Wednesday, January 15, 2014

quick + easy party DIY: the reusable sharpie pennant banner


I used to think I was into quick and easy projects back when I had four kids {all of five months ago :P}. Then baby #5 came along and the words "quick and easy" took on a whole new meaning. :) Tiny hands are now grabbing everything I have within reach, and my hands-free time when I'm home is usually less than 15 minutes, or when daddy is free. {I'm totally typing this one-handed now!}

I helped a small bit with a baby shower for a friend last week, and my part in decorating for it was making a banner. I knew I wanted something personal and reusable for after the baby grows into toddlerhood, so I decided to use tiny clothespins on ribbon so they could change decor as he gets bigger. I found all the supplies I needed at Hobby Lobby {unfortunately not on sale, just with a mobile coupon}. 


I found cardboard chipboard letters and these pre-cut pennant shapes near the scrapbooking section {I may or may not have squealed when I found them}. Next time I might plan ahead a little and cut out my own shapes out of an old drop cloth, but then it wouldn't be as quick and easy, would it?... :P

Step 1:: Center and trace your chipboard letters in pencil {be sure to check beforehand where you need to position them all if you need wide letters like "M" and "W"}: 


Step 2:: Fill in your traced letter with sharpie color of your choice.


I wanted mine to look a bit grayed/vintage:


I freehanded two elephant ones to add to each end for the theme {don't look too closely ;)}:


Step 3:: Clothespin them to your extra long ribbon. {I think this clothespin attachment would also be great for a generic "happy birthday" or "welcome baby" banner so that you could easily switch the ribbon out for each party's theme!}


And like that, you're done! You have a personal, reusable banner that you could make with what you have on hand, or even for just a few dollars at the store.


The whole project took me about an hour, but that's probably because I worked on it a little bit at a time. I'm slow, but hey, that's just how we roll these days. ;)

Are you a party banner person?
When I was a kid we had that metallic happy birthday on rivets, and I put it out for every birthday I could. I think I've always loved them.  :)

Favorite childhood birthday memory?
Birthdays were always so fun at our house growing up. My mom always did a good job of making us feel special for our birthday. My favorites were the hayride/harvest party sleepover for my 13th birthday, a huge skating party when I was little, and getting flowers delivered to school when I was in elementary. And that time my dad dressed up like a clown for my 5th birthday was priceless.  :)

How do you like to celebrate birthdays at your house?
One tradition is that we let the children pick anything they want for dinner and dessert on their birthday.  We always have fun with that one! :)


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