How To: Birthday Banner

This upcoming Thursday is my brother's birthday, so I thought I would get a jump start on things with today's post: how to make a birthday banner. This one is very simple and can turn any room into a party room. All you will need is some colored paper, a marker, string and a hole punch (or anything that can punch holes).

The first step is to cut your paper into small shapes, one for each letter that you are wanting to spell. (For "Happy Birthday" you will need 13 pieces). I chose to cut mine into squares with rounded edges. You can choose to cut the shapes as large or small as you would like, but generally 2"x2" is a good size. Once you have your paper cut, take your marker and write out one letter on each piece. Next, punch a hole on the right and left side of each paper. Take your string (I used birthday wrapping ribbon) and cut it into long strips. You will want a strip for each word, making them slightly different lengths so that the banners droop at different levels. Take your first string and thread it through each letter for your first word. To make things easier for myself, I threaded the middle letter of the word first and worked my way out. When you thread your string/ribbon through the letters, make sure you are threading it so the string is on the back of the letter. Once your first word is spelled out on your string, repeat the steps until all three words are threaded onto their string. Finally, arrange on your wall to display!

Even though I chose to make my banner a birthday banner, you can easily use it to spell out anything, or for a variation, you can easily make this craft into a garland by making the strings longer and using blank shapes instead of letters :)