I don’t really like to craft anymore. I used to. So I have it in my blood. I also do not like to let my kids help me when I do craft because, as “teachable” of a moment as that is, it just makes the craft project that much more difficult to accomplish. So, when my almost 6 year old asked me to make sure she had a banner for her upcoming party, I had to come up with something. It is afterall, still no-spend January (still more about that later), so I could not just hop on etsy and grab something already beautifully made. That would cost money.
I also used to scrapbook. Don’t like to do that anymore either. Oh how I love me some digital photobooks from shutterfly!! Because I used to and don't anymore, I have a lot of scrapbooking paper that needs to be put to good use. That is one of the beautiful things about no-spend month. You clean out a lot of things you have had a hard time finding a use for, and you have to get creative. Anyway, I got to work on a banner that turned out so great that I had to post. Now, here is where the Truthful Mommy will differ from some other blogs. A lot of things have to come together to make this project “easy.” I am not going to lie and say all of you can whip this up in no time and make it worth your precious time.
For one, if it is not no-spend time for you, buy one!! The printable ones on etsy are great and really inexpensive. Those ladies on there are so super creative. Two, you need lots of fun card stock and scrapbooking paper. So if you don’t already have that lying around, or you can’t find it on the clearance rack, it may not be worth the investment in paper. It is not a fast fix banner. You also should have knowledge of photoshop or some other editing software. If all of those things fall in to place for you then go for it. Or if you are just a big fan of DIY crafts, then it can be a fun one…
1-Decide what your banner will say. For us we needed 9 letters. So, find enough pieces of 12x12 solid color card stock, 12x12 fun patterned paper, and 8.5 x 11 solid card stock. Then find 3 different sized circles to trace. I used Tupperware and lids.
Tip: do one letter first and put it all together before you make the whole banner to make sure you like the sizes, etc.
2-Trace the largest circle onto the 12x12 solid sheets, cut out. Trace the middle circle onto the patterned sheets, cut out.
3-Lay the smaller pattern circles on top of the large solid circles to make sure you like the color combos and how they go together. Lay them out in the order you like them best.
4-download some fun free fonts from www.dafont.com and print really large letters onto the 8.5x11 solid card stock sheets. (this is where you have to be internet, downloading and editing software savvy) Or you could just use the fonts that are already loaded on your computer. I used “wood sticks” from the Dafont site because my outdoorsy girl wants a camping party in the middle of Jan.
5-Print the letters at the size you want them. Make sure they fit inside the smallest circle you chose. I made mine about 5.5 inches tall.
6-glue the smallest to the middle circle. Then that to the largest. And there you have it!
7-Punch holes in the top, string them together and then I just taped the top to the string so that they don’t slide around. I am sure there is a better way. But I am always looking for the easy way out!
So, there it is!! The birthday girl’s banner. Of course, yours can say whatever you please. She is happy, I am finished, and the husband likes that it was free!
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