Every summer party needs ice cream, right? Make this cool treat the star of the show with an adorable ice cream cone banner! Kimberly at Bugaboo City created a free pattern that you can download to make your own. If you are a scrapbooker or enjoy other paper crafts, you probably even have enough odds and ends in your scrap pile to make at least a few cones! [how to make a paper ice cream cone banner]

Project estimate:

• Printable pattern, free
• Paper, on hand or $1 and up
• Glue, on hand

Total: free and up!

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Crepe paper has a look that makes it absolutely perfect for Halloween decorating. Check out this idea from Linda at A Sweet Afternoon, who used crepe paper to make this cute candy corn bunting banner! The project is easy enough that it’s kid-friendly, and at the same time sophisticated enough to hang for a fancy Halloween party or incorporate into your seasonal home decor. [how to make a candy corn bunting banner]

Project estimate:

• Crepe paper streamers, on hand or $1 and up
• Cardstock, on hand
• Glue, on hand
• Tape, on hand
• String, on hand or $1 and up

Total: Free and up!

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Have you seen that Dollar Tree has paper straws for Halloween?  I got super excited when I saw them on the shelf and immediately threw a pile of them into my cart.  And now I need to figure out what I am going to do with all of them…  So maybe I will make one of these adorable paper straw buntings from Jeran at Oleander and Palm!  She painted hers with gold spray paint to give it a metallic effect, but you could also leave the straws as-is, especially if they are in colors or patterns that match your decor or your party theme.  [how to make a paper straw bunting]

Project estimate:

• Paper straws, $1 and up
• String, on hand or $1
• Spray paint (optional), on hand or $1 and up

Total:  $1 and up

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When it comes to cheap fabric with an interesting pattern, bandanas are one of my favorite go-to items.  Over at 30 Handmade Days, Landee used a stack of bandanas to make an adorable bunting!  It would be great for a western-themed party, or use specific colors to make it work for various holidays or occasions.  Or make one just because they are so stinkin’ cute!  [how to make a bandana bunting]

Project estimate:

• Bandanas, $1 and up
• Twine or rope, on hand or $1 and up
• Hot glue, on hand

Total:  $1 and up

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All of us here at DSC are loving the floral heart decorations that Dollar Tree has this year for Valentine’s Day. We’ve all been feeling inspired by them, and the other day I decided to turn a package of them into something cute and Valentine-y to hang on the wall. After a little playing and brainstorming I came up with these vertical Valentine banners – and it was super easy!

Project estimate:

• Floral heart embellishments, $1
• Wide ribbon, on hand or $1 and up
• Bamboo skewer, on hand
• Felt, on hand or about 30¢/sheet
• Baker’s twine, on hand or about $2 and up
• Glue, on hand

Total: $1 and up

The hearts come in packages of six, so one package will make two banners that each have three hearts. You could also make three banners with two hearts, or six banners with single hearts – whatever size banners makes you happy! Smaller, single-heart banners would even make nice Valentine gifts for friends or coworkers.

Based on how many hearts you are using, figure out how long you want your ribbon to be. Remember to add about 1/2 inch to the top to allow for gluing each banner around the skewer for hanging. Fold the bottoms of the ribbons in half and trim at an angle to give them a finished look. I used some wide grosgrain ribbon that I found on clearance for 75¢ a roll a few days after Christmas!

To make the red hearts stand out against the red ribbon, I added a white border to each heart.  My initial thought was to do this by gluing the hearts to white felt, then cutting around them to leave a thin white border.  But, I didn’t have any white felt on hand.  I did, however, have white yarn, so I glued the hearts to paper and then glued a yarn border around each.  When the glue dried I carefully trimmed around the yarn.  You can use either method, but I recommend the felt because it would have made this project much quicker and easier!

Cut the bamboo skewer into sections just wider than the ribbon. Center the skewer at the top end of the ribbon and wrap it around, gluing into place. (The side with the glued-down flap will be the back of the banner – make sure you remember to flip it over before you move on to adding embellishments!)  Tie a short length of baker’s twine around the protruding ends of the skewer on each side of the banner. Add a drop of glue to each knot just to be sure it doesn’t come loose or slip off the end of the skewer.

On the front side of the banner, arrange the hearts where you want them to be and glue into place. Once all of the glue is dry, your banners are ready to hang!

