how to make a birthday banner

How to Make a Birthday Banner.

Birthday banners are a great addition to any party, but store bought banners can feel impersonal, especially if you wish to add the person's name. Fortunately, it is very easy to make a birthday banner. This article will show you lots of ways to make such a banner.



Steps Getting Started.

1. Come up with a message. Your message can be as simple or complex as you want it to be. Here are some ideas to get you started.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOB, HAPPY 30th BOB (the "th" will be on one sheet), HAPPY SWEET 16, HAPPY 16th BITHDAY JANE (the "th" will be on one sheet), HAPPY SWEET 16 JANE.

2. Come up with a layout. Most banners will have the entire message on the same line, but you don't have to do this. You can make your banner look more interesting by giving it a different layout. Here are some ideas to get you started:

All the words can be on the same line.

Each word can be on a different line.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY can be on one line, and the person's name can be one a different line.

3. Decide on a theme. This can make choosing your colors, patterns, and fonts a lot easier. You can match the theme to the party, the person's interests, or come up with your own theme. Here are some ideas to get you started:

If you want to use a train theme, consider making a pennant banner with square pennants. Each pennant will make a train cart. Make a train engine shape to use at the front of your banner.

For an under water theme, use lots of blues and greens. Use some fish and bubble stickers around the letters.

For a princess theme, consider what sort of princess this is. Typical princess colors are pink and silver, but if your princess is from a specific movie, you might want to use the colors from her dress instead.

Consider what the person likes. Does he or she have a favorite food, animal, color, book, or movie? Choose one of those, and design your banner around that.

4. Play with font. You can use a standard block letter font, or a fancy italic or cursive font. Larger, thicker fonts might be more appealing to children. If your banner has a party or theme, consider matching the font to that. For example, if you are doing a princess themed banner, consider using a cursive or italic font.

5. Choose a color scheme. This will help your banner look more unified and interesting. Choosing random colors might result in something that looks less than appealing. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Use three different colors, such as red, yellow, and blue.

Use different shades of the same color. For example: light blue, medium blue, and dark blue.

Use all cool colors, such as green, blue, and purple. You can also use all warm colors, such as red/pink, orange, and yellow.

Use metallic colors, such as gold or silver.

Alternate contrasting colors, such as white and black.

6. Don't be afraid to use prints and patterns. You can make your banner look really interesting and unique with some patterned scrapbooking paper. Here are some things to consider:

Combine solid colors and patterns. For example: solid blue and white with blue dots.

Combine patterns, such as vertical strips, horizontal strips, and dots.

Try to use similar colors in your patterns. This will tie the design together and prevent the patterns and colors from clashing.

7. Use blank spaces to add designs. When creating a banner, you will likely end up with some blank spaces between and around the words. You can leave them blank, or you can fill them in with images that matches the theme. Here are some ideas to get you started:

If you are making a pennant banner for a snow themed party, and you have blank pennants between the words, consider gluing a snowflake onto the blank pennant.

If you are painting a banner for a super hero themed party, consider adding a border using comic book strips. You can also buy comic book themed scrapbooking paper instead if you don't want to sacrifice any old comic books.

If you are making a banner for someone who likes the ocean, consider filling in any blank spaces with images of fish, shells, and sea bubbles.



Method 1 Using Letter Shapes.

1. Choose your paper. The best paper to use for this is cardstock. You can find it in the scrapbook section of an arts and crafts store. It comes in many different colors. You can also use construction paper, but it will not be as bright and it will not be as durable.

2. Trace your letter shapes onto the paper. Find some large stencils, and use them to trace the letters onto your paper. You should be able to fit several letters onto one page. Make sure that the letters are several inches high; you want to be able to read the banner easily from across the room.

Try to use a pencil while tracing so that you can erase the lines later.

You can also print the letter outlines out onto the paper. If you are using cardstock, feed one sheet at a time through your printer.

3. Cut the letters out. You can use scissors or a sharp craft knife. Be sure to cut just inside the lines you made when tracing the letter. If you see any pencil marks, be sure to erase them.

4. Measure and cut your string. The string needs to be long enough to fit all of the letters, plus an additional 12 inches (30.48 centimeters) at each end. This will allow you to hang the banner.

5. Arrange your letters. They can be as close together or as far apart as you like. They will hang better, however, if you include some space between each letter.

6. Glue the letters to the banner. Flip the letters over. Draw a thin line of glue along the top edge of each letter. Press the string down into the glue.

You can also use clear tape to stick the string to the back of the letters if you are short on time.

7. Let the glue dry before hanging the banner. Depending on the type of glue you used, this can take anywhere from a few hours to a whole day.



Method 2 Making a Pennant Banner.

1. Choose your paper. You can use any type of paper you want to make your pennants. The best paper to use is scrapbooking paper, because it is very colorful. Cardstock is also a good option, because it is sturdy. The paper can be all one color, or multiple colors.

2. Make sure you have enough paper to spell out your message. You will need one sheet of paper for each letter in your message. You will also need an extra sheet for the spaces between each word.

3. Create a template for the pennants using thick cardstock paper. You can use almost any shape you want, but the most popular shapes are circles, triangles, and rectangles. Make the template a few inches larger than the letters you are planning on using. It needs to be large enough so that you can easily read it across the room.

