Thank you GLAD for sponsoring this post. Learn how you can reduce waste at your next party!
Mikey’s first birthday party was the first party my husband and I hosted as a couple, and by that point we had been together for almost 7 years. We had people over for dinner, of course, but never a party. Nothing to celebrate our 30th birthdays, my law school graduation, holidays, or whatever other reasons people use to come together. We’re both introverts who avoid being the center of attention.
That’s not to say that I don’t go all out. I do, and Mikey’s first birthday is proof. Sad, sad, proof. I went a little nuts. I invited, oh, everyone we ever knew. I had it catered, had special invitations made, had two outfits for him to wear, and, because it was an Argentine Gaucho theme, had Helena bring over her saddles and bales of hay so the kids could have their pictures taken.
Ever since then, overly produced themed birthday parties leave a bad taste in my mouth.
The one thing I did right was listen to my mother regarding tableware. She felt strongly that paper plates and plastic utensils were a waste of money. She finds them unattractive, flimsy, and bad for the environment. True on all counts, but I didn’t see where we had a choice. She did. In the clearance section of Target she found brightly colored ceramic plates in several patterns. She found matching melamine ones for the kids. She bought enough for everyone attending, and taught me this lesson.
Buy real party plates in fun colors that will work for most party themes. In our case, primary colors since most boy themes (cars, super heroes, animals, etc.) are usually red, blue, green, and yellow. Use them every time you have a party.
I’ve used those plates for birthday parties, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, large dinners, summer barbeques, and ill-fated attempt at Bunco, to name a few. All you need to do is change the flowers and a few incidentals to create a totally different look. Believe it or not, the table never looks the same.
Last year I took that same philosophy and made party decorations I could use again and again, no matter the occasion. I’ve used them at least twice since then, and I am always asked how I made them. They’re easy to make, and I made sure to make them in such a way that you can turn your product waste into party decorations, too.
Here are instructions to make your first set of party decorations.
Here is what you’ll need. Everything (for all the projects in this post) is available at large craft stores, like Michael’s or JoAnn’s.
- Card stock. Do not buy scrapbook paper. You’ll be tempted by the cute patterns, but scrapbook paper is thin enough to curl easily, and it won’t withstand years of use as well as card stock. Speaking of patterns, avoid those with words, letters, or anything that would look silly upside down or cut in half. You’ll be making precise cuts, and an upside-down headless dog won’t look cute on a banner. Unless you’re Tim Burton.
- Yarn. You can use other fibers as well, but you can buy a pound of yarn for around $5.00, and that’s more than you will ever need.
- Glue sticks. Buy the ones with a “no wrinkle” formulation.
- A ruler. You’ll be measuring, so a simple straight edge will not work here.
- A hole punch. Any shape, just make it large enough to thread yarn.
- A cutting device. I recommend a rotary cutter to make quick work of the project. If you don’t have one, you can use the ones at a copy center for free. You can also use an exacto-knife or scissors.
- Buttons. You’ll see.
Fold your card stock in half. You want paper thick enough to stand on end, but not so thick that it cracks when creased.
Take your ruler and a pencil and along the folded side of your card stock make light marks at 0, 4, 8, and 12 inches. Obviously the 0 and 12 inch marks are the ends of the paper. They aren’t necessary, but I still do it.
Next take your ruler and pencil and along the open side of your card stock make light marks at 2, 6, and 10 inches.
Finally, take your ruler and pencil and connect the marks at 0 and 4 on the folded side of your paper with the mark at 2 on the open side of your paper. Do this for all the dots. You’re basically making triangles. Or, like Nicholas noted, a giant zig-zag.
Tip: do this with a light hand. I made sure my lines were dark so that you can see them. If your lines are faint, you won’t see them later. If they’re heavy, you’ll become intimately familiar with your erasure.
Cut out your triangles and separate everything into three piles. You’ll have a pile of doubled-sided folding triangles, single-sided triangles, and goofy triangles.
Grab the double-sided triangles first and lay them out to determine a pattern. You can also wing it.