The post Tutorial: Mini Valentine’s Day Banners appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Looking for an alternative to a traditional birthday card? This fun concept from Sally at Oh Happy Day may be just the whimsical idea you are looking for! The banner-in-a-box not only functions as a greeting, it can also be out on display by the recipient to celebrate their special day. You could also adapt this project to just about any occasion or holiday by changing the wording and color scheme – think baby showers, graduations, and more! [how to make a birthday banner box]

Project estimate:

• Small box, on hand or $1
• Paper, on hand
• Computer and printer, on hand
• Circle paper punches, on hand or about $5 and up
• Twine or cord, on hand or $1
• Double-sided tape, on hand or $1
• Washi tape, on hand or $1 and up

Total: Free and up!

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You don’t have to spend a bundle to decorate for holidays.  Heck, you don’t even have to spend a penny!  This festive garland by Laura at Laura Kelly’s Inklings is made entirely from recycled materials and leftover odds and ends that she found laying around her studio.  I love how she used a variety of different techniques, which allowed her to get lots of different looks out of the same stack of materials!  This example is St. Patrick’s Day themed, but you could also use this basic idea to create a garland for whatever holiday or occasion you wish.  [how to make a recycled St. Patrick’s Day garland]

Project estimate:

• Cardboard, on hand
• Paper, on hand
• Crayons, on hand or $1
• Sharpie, on hand
• Embellishments, on hand or $1 and up
• String, on hand or $1

Total:  Free and up

The post Make a Recycled St. Patrick’s Day Garland appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Use recycled ties to create this unique Father’s Day banner that says “Dad.” Recycled ties are looped over a skinny tie to create free-moving flags that allow you to scoot the letters around on the bunting. I hope you saved your tie scraps from yesterday’s Dad’s Tie Bunting project, because if you did, this project will take you ten minutes to complete. If not, it will probably take you about thirty minutes, so either way, it’s not too bad.

Project Materials:

• 3 or 4 recycled ties, on hand or thrifted
• Cut out letters from this project, or light-colored scrap fabric
• Fabric or craft glue, on hand
• Sewing stuff, on hand
• Scissors

Total: FREE and up

Download letter template here.

To make:

The Letters: Print letters on cardstock, and cut out. Trace around them onto light-colored scrap fabric or tie inserts. Cut out. (If you saved your letters from the Dad Tie Bunting, you can skip this step because you already have the letters.) It might help if you starch your fabric, or fuse it to some fusible interfacing to make it stiff. It’s easier to cut accurate letters with sharp, pointy scissors (like embroidery or fingernail scissors).

Glue the letters to pieces of tie. I had pieces of ties left over from previous projects. If you are starting with unused ties, you can use the bottom of the tie for that distinctive tie shape.

Cutting the garland: I used the skinny end of a tie for the garland. I just cut the tie off at about 30″ and then matched the shape of the cut-off end to the finished end. I didn’t bother finishing the cut end.

Assemble the garland: Fold the prepared letter flags over the garland. Pin, and sew across the flag, making loops. Sew acrpss the ties (below the garland part, so they can freely slide along the garland).

Trim excess: cut the extra length of tie off the back of the loop.

Hang it and enjoy!

Other Tie Crafts:

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I don’t know about you, but I have such a hard time coming up with good handmade gifts (or any gifts, really) for the men in my life. Father’s Day is always a stumper for me, but the other day, I found a bag of old thrift store ties I used for another project last year, so I just sat down and played with them. I came up with this reverse-applique tie banner that would make a cute decoration for Father’s Day brunch. Even if Dad doesn’t appreciate handmade stuff, he can at least appreciate that his name is on the decorations! (And maybe the Dad in your life is the type who would really dig this!)

I think this would also make a fun masculine happy birthday banner, or personalized banner with your favorite guy’s name on it.

Project Materials:

• 2 or 3 old ties, on hand or thrifted
• Sewing stuff (either sewing machine or needle and thread)
• Scissors (a small pair of sharp embroidery or fingernail scissors for cutting the reverse applique)
• Printout of letters (download my letter template here)
• Washable marker or disappearing ink fabric marker, on hand (optional, but it helps)
• X-acto knife, on hand (also optional, but helpful)

Total: FREE and up

It might look like I used the bottoms of three ties, and you can definitely do that. I didn’t have any of the tie bottoms anymore (I used them in that previous project!) Instead, I deconstructed the ties and used the stiff loose-weave inserts (the white fabric), sewed them to an unfolded piece of the tie, and cut out around them to suggest the tie. I sewed the skinny ends of two ties together to make the string part of the bunting.