If you are using a rectangle, consider cutting a ^ shape into the bottom.

4. Trace the template onto the back of each paper and cut the shapes out. Use a pencil if you can. Once you have cut the shapes out, erase any pencil marks that are still visible. These will be your pennants. You will be sticking the letters onto these.

If you could not find a pencil, cut the shapes out just inside the lines you have made.

5. Consider cutting a smaller version of the pennant shape, and gluing it down onto the pennant first. Use a contrasting color. This will create a sort of frame around the letter. To do this, take your template and cut it smaller all around by ½ to 1 inch (1.27 to 2.54 centimeters). Trace the template onto contrasting sheets of paper, cut the shapes out, and attach them to the center of each pennant. You can use glue or clear, double-sided tape.

6. Create your letters and stick them down onto the pennants. The letters need to be several inches high, but smaller than the pennants. You will need one letter for pennant. Consider using a contrasting color to make them more visible. Here are some ideas on what you can use for the letters:

Use some large, letter stickers.

Paint the letters on using stencils and acrylic paint.

Cut the letters out of paper and glue them on. You can even use glitter scrapbooking paper for some extra sparkle.

7. Choose and cut your string. Choose a thin string, such as baker's twine, yarn, or balloon ribbon. Plan on leaving about 12 inches (30.48 centimeters) of string at the front and end of your banner so that you can hang it.

8. Consider weaving some string through the pennants. This method will work best on triangle and square-shaped pennants. Use a hole punch to poke a hole in each top corner. Then, weave the ribbon through the holes like so:

Push the string down through the left hole.

Bring the string across the back of the pennant.

Pull the string up through the right hole.

Push the string down through the left hole of next pennant.

Bring it across the back of the pennant, and pull it back up through the right hole.

Keep doing this until you have no more pennants.

9. Consider taping the string to the back of your banner. Flip the shape over, and lay the string across the back. Position it about ½ inch (1.27 centimeters) below the top edge. Secure it in place with a long piece of clear tape. The tape should go from one side of the shape to the other.

If you are using a rectangle shape, tape the string 1 inch (2.54 centimeters) down from the top edge. Fold the top edge back by 1 inch (2.54 centimeters) on top of the string. Secure it with glue or clear, double-sided tape.

10. Wait for any glue and paint to dry before hanging the banner. Depending on what you used, this can take anywhere between a few hours to a whole day.



Method 3 Painting a Banner.

1. Buy enough butcher paper to fit your message. You can find colorful butcher paper online, in teacher supply stores, and in certain university/college art stores. Regular arts and crafts stores may not sell butcher paper.

You can also use fabric instead, but you may want to hem the edges so that they do not fray.

White butcher paper may seem plain, but it will give you a nice canvas to work on.

2. Draw some guidelines on the paper using a pencil and ruler. Draw lightly with the pencil so that you can erase the marks easier later on. This will help ensure that your words are straight and not crooked.

3. Lightly sketch out your message using a pencil. You don't have to get the font right at this point—just try to get the rough shape and size. This will help you position the stencils later on. Again, remember to draw lightly so that the pencil does not show through the paint.

4. Place your stencil where you want it. Some stencils will have a sticky back and will stay put while you paint. If your stencil moves around too much, tape the edges down using painter's tape.

5. Paint over the stencil using acrylic paint. You can use a foam brush or a stencil brush to apply the paint. Apply the paint using a light, tapping motion. Try not to apply too much paint at once; you can always apply another coat or two. If you apply too much paint at once, the paint may leak under the stencil and create puddles.

If you are painting on fabric, use fabric paint instead.

6. Move the stencil over to the next letter. You may want to start out by painting every other letter first, then going back and painting the missing letters. This will give the paint time to dry, and you won't have to worry about accidentally touching and smearing wet paint.

7. Let the paint dry before you hang the banner. Depending on what type of paint you used, this can take anywhere between 20 minutes to 2 hours. Hang your banner up by either taping or tacking it to the wall.



Method 4 Using Photoshop

1. Open a new file in Photoshop and set the dimensions for your banner. Don't worry about making your banner super large. You can always make it bigger later. Your local print shop should also be able to print the banner larger.

Consider staring out with a 500 by 200 pixel banner.

2. Use the fill tool to set a background color, if desired. You can find the fill tool on the side menu. It looks like a paint bucket. You can leave the background white, or your can make it a different color. You can also choose to add a gradient.

To create a gradient: right-click on the paint bucket, and select the gradient option. Choose the two colors you want; they are located at the bottom of the side menu. Click on your banner, drag down a little, and let go.

3. Select the type tool. You can find it on the side menu. It usually looks like a letter T. Click on it, and then click on your background where you want the text to be.

4. Choose the font, color, and size of your text. You can find these options along the top of the screen. For the color, consider choosing something that contrasts with the background.

5. Type out your birthday message. If the text is not to your liking, highlight it, and change it by choosing the font options located along the top of the screen.

6. Save your file onto your computer and a USB flash drive. You will want to save it as a Photoshop document first. This will keep the layers intact, so that you can return to them and change them, if necessary. You will also want to save a printable version of your file. This will usually be a JPEG or PDF file. Check with your local print shop to see what sorts of files they can print.

7. Take the USB flash drive with your to your local print shop to print it. From there, you will be able to choose the paper you want it printed on. You will also be able to choose the size as well