  I LOVE that!  Almost look like color dipped carnations.

Here is how I used them at the bridal shower I decorated for a few weeks ago. 

A few of them hung with some paper bells.

And a grouping of poofs over the food table. You can use clear fishing line and a paperclip to hang them. 

So cheap and much easier to make!  I think these hold their shape better as well too.  The ones I made last year with tissue paper have gotten all scrunched up in storage and I am not sure that they will be able to be used again.  Even if these coffee filter poofs get scrunched they are easier to pull back out into shape. 

I have also seen these on Pinterest in a nursery or kids room and I think that is adorable too!

Over the crib

So have fun creating some coffee filter poofs!  And coloring them in any color you wish with some spray paint!   And yes, my mind is already spinning with the fact that I can now spray paint coffee filter wreaths in any color that I want too – anyone for a yellow, gray, or red coffee filter wreath?   If you make a poof or wreath and spray paint it, I would love to see it!  Email it to me or post it on my facebook wall.  I can’t wait to see what you come up with.