It’s SO EASY to make a DIY banner for your next special occasion! This paper banner is super cute, made of simple and inexpensive supplies, and you don’t need any previous crafting experience to make it.
Create custom party decor with our FREE printable banner templates! We have 2 different styles of banners available, as well as multiple printable phrases and letters for you to spell your message. Have fun making a customized bunting banner, no cutting machine or special tools required!
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Make a DIY banner for your next special occasion. These customized paper banners work great for birthdays, anniversaries, baby showers, or any holiday party, like the 4th of July or Christmas.
Author: Debbie Chapman
Print the banner template of your choice! Find one of the links in the materials list above, with more templates found below this tutorial.
If you print the banner templates directly onto coloured paper you can skip all of Step 2!
Repeat with different colours of paper until you have enough pieces for the length of banner you'd like to make. (Or for the number of letters in your message.)
We're making a Happy Birthday banner here, but we have more word options for you to download and print below the tutorial.
Before gluing on the letters, we recommend laying out your pieces to see what order of colours you like the best.
We made a pattern of blue, red, yellow, green.
Choose what type of string you'd like your banner attached to. We like the natural look of twine, but you can also use ribbon or yarn.
Roll a piece of tape around the end of the twine to make it easier to string through the holes of the banner.
Unless you know the exact length you'll need, keep the twine attached to the roll as you string the banner pieces on.
Start with the first letter of your banner, and bring the twine down through the left hole (from the front).
If you have a banner with two words you can string them onto 2 separate twine pieces, like we did here, so that one word can hang above the other.
Click on the links or pictures below to download a free, printable banner template! We have 2 different styles of banners available for you to choose from.
The PDF file will open in a new window. Then simply print the template on 8.5 x 11 (letter size) printer paper.
Click on the links below to download free, printable banner letters! We have 4 different phrases available for you to download, as well as the whole alphabet (and numbers!) so you can make a banner for every occasion.
The PDF files will open in a new window. Then simply print the template on 8.5 x 11 (letter size) printer paper.
We made our DIY banner on coloured copy paper. If you’d like to re-use your banner and not have it bend easily, you can also use coloured cardstock.
If you want to add a pattern or pizzazz to your banner, try using glitter scrapbook paper, or a patterned paper themed to the right season (Easter, fall, Christmas, etc) or interest (sports, music, etc).
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We definitely recommend using glue tape to attach the letters to your banner. Glue tape is a roll-on adhesive that’s great for paper crafts.
Glue tape is easy to use and sticks the letters on really well, keeping them flat to the paper, with no wrinkling. Double sided tape would also work well.
We also tried gluing the letters onto our banner with a glue stick, and maybe it was just our particular glue stick, but it didn’t stick as well as the glue tape. The glue stick also left wrinkles/bumps in the paper and made it curl up a bit.
Have fun making a DIY banner for every occasion. These homemade paper banners are really easy to make, and they’re sure to add a pop of colour to your party or special event!
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You can purchase Low-Mess Crafts for Kids from Amazon, or wherever books are sold:
