Hey, Readers!
The big day is almost upon us. In my home, we are getting down to the last-minute items on our Christmas To-Do List, and we cannot wait to celebrate with family this year. Once the decorations were put up around our home, I felt that there was something missing from the space in front of the window in our dining room. After scratching my head for a few minutes, I came up with an idea to create a fun and festive bunting project to fill in this space.
These are the materials you will need in order to pull this project off:
- Cardstock in festive holiday colours (8.5 cm x 11 cm)
- Jute
- Cotton blanket
- Blank/Computer paper
- Tacky glue
- Scissors
- Tape measure
- Ruler
- Pencil
- Eraser
- Box cutter (optional)
- Glue gun (optional)
- Marker (optional)
Why use cardstock? Here are two reasons why I stock up on this type of paper for crafts:
- Construction paper is not as firm as cardstock. It tears easier, and buckles when wet or nicked a bit.
- The colours pop more with cardstock than with construction paper.
Below are the instructions to use to create your own festive holiday banner.
1. Write out the word or phrase you want to use for your banner. This way, you can figure out how the different colours of cardstock you will need and the letter size you want.
2. Measure the space you would like to hang your banner with the measuring tape to make sure it will fit in the space and to finalize the letter size you want.
3. Figure out how big you would like your letters. I fiddled around with the fonts in the writing document application on my computer since I am not the greatest at creating them on my own freehand. I used the “Ravie” font at the 214 size for the letters I wanted. Print out the letters and cut them out. If you are running low on ink, use the same colour of marker to fill in the white spots. Note – If you have the talent to freehand the letters, write them out in the size you desire on the blank paper with pencil and them colour them in with a marker.
4.After finding out how big I wanted my letters to be, put a letter up against the cardstock to see how much of it I would need as the background for the letters and to fold over the jute. I found out I needed two sheets of red cardstock and two sheets of green cardstock since the letters took up a little less than one-quarter of cardstock.
5. Cut the letters out of the piece of paper they were printed/designed on.
6. Cut the pieces of cardstock to the size you need. For a straighter line, I used a box cutter, a ruler and a hard surface I did not mind getting nicks and scratching on to get a cleaner line for the background colours.
7. Score the amount of cardstock you would like to use for the flap to attach to the jute with the box cutter so it will fold over easier. Make sure you score the backside of the cardstock so it looks rounded and will bend easier. You also use a draw a line with a pencil and ruler on this paper and gently fold it over to do this step.
8. Line up the letters with the corresponding colours of cardstock they will be attached to in order to avoid gluing a letter onto the wrong piece of cardstock.
9. Minding the clearance given to the section that will fold over the jute, glue the letters in the center of the cardstock.
10. Once the glue is dry, stretch out a line of jute and align the letters along its length. This will help you figure out the spacing out the letters correctly and if more than one line of jute is needed. I allowed for 3 inches of space between each letter. I also left a generous amount of space at the ends so it can hang down. I think it looks nicer than if it was pinned at the end of the jute.
11. Measure the cotton blanket to cover all of the back flap and two inches above each of the letters on the cardstock.
12. Cut out the cotton blanket pieces and use tacky glue to attach them to the cardstock for a snowy and festive look.
13. Find the center of the jute and place it in the middle of your work surface. I used a piece of twine to mark this spot just in case the jute shifted.
14. Line up the word or phrase in the correct order.
15. Find the middle letter of the word or phrase on the cardstock to be attached to the jute and center it along the jute. Flip it upside-down.
16. Remove the twine on the jute and use your heated glue gun to attach the cardstock to the jute. Tacky glue can also be used if little ones are assisting in this craft. Press along the flap where the glue was used so it will stick together. Continue to add the cardstock to the jute working from the inside of the word or phrase to the first/last letter with the desired spacing. Allow to dry.
17. Affix the banner to the surface you measured out at the beginning of this project, leaving some jute dangling off the ends. I used push pins and stuck them into the frame of the window to keep them from falling down. You can also use suction cup hooks or other non-hole forming aids to keep your work on the wall or banister.
There you have it! This is how I created this fun and festive banner to help bring some holiday spirit to our home. There are so many ways you can put your own spin to this project. For New Year’s Eve, I would use shiny cardstock or trace the letter attached to the cardstock with glitter glue. You can add holiday pictures or symbols onto cardstock along the cardstock, or mix them in with the letters. This banner idea can also be used for birthdays or other occasions.
If you are in a pinch to add some more holiday flair to your home, this Fun & Festive DIY Banner project is easy and fun to create. It is more fun when the family is involved. I hope you enjoy putting together this project as much as I do!
What is your favourite holiday or festive DIY project to put together?
Until my next post, Readers,
Reese.
Reese Speaks 