Determine the length of your banner. Pull that amount of yarn and add an additional 8″ on each side for tails. Lay it out on a large table and position your triangles. See how you like it. I don’t cut the yarn at this point in case I want the banner longer or shorter.
Apply plenty of glue to your triangle and press down firmly for a few seconds before moving on to the next one. When you are done, cut the yarn and finish off the ends with buttons.
Are you ready for your second set of decorations?
The second set of decorations uses the single-sided triangles. The first banner looks great from every direction and can hang from ceilings, across walkways, etc. Banners made from single-sided triangles are better suited for hanging against walls, furniture, or anywhere you won’t see the backside.
These are the most popular homemade banners I have seen. They are often made from scrapbook paper, which is fine if you don’t plan on using them for multiple parties/years. You already know the drill, I’m sure. Prepare your yarn as detailed above. Take your hole punch and punch holes at each end. Thread your yarn like a running stitch and finish with buttons.
(See the pencil marks on the orange triangle?)
Congratulations! You have banners!
(I’ve spread out the triangles a bit in the middle to show you both doubled-sided and single-sided banners can be adjusted for spacing after they are already made.)
We have two more decorations to go before we use up all our card stock. Here is your third set of decorations.
Using the entire pack of 48 sheets of card stock will get you a grip of triangles. You can use them all to make banners, but you can also use some of them to make a fun chandelier garland.
You’ll need
- Three paper punches in sizes ranging from 2″ to less than 1″
- Baker’s twine, #10 size yarn, jute, etc. You need thin fiber, in other words. Embroidery floss is too thin.
- Glue in low or wrinkle free formulation.
Cut your baker’s twine in roughly 18″ lengths. Punch fun shapes from your scraps, making sure you have enough for a front and back side. Generously glue each side, press down firmly, and wait a few seconds before moving on to the next one.
Allow them to dry, and then hang them from your chandelier. You won’t use buttons to finish these off. Instead, trim the twine to the very edge of the bottom shape, like this:
Here it is all together.
What’s that? You see the fourth set of decorations? Yes, just take your triangles–even the goofy ones–and thread them on skewers to make quick cake flags. Easy.
Now, go throw a party!
Gold star! (and sweet dreams, finally)
Thanks. ;)
Good point. I hadn’t thought about it quite that way. :)
This forum needed shaking up and you’ve just done that. Great post!
Awesome ideas! Love that they’re so fuss-free.
Yeah, I learned my lesson the first go round. :)
Love these ideas. Especially about buying the cheap re-usable plates!! I always have this dilemma at party time…hate the look of using paper and hate running my dishwasher multiple times to clean all the real plates. I’ve honestly NEVER thought of melamine-type plates – doh! Thanks so much, your party table is beautiful. :)
Thanks! The melamine was a great compromise for the kids. And, actually, for the adults, too. We ended up getting ceramic for them, but melamine for everyone would have been just fine had we been able to find enough.
Nice work, looks lovely.
Thanks, Kathryn. :)
This looks beautiful, fun and sophisticated – simple and jolly at the same time. Can you let me know where you got the lemonade pitcher and graphic glasses from please. They’re great!
The pitcher was a wedding present from my friend, Tiffany, almost 13 years ago. (Crazy to think it’s been that long.) It’s a Margarita Picture from Williams Sonoma, and they still carry it!
The glasses are from this season, and you can find them at Cost Plus World Market. You can buy them individually in stores, or in sets of 2 online. Scroll around and you can see all the patterns.
These are great, and they look easy. Thanks for the clear instructions and pics. Now I just need to figure out a reason to have a party! :-) (We’re a couple of introverts, too.)
Hah! We’ll have to invite you over for dinner so we can all sit on the sofa and stare at each other.
This post made me so happy! I love the colors of the scrapbook paper. It’s so refreshing to see something other than the usual masked characters stamped on paper plates and banners for a change. Nice and simple. Your floor will be decorated with all that other stuff soon enough as soon as your boys rip open all their presents!
