How to Make a Banner

I'm throwing a bridal shower for my friend this Saturday, and planning it has been SO fun!! I've been excited to throw her a shower for awhile, and am kind of glad she wanted just a standard bridal shower because there are so many fun things to do for it, like making up games, deciding on food, and making decorations. 

One of things I made for decor is a banner. I couldn't find a great tutorial online, but it ended up being incredibly easy. I thought I would buy the materials and let them sit around for few days before I got around to doing it, but after I got home I had it done in probably 15 minutes. I used the colors they're having in their wedding (red and black & white damask), and am so excited about the color it will add to the shower! The fun thing is that they could use it again in their wedding if they want!

What you'll need:

6 pieces of scrapbook paper (full size) - I used 3 of each color

7-8 feet of ribbon (buy a spool of 3 yards or more)

Scissors

Glue stick

2 thumb tacks, or something else to secure the ends

First, measure the area that you plan on hanging the banner. If hanging above a fireplace/on a mantle, the length will probably be about 6 feet. If you want the banner to hang a little loose, you'll need about 7 feet of ribbon. I left additional room on the ends so that if I needed to tie the edges to secure it I would have extra room.

Fold each piece of scrapbook paper in half twice, after cutting off any white edges. Fold in half lengthwise first (tall side up, although your paper should be a square so it shouldn't matter), then fold that in half so you have a square. Take one side and fold it a little bit so you can tell where the middle of the page is. Next, cut from the center of the bottom half up diagonally until you reach the edge. Make sure that you are cutting towards the side that is folded!! That way you will end up with two diamond pieces that you can fold over the ribbon to make the triangles for your banner.

Now lay out your ribbon somewhere (like the floor or a bed/couch) and place the triangles onto the ribbon in the order you want them to go. Fold each one over the ribbon, and then straighten the ribbon out so that it's laying flat and isn't twisted. Go one by one and glue each paper around the ribbon; glue the inside of the triangle together. Leave space for the ribbon to go so that you can adjust the position of each triangle later. Use a book or hard object (if you aren't already on the floor) to make it easier for each triangle to stick together.

That's it - now you're ready to hang it!! I used thumbtacks that already existed in the wall to hang the banner over the fireplace in our office. You could also use a nail, set a heavy object on each side (if on a mantle), or tie each end around a sturdy object (if on a mantle). 

Also - with the leftover scraps of paper I made a mini banner! It would be cute to hang on the back of the bride's chair, over a door frame, on the food table, or somewhere else.