Re-post: DIY Pacman Garland

Make this awesome Pacman garland for Halloween. Love it in black, but I could also see it in colour.

 Image source: http://www.minieco.co.uk/pacman-halloween-garland/

 The template is free! For instructions and the template, click here

Flower Garland and Updated Birthday Banner

I updated the "Hoppy Birthday" banner for my sister in law's birthday.I changed the "o" to an "a" and switched the bunnies for some pink and red die cut flowers. Cute, and it matched the fireplace quite nicely. 

You can find the original instructions to make the banner here 

Here's a close up of the paper flowers. I bought a large package of them at the dollarstore. Very handy, I've used them for greeting cards, embellishments for gift bags, to decorate easter baskets, the garland below and I still have more!

Flower Garland
Materials:

• paper flowers in your choice of colours
• needle and thread
• tape

This is super easy, I whipped it up in only a few minutes.

 

 Line up your flowers so that you have a relatively straight line, see how the side petals line up? Then simply string the flowers onto your needle and thread from the back side, so the thread runs along the back. Tie off and tape the end to the back of the end flowers. I used a random pattern of all the colours, but feel free to cutomize as you see fit. The only small thing that bugged me-the flowers tended to twist around. A very tiny detail no one would notice except me. I might attach them all individually, like I did with the sweet pea banner when I have some spare time. Sweet pea banner instructions are here
Everyone commented on it, it's a cute way to add a pop of colour to a party.
  And very cheap, it cost only pennies.

Re-post: Balloon Garland

 Image source: http://blogs.babycenter.com/life_and_home/balloon-garlands-so-easy-its-crazy/

I love this super easy and fun balloon garland. Another great example of how a simple inexpensive item can be transformed into something fantastic. And this project is super easy. All you need are balloons and ribbon.
Check out the instructions here

Hoppy Birthday Banner

Materials:

• card stock in your choice of colours (2-4 colours)
• letters (stickers, scrapbooking or cut your own)
• ribbon
• glue stick
• pencil and ruler
• scissors

I used pre-cut card stock for this project, which makes it easier and faster than a circular garland. I bought a package of pre-cut cardstock in four colours at the dollarstore. Each piece is 61/2 inches by 41/2 inches.
First decide on what you want the banner to say, as well as any additional decorative pieces. Lay out your pieces so you can see how it looks before you start. Once you are happy with the colours combinations, cut our all your letters I used a combination of white, off-white and two shades of  brown. I drew the letters freehand, but feel free to use a template or pre-cut scrapbooking letters or stickers. Lots of options available at dollar and craftstores. Once you like what you see, glue on your letters and embellishments-lining them up all the bottom edge will help it look even.

 

I added a silhouette of a bunny wearing a party hat to each end of the "hoppy" banner. I cut out the bunny, the triangle and the pom pom from paper and drew the details with a pencil.

Next I made a "pocket" for the ribbon by measuring out an one inch fold and gluing it to the back side. I applied just a thin strip of glue-don't glue the pocket shut. Think of a curtain panel, the ribbon will be like the rod. I used the side of the glue stick to get a very thin line.

Once all the glue is dry, slide your ribbon through each letter, making sure the letters spell out the word correctly and knot the ribbon on each side. I did the banner this way because I wanted to be able to re-use parts of it. I can keep the "birthday" as is, and take out the bunnies and the "o" from "hoppy" to change it to a standard birthday banner instead. Just un-tie the knot and slip off the letters.

It's actually really easy to make a custom banner, they look great and can be customized. Much better than the tin foil ones at party stores. For the instructions on how to make a circular banner, check out the "sweet pea" banner here

 

I am thinking about making some felt garlands and pennant banners, they'll be longer lasting and can be used in various ways for lots of different kinds of events.

Sweet Pea Banner and Garland

This project is super adaptable and actually really easy. The same method can be used for any garland in any colour, for any season or holiday.

Materials:

• card stock (2-3 colours)
• string of some kind ( I used embroidery floss)
• letters-can be stickers, scrapbooking or cut out your own
• gluestick
• sewing needle
• circle cutter-not necessary but highly recommended
  

To make the banner-first figure out how many letters you need to spell your word. I used 8, and added 3 extra as spacers. I decided on 2 3/4 inch circles-big enough to see clearly but not so big to use up too much card stock.

I used the teal green colour for the background colour, and the kelly green for the letters and the accents. As you can see from the picture, I cut out 8 circles from the teal cardstock, and 3 circles from the kelly cardstock.

I drew the letters freehand-they are about 2 inches high on the kelly and cut them out with scissors. Feel free to use a template, stickers or die cuts if you are not comfortable drawing freehand.

Glue the letters to the circles. I find a glue stick is best. Liquid glue tends to wrinkle the paper when it dries.

To attach the circles together, I punched a hole with a sewing needle on each of the circle, making sure the holes lined up in a row, then I strung the circles onto the embroidery floss.

For the garland, I used 1 1/4 inch circles in three colours: the same teal and kelly green, and added a third colour-a sage green. I also punched a hole in each side of the circle and strung with embroidery floss. The hardest part of both these items is cutting out the circles. If you have a circle cutter, it is much faster and easier. The nice part of these garland is that they fold up nicely into a stack which is easy to transport and store and doesn't tangle.

Craft idea: Wooden Shapes

I bought some unfinished wood shapes from the dollarstore. One package of flowers, and one of butterflies. 10 shapes for $1. Not bad. But what to do with them? Here are some fun and frugal ideas. They make great gifts and are simple enough for children to make. This can also be incorporated into a party, as both an activity to occupy guests and as a take home favour.


Fridge Magnets

Materials:
Unfinished wood shapes
Craft paint in assorted colours
Tray or palette for mixing colours (try an ice cube tray!)
Paint brushes, smaller are better
Adhesive craft magnets

Step one:
Lay down some newspaper, especially if you want to do this craft with children. Assemble the painting supplies and pick out which colours to use.

Step two:
Paint your wooden piece with a base coat. I found the paint soaked in, so two coats are usually needed. Don't forget to paint the edges! This is where it can get a bit messy.

Step three:
Once the base is try, it's time to add the details! This is the fun part. Use a small brush and take your time. Do darker colours first, then add the lighter colours. Let dry thoroughly.

Step four:
Once completely dry, flip your peice over and attach a small magnet. I used a roll of adhesive magnet and snipped off a small piece of maget for each shape. Ta da! That's it! Super easy, right?

So, what else can we do with these?

Gift Bags:
Glue a shape on to a plain gift bag. Bonus if you make a magnet first, and then tape it to the bag.

Ribbon garland:
Glue the shapes onto a ribbon for a fun garland. Great for parties. Why not a christmas themed one to decorate your tree or fireplace?

Mobile:
Carefully poke a hole into each shape with a large needle or awl. Hang the shapes from an embroidery hoop with string or fishing line. Hang some longer and some shorter, being careful to balance the weight so it hangs evenly. It would make a very inexpensive and customized mobile.

Christmas decorations:
Poke a hole into each, thread with metallic thread and hang on your tree. Use shapes such as stars and snowflakes.


Try it out! It's fun and cheap!