Yes, it’s really easy to add in your characters with other stuff, like napkins, or even the cupcake/cake decorations. That’s why I included the little Spider Man cupcakes, to show that it can work. Obviously at a real party you might see more of that instead of in just 6 little cupcakes, but I didn’t want to waste making/buying food for a post about reducing party waste. ;)
Love this! I’ll be making these for our next birthday party. I’ve always wanted to make a fabric banner but the sewing part intimidates me. This is perfect, Jules.
That’s exactly why I tried card stock. The sewing looked way too hard for me, though people swear it’s easy.
Sewing them is super easy, if you know how to sew! :) You just made a fun option for those that don’t know how to, and that’s awesome. Beautiful intro photo Jules – well done!
Thanks, A. :)
I love this!! I am going to use this for a birthday/going away party in two weeks. Keeping things simple and reducing waste is so refreshing. No over-produced decorations–just originality! THANK YOU!
I’m so glad you like it! Funny thing is, since I started doing parties like this I get so many compliments on how festive everything looks. Funny, because before I used the cheap-o character banners…but I guess they don’t look festive? It’s weird, because I know exactly what they mean.
Very nice!! Great explanation – I need to make some of these. For my daughter’s high school graduation luncheon I bought all kinds of plates from thrift stores. OK – the truth is I’d been buying them because I liked them and finally came up with a use. No theme really, just bought dinner, luncheon, and dessert plates when I saw them and liked them. I got so many nice comments about that. We rarely entertain, but I used them again for her college graduation brunch last year, and she is getting her master’s so I have at least that to go – and she called me 5 minutes ago to say really she needs a PhD :)
The thrift store is smart. I wasn’t so savvy almost 8 years ago, but it’s definitely something I would do now.
p.s. Way to go on the PhD! :)
I LOVE this! It’s right up my alley of reusing and recycling plus the idea of no waste makes it perfect.
You did a fantastic job with the colors! I need to do this for Jake party at the end of this month! I’ll let you know how it turns out!
Thanks!
xo
That’s great, Jill! I can’t wait to hear how it goes.
Love it! This is great. Thank you for the tips and inspiration.
Thanks and you’re welcome! :)
Fabulous tutorial! I don’t know what it is about banners and garland but throw one or two up and instant party! I love reusing things for a party, too. My latest thing is candle jars. Once the candle burns down I clean it out and use them for flower vases and centerpieces. So simple and yet so fun . . . and really, what more could you ask for in a party?
Instant party is the best way to describe it, definitely!
There is one brand of olive oil I like that comes in a metal tin. I like to save them and use them for planters or to hold flowers.
pinpinpin
pleasepleaseplease
Oh my god, you are brilliant. I am totally taking your melamine plate advice, and will start using naptimes to prep the banners and garlands for use at all future parties. My husband’s 40th is coming up in a year and half…I’m fairly certain I can manage to get it all ready by then.
These look fantastic – both the decorations and the photos themselves. This is cheering me up, and I didn’t know I needed cheering.
One thing – can you clarify “finish with buttons”? I’m not sure exactly what you mean by that, or why finishing with buttons is useful. Thank you!
Oh yes, sorry. All I did was thread a button with the tail end pieces of the yarn. The buttons dangle at the very end of the banners the same way the hearts dangle at the very end of the chandelier garland. Let me know if that doesn’t make sense.
Oh, and double knot the end and snip it super close to the button, so the yarn doesn’t show.
Makes perfect sense. Thanks!
Jules, very cute decorations. how was the rosemary cake? Did I miss that posting? I have 8 plastic dinner plates from Target in red and white and blue and white stripes for barbecue dinners–tons of use for 12+ years–your mother is so right!
No, not yet because I had only jumbo eggs when I made the recipe, so I want to make it again using the right measurements. Overall, very tasty and Mikey loved it. I don’t think it’s birthday cake material, and it seems like the kind of cake that tastes best the day of. Afterwards, it gets a little dry.
