January 14, 2015

DIY: Paper Bunting Banner

I'll leave you with the mystery of what my banner said...an ode to shag carpets or Sharknado, perhaps?
Sometimes you just have to celebrate! What better way to do so than with your very own DIY bunting banner? JK, I can think of, like, eight better ways to celebrate just off the top of my head. I won't bore you with that stream-of-consciousness list, but I will say that one of them involves petting a rabbit while eating a mint chocolate chip ice cream cone that magically never melts. Anyway, bunting banners are pretty cool, too. I made this one for a Lumberjack-themed wedding shower (a Lumberjack & Jill), so it's red and black in honor of plaid flannel shirts. You can pick whatever stuff you like instead, but here's how to get down to business:



WHAT YOU NEED
Thick paper or cardstock (I used scrapbook paper)
Printed letters
Scissors
Glue Stick
Ruler
Pencil
Hole Punch
String to hang the banner
Cutting Mat (optional)
X-acto Knife (optional)


HOW TO DO IT
First things first - you need those perfect little bunting triangles. I wanted to get as many as I could on each sheet of paper (I'll pretend this is for eco-friendly reasons, but mostly it's because I'm paying by the sheet). To do so, I drew the triangles in the below pattern, which allows for maximum space usage, as well as minimum cutting, for those of us that are both too lazy to cut straight lines and too cheap to shell out an additional 25 cents per sheet. It's a special club - welcome aboard!
My triangles are about 6" across the base edge and the paper is a 12" square.
You probably thought I was just lazy before, trying to minimize my triangle edge cutting, but really I just knew the kind of tedious slicing and dicing that was on the horizon - the letter cutting! I had almost 30 letters and symbols to cut out, so I chose a simple font to keep the work to a minimum.
Find the size and font you like, type your words into a word processing document and print.
SOME TIPS:
* I used a 250 point font
* To get white letters, set the font to white with a thin black outline - only the outline will print
* Choose a simple bold font with mostly straight edges
* Please, For the Love of Ray J, don't use a serif font unless you have 6 hours to kill and happen to be interested in developing carpal tunnel syndrome
* Some good basic choices are Arial Black and Impact. As much as it pains me to say, this is not the time to show off your font fetish (probably the only time though).


Okay, now we're on Easy Street (please tell me if you actually live on Easy Street, as well as when the next available home is opening up on your block). Use the glue stick to glue the letters in the center of the triangles. Smooth them down to avoid bumps.


Now, we're rounding third and I'm mixing metaphors! You just need to punch a hole in the top corners of every triangle. I was originally going to use a heart shaped hole punch, but it just didn't work out. One day at a time.


To finish, just string your string (hmmm, both a verb and a noun!) through the holes you just punched. I used an over/under technique, but do the opposite if you want to hide the string.

Now all you gotta do is mount that baby at your prestigious event, over your bed, in front of someone else's cubicle or wherever you're trying to bring a little extra joy and panache, as if cubicles could have any more panache, but whatever.

Have you ever made your own banner? What funny banner would you like to see? Do you have a rabbit I could pet?


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44 comments:

  1. HAHAHAH "For the Love of Ray J" !!! Gurl. Hahah!!! Sorry... I love this DIY. It's so cute! It's perfect! I've got some birthdays coming up and will need some decoration advice... I'll absolutely be doing this and hopefully will remember to take a picture to share, too!

    Much Love,
    -Stephanie Eva

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    Replies
    1. Haha, thanks! Yes, this would be perfect for a birthday, especially if you made it with glitter paper! xo

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  2. You are hilarious and I'm definitely saving your flag template because that's super smart. Cheap bastards unite!

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  3. Haha you're so funny!! This DIY is so cute! I'm planning a wine and cheese party and my roommate and I are hosting Superbowl Sunday this year so this is going to come in handy!

    xo Deborah
    Coffee, Prose, and Pretty Clothes

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! You have SO many good excuses to make a fun banner! xo

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  4. Great DIY post!

    Its always so difficult to find a great banner that doesn't look tacky but will definitely have to bookmark this post so I can try this out for a birthday!

    Would love if you could stop by my newly launched website and let me know what you think!

    Helen xx

    http://CH1K.com

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    Replies
    1. Yes, making your own banner, or anything really, lets you make it to your own tastes and avoid - or enhance! - the tackiness (depending on your style). xo

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  5. What a great illustration for getting the most triangles out of a sheet of paper! :)

    -Jessica
    www.wearitforless.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks - sometimes good ideas stem from laziness! xo

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  6. This turned out so well! I love a good banner.

    Amy Ann
    The Real Arnolds

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  7. This is such a cute product!

    God bless,
    XO, Claire
    Http://www.littlemissfashionqueen.blogspot.com

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  8. This is such a cute DIY! Love it! XO

    Anna
    alilyloveaffair.com

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  9. haha you crack me up! This came out so cute!! Such a great DIY!

    <3 Shannon
    Upbeat Soles

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  10. I seriously need to do more DIY's!! Also, your commentary is very entertaining!! Haha.

    Elleosophy

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  11. What a fun craft idea
    xo
    www.laurajaneatelier.com

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  12. i freakin love the best use of space on the card. i would have drawn like two per paper! i'm always team bunting!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha, yes! It took a minute of brain power, but then it was actually easier AND cheaper - two of my favorite things :) xo

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  14. Ahhh this is such a great DIY! Totally going to do this next time I entertain.

    lovejoanna.com

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  15. What a fun and creative post! I love DIY projects and this one is great!
    ~Tatiana
    We Shop in Heels

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  16. I want that ice cream they never melts, if only that existed aha! Love the bunting, it's soo pretty!

    The Velvet Black // UK Style, Beauty Blog

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  17. aah that's so cute! thanks for the tutorial

    from helen at thelovecatsinc.com

    ps. check out my £60 skincare giveaway, if you like! click here.

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  18. This is so cute!! Absolutely love it. I will have to do this for my next party.

    Sam
    Savvy City Chic

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  19. This is great, I love diy projects♥ What if we follow each other? Let me know, sweetie!

    Simona | liveinfoxworld.blogspot.com

    ....

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  20. What a great tutorial!
    I thought it's harder, but you made it look so simple to do))

    Tanya
    www.stripesnvibes.com
    BlogLovin

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  21. The caption to the first pic made me chuckle...your writing style is great, and the bunting is great too :) Danielle x

    frontière girl

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  22. How cute are these!! I'd definitely love to make some to put up in my room :)

    Hannah x | hannatalks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, they make the best cheap decor...bonus points if you use decorative or glitter paper! xo

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  23. What a smart idea! Party decorations can be so expensive, but I'm always scared to DIY. Bookmarking for later:)

    xx
    www.charltonlee.com

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    Replies
    1. Don't be scared! Super simple and user friendly, even for DIY newbies, I promise! xo

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  24. A lumberjack theme for a shower sounds so fun!
    Chic on the Cheap

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    Replies
    1. It was so fun! Red and black plaid fabric, wood cuts and wildflowers for centerpieces, and a tree trunk cake. Very fun and not super common! xo

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