Paper Banner

Happy Halloween!

Today is a two for one.  Two different Pinterest ideas sparked this project.  I love it when that happens!

The first idea came from these paper yoyos pinned to my  Crafts - Paper  Pinterest board.

from etsy 

 from Better Homes & Gardens

These paper yoyos are easy to make and look so cute when finished.  I can see making a lot more of these in the future for different projects.

1.  Cut an 8 1/2 by 11 piece of paper into 2 inch wide by 11 inch long strips.  (wider strips will give you bigger yoyos, narrower strips will make smaller yoyos)

2.  Accordion fold the strips into 1/2 inch folds.

3.  After folding, glue two strips together to make a longer strip.

4.  Now glue the two ends of the strips together to make a circle.

5.  Lay the circle on a flat surface and press the center to flatten.  Hot glue the center and hold a few minutes.

The next idea came from this pin.

from Shanty 2 Chic

If you go  here  you can print the whole alphabet from  Shanty 2 Chic.   

After making the paper yoyos and printing out the letters I needed for the banner, I just used a whole punch to make holes in each piece.  Instead of using clothespins, I used twine to string all the paper pieces together.  (Hint:  I put a piece of masking tape on one end of the twine to make it easier to thread.  It keeps the ends of the twine from fraying while you're working with it.)  I also tied some straw colored raffia onto the twine.

Here's my finished project!

I always have such a hard time decorating the mantle.  It has a narrow ledge and the fireplace is rounded.  This banner is a great solution.

I printed my letters from Shanty 2 Chic, but if you need something smaller or with a different font you can make your own.  Here's what you do:

1.  Open a new document in Word.

2.  Use auto shapes on the toolbar to make a triangle.

3.  Insert a text box in the triangle.

4.  Type a letter in the text box.  Its a good idea to use a large font.
5.  Change the font size.  You will have to go big.  Try 100 font or larger.

5.  Use the formating tool to remove the boarder from text box.