I’m impressed you differentiate egg size
I almost went to culinary school. I know my way around a kitchen. :) I was surprised when I heard most people don’t realize that if a recipe calls for an egg, that means a large egg.
I always wondered how people made these. So cute and looks pretty easy. I’ll definitely be trying this. By the way, Argentine gaucho party? Only you.
1. Quiet or I’ll post pictures of your Halloween parties.
2. Argentine Gaucho party: I KNOW. Trust me, I know.
3. You need to do this and hang them year round in the girls’ (crazy I just typed that!) toy room.
What great ideas! I love this.
I love the idea of malamine plates for home parties! More often than not, our birthday celebrations are held somewhere else (park, play center, skate rink, etc.) We try our best to keep the food selection to something that doesn’t require a plate, but inevitably someone brings all the disposable stuff anyway and it ends up getting used to hold a cupcake. (WHY?!) Maybe I should bring a tote of melamine plates next time and just put the dirtied plates back into the tote to wash at home?
If you think about it, that’s what most picnickers do, right? I think they wash it off at sink (just the debris) or wipe them down w/ towels until the get home. Maybe?
Also love the idea of the party plates. I have some cute melamine plates for my kids that I got at Ikea, but they’re not kid-like (they have a sophisticated stylized chrysanthemum pattern on them). I should see if they still make them … thrift store is a great idea too. I also love the easy paper bunting instructions. I don’t sew either (and don’t own a sewing machine) and this looks like a great alternative. I’ve been meaning to add some flag bunting to brighten up our basement play area, and I always make homemade paper decorations for my son’s August birthday party (which we host outside on our patio.
Yay! Lovin’ this post! Having a party in a few weeks for the husband and this will be perfect decorations for the graduation party. Another solution for paper plates & non-plastic plates are small clear glass dessert plates. They run about .99 cents apiece or $12 for a box of dozen at places like Bed Bath & Beyond & Tuesday Morning kinda places. Since they are clear they go with everything & suittable for all holidays.
My set rotates from my house to my best friend’s- they are constantly being used!
I just need inspiration for food for this party. Suggestions?!
cold/room temp grilled chicken breast sliced in strips that you can skewer onto long skewers (think chicken satay) and serve with peanut dipping sauce, or others. Rice pilaf, fruit salad, maybe green salad, nice rolls. I like what can be done in advance so I can enjoy the party.
That’s a great idea about the clear dishes.
So will this be a sit-down party? What time of day? How many people?
As of now the invite list was about 36 w/o kids.
I am PRAYING for good weather! Because that’s ALOT of people in a bungalow!
Obviously since the party has the potential to be so large, it won’t be a sit down.
I was thinking chicken- marinated of some sort and large pearl cous-cous salad.
And umm- that’s about all I have. I need something easy for vegetarians and kids.
I was thinking about making those cute fruit skewers in rainbow colors. (Thanks Pinterest!)
Besides the obvious humus and veggies, chips and salsa- suggestions?
I’d venture that this article has saved me more time than any other.
I had completely forgotten about the gaucho party. It was fabulous by the way. I’ll have to dig out the hay bale/saddle pictures. I wish our boys were able to stay friends. Remember that day that we went to the park with the trains and they were holding hands and saying they were best friends? Robert turned 8 yesterday, I guess his hand holding days are long gone.
Love these!
I drop a comment when I especially enjoy a article
on a site or if I have something to contribute to the discussion.
Usually it is caused by the sincerness displayed in the
article I read. And after this post DIY and Reusable Party Decorations : Pancakes and French Fries. I was actually excited enough to drop a thought ;) I do
have a few questions for you if you do not mind.
Could it be just me or does it look like like a few of these responses come across as if they are
coming from brain dead visitors? :-P And, if you are writing at other
online social sites, I’d like to follow everything fresh you have to post. Could you list every one of your social sites like your Facebook page, twitter feed, or linkedin profile?
They’re all so cute! Thanks for sharing this idea. Will try those colorful plates too :)