So, like the rest of the Internet universe, the instant I saw this wax paper backdrop, I went positively nuts for it. I came upon it on via Style Me Pretty and it was around the time that I got engaged, so I just knew I had to have it at my own wedding!

And, lo and behold, I’ve made it simpler and waaaaay quicker to do! No sewing or stitching like in the original DIY, though all credit goes to them for this genius and cheap-as-chips idea – not to mention the patience to thread hundreds of cones…!

This literally became a daily DIY in my household, with a night of bridesmaid crafts, or series on the couch with the man. I’ve barely been without twine, wax paper cuttings or scissors in the past few weeks and I’m about 50 strands in!

I’ve been wary of having one of those dreaded ‘Pinterest Weddings’, you know, where all your guests are like ‘this is so derivative…’ (Not that I have guests like that, but still). But we have a freestanding, wrought iron fireplace slap-bang in the middle of the room, right behind our bridal table at the reception. I was thinking of how to cover it up without it being ugly – I mean, this thing is HUGE and it’s the middle of summer… So I thought this cone backdrop would be the perfect thing to obscure this strange eyesore and bring in some wistful whimsy. You guys have got. to. try. this. It sways in the breeze like a giant jellyfish and makes the most gorgeous sound! I don’t want to ruin it for my guests, so I’ll show you all what it looks like all hung up on the Big Day :)

Here’s what you need to make this gorgeous wax paper backdrop for your next party, wedding or just to hang around the house, because why not:

WAX PAPER BACKDROP

 

INSTRUCTIONS

I tried to follow the steps in the original post, and either we have very fine wax paper here in South Africa or these ladies have the dexterity of an eight year old gymnast, but each time I sewed a stitch, the paper tore. Cut to me sitting amid fifty scrunched up balls of wax paper, about to break down in tears/explode/take it out on Tim, and… enter a brainwave! GLUE! I mean, come now. Glue, people! So here’s what I did:

01. Fold reams of wax paper ontop of itself until you have an even square. Cut out a large circle from this square. Don’t worry about making them perfect, unless you’re into that kinda thing… Cut the stack of cut-out circles in half so you have semi circles.

02. Glue a line on one half of the flat side, and then curl over the one glued corner into the other to form a cone. There should be a tiny hole at the top of the cone, but if there isn’t one you can cut one; just don’t it too big. As the cones piled up, I put them in a small jar to store and protect them (I sat on quite a few myself…). If this isn’t clear enough, I made a little video to show you how – just excuse the out-of-focus bits:

 

03. Tie a knot on one end of the length of twine. Thread on one cone at a time, first tying a knot before adding the next one. I sort of eyeballed where to tie the next knot and the varying lengths gave it quite a casual, organic feel. At the other end of the length of twine, once you’ve filled it with cones, tie a round knot leaving a hoop.

04. When you’re done with all your strands, thread another length of twine through the top hoops of the strands, to form the curtain. Distance them however far apart you’d like.

I ended up with about 50 strands, all different lengths and hung in layers on top of each other to create depth. The result is a soft, light-filled and gently swishing curtain and I absolutely LOVE IT!!!

And that’s it! This whole DIY cost me about R20 and I have an awesome backdrop to hide a fireplace at the wedding venue. SO EXCITED! THREE WEEKS TO GO!! I’ll be sure to post pics once on Instagram when they’re up at the wedding. Now just to transport them…

EDIT: As promised, here’s what the finished product looked like at our gorgeous wedding reception:

♥ Dani