To make:

Print letters on cardstock, and cut out with X-acto knife. (I used my wooden cutting board for the cutting surface.)

Cut bottom of ties off, about five inches from bottom. Use letters to measure, and make sure you are leaving enough fabric (the letters should not hang out over any edge of the tie).

Remove the stiff inserts from the bottom of the ties. Save the rest of the ties for later. (Alternately: Keep the inserts inside the tie, and cut out three tie-shaped pieces out of white fabric).

Transferring letters: use your disappearing ink marker to trace the letters on the front of the white fabric. (In the photo, I was tracing the letters backward on the back of the fabric with a Sharpie… this didn’t work, so don’t try it!)

Tie fabric: Open up tie fabric, pin tie insert to right side of fabric, and cut out around tie insert shapes, leaving about 1/2″ extra fabric around the edges.

Sew around white fabric to secure it to tie fabric.

Sew around the letter: If you have transferred letter outline to white fabric, stitch around the outline with your sewing machine and a straight stitch (or with a running stitch, if you are sewing by hand). I couldn’t find my transfer pen, so I pinned the letter, backward, to the back of my fabric and stitched it from underneath. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t just pin it to the front and stitch it that way, so I’m not sure why I did it from the back. Sometimes your mind is just fixed on a specific way to do things!

Cut out letter: Using your sharp pair of scissors, carefully cut letter out, around the inside of the letter. DON’T cut the background fabric, just the top layer of fabric. You might have to pinch the background fabric away from the letter as you cut. Don’t rush, but take your time to do a good job.

Keep your letters: Try to keep the cut-out letter intact so you can use it on another project. (Tomorrow, I’ll post about what to do with your saved cut-out letters.) Don’t forget to carefully cut around the hole in the middle of the letter.

Make the garland: To make the part you hang the letters from, take two skinny ends of your ties, and cut them about 18″ from their ends. After you cut the first tie, match up the second tie to make sure the place where you cut it is about the same width and they match up well. I cut mine on the diagonal. (Alternately: use anything else for the garland part, like a ribbon, strip of fabric, or whatever you have on hand.)

Sew the two ends together: I straight-stitched  them together and then zig-zagged the raw ends.

Attach letters to garland: Pin letters onto the garland, centered and equally distant from each other. Sew a straight stitch across the top of each letter flag.

You’re done! Wasn’t that fun?

Don’t forget, I have another project for you to do with your leftovers, so check back tomorrow.

The post Make Dad a Tie Bunting appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

I like cheap and cheerful decorations, and these jointed banners are cute and kitschy. When I came across these conversation banners the other day, I was inspired to create my own. You guys, two hours later, I had created printable hangy letter templates to share with everyone! I have been having so much fun with these, and I haven’t even gotten started on all the ideas I have for them. Let’s hope I can make time to create a few of the great ideas I have in my head before I get distracted by something els… oooh, shiny!

These jointed banners are great because they fold up flat and are easy to store. It would be fun to make a custom banner for a friend and send it in the mail.

Using my template, you can create a custom banner that says ANYTHING and comes in any color or pattern you can imagine. If you think you’ll use these templates a lot, cut them out of cardstock or laminate the paper before you cut them so you can use them again and again.

Project Estimate:

• Jointed Letter Templates, on hand (download my PDF here: ALPHA-BANNER)
• Cardstock, on hand or $1
• Brads, on hand or $1

Total: FREE and up

To Make:

Template Method: Print out the letters you need onto cardstock (or paper, then laminate), cut them out and use them for templates. Trace each letter template onto desired paper and cut out. I traced my letters backwards onto the back of paper, so when I cut them out, the pencil mark wouldn’t show on the front of the banner (but the letters would face the correct direction!) You might want to outline the letters on the banner with a marker.

I like the template method because then you have the master letters and you can use them again and again, but if you are only going to make one banner, you can also try:

Direct-Print Method: Alternately, you can print the letters you need directly onto cardstock or other paper, cut it out and assemble that way.

To assemble: punch small holes and use brads, or punch holes and string with yarn or ribbon.

Sidenote: I used these cute brads that I got in my swap package from Alison to connect this banner. They are so cute!! Love! Such a fun use for cute scrapbooking supplies!

You can use patterned paper to make them (this floral paper was from a fabric sample flyer). Just be aware that a busy pattern like this looks best if it’s hung in front of a contrasting background because the large pattern can cause the details in the letters to be lost. I punched holes and used a piece of yarn to string these letters together.

See how the detail is lost when it’s hung in front of a similar-colored background?

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