Some friends and I threw a jungle themed baby shower for a friend and were needing decorations for the house. I love the look of a clean, well thought out banner to add personalization to the party. Here is how to make and EASY, inexpensive paper banner you can use to fit any them you want! I used scrapbooking paper and really, the hardest part of the whole thing was cutting on the lines (refer to your kindergarten days!) This is a fun project for weddings, graduations, birthdays, baby showers, anything! It can be a great activity to do with your kids or while drinking wine with your girlfriends. I would love to see your creations.
Supplies for Paper Banner:
- Scrapbook Paper- any size. I used 12″x12″ and was able to get 4 flags from each paper. Choose 2-6 colors or patterns that match your theme. Here is what I choose:
- Plain Card Stock- I used an off-white color but you can use whatever works with your color scheme (here)
- Sticker Letters- I found these black and white polka dot letters in the scrapbook section that are about 2.5″ tall. (here)
- Adhesive Squares- you can use a glue stick if you want…i just don’t like the way it can look bubbled (here)
- Large Animal Stickers- or whatever matches your theme. Craft stores have a lot of neat stickers for scrapbooking. I found ones that are fairly large, around 2-3 inches so it fills up the space on your flag. (here)
- Scissors
- Wide Clear tape
- Ruler
- Twine or ribbon (here)
- Plastic drinking straws
Step 1:
Cut the scrapbook paper into the shape of your flag. I like the look of the rectangular flag with the triangle cut out on the bottom. I measured out 4 squares per 12″x12″ sheet of paper. Repeat this with all the patterned or colored paper you have for your theme. I used 3 different colors, all with different polka dot patterns.
Step 2:
Cut the solid colored card stock that will fit on top of the scrapbook paper with the same shape only slightly smaller.
Step 3:
Using your adhesive squares or glue, attach the solid cardstock to the scrapbook paper, pattern side up.
Step 4:
Figure out the order of colors you want your flags to be in then place on your letters. Make sure you have everything spelled right and the letters are in order of how you want them on the banner.
Step 5:
I used the animal stickers to make spacer flags between words or at the beginning and end of the banner.
Step 6:
Cut several drinking straws in half. Flip over your flag so it is face down and using the wide packing tape, tape the straw across the top of the flag. try to get it near the top leaving only enough room to have a solid surface for the tape to attach to. Trim any extra tape that is hanging over the top of the flag.
Step 7:
Measure out the length of the twine or ribbon you will need. I left a lot of extra on the ends because I wasn’t sure where I was going to hang it at the baby shower. Wrap one end of the twine tightly with a small piece of tape to make it easier to thread through the straws.
Step 8:
I found the easiest way was to start with the middle flag and thread it onto the twine or ribbon. I then tied knots on both sides of the straw to keep the flag in place. This step can be optional if you don’t mind them moving along the twine when it’s hanging.
Here is the finished project!
Happy crafting!
