Easy Peasy Party Banner

Why spend up to $12 at the party store on a banner?

Now you can say au revoir to the horrendous generic metallic happy birthday sign that your mama used to leave up for months after your birthday party!

It is so easy and cost-effective to make your own banner at home. All you need is a color printer, card stock, scissors, glue, ribbon, clips and an hour or two! The best thing about creating your own banner is that you have full control of what it will look like. You're not restricted to the nasty silver foil banners they sell at the party store that cost $10 but look like they're worth $1.

Homemade Banner

MATERIALS

Computer or laptop, color printer, copy paper, card stock, glue, scissors, ribbon or string, stapler or clips (paper clips, binder clips, etc.)

DIRECTIONS

1) If you want a phrase banner, use a word processing program such as MS Word and choose a font (bolder, sans serif fonts work the best and are easy to cut out) and color(s) to your liking. Type one letter per page, enlarging the font as big as possible that the page can take (usually around 200-300 point, depending on the font). Adjust the page margins if needed.

2) Print out the document in color; you should have one letter per page.

3) Cut out each letter. I find that doing this while watching a television show makes the task go by faster!

4) Find enough card stock for each letter. Cut out either circles or rectangles big enough to fit and have a one inch border around the cut-out letters. Here, I just so happened to have a set of 5" x 7" papers that didn't need to be cut and fit the letters perfectly.

5) Position each letter on each piece of card stock and glue.

6) For a cleaner look, stack the completed letters together on a table and press by placing heavy books on top overnight.

7) You can use any method to affix the completed letters onto string or ribbon. I happened to have a box of baby shower party favor clips, so I used those to clip each letter onto a piece of white ribbon. You can also use colored paper clips, binder clips or even a stapler to attach the letters. Tip: do not cut the string or ribbon until you have positioned the letters to ensure enough length, and leave an extra 6-10 inches at each end for tying to the wall.

  

Other Banner Ideas

You can make shape banners without text by cutting out shapes directly on card stock. For example, for a barbecue theme, you could cut out simple silhouette shapes of pigs, chickens, cows, etc.

You have full control and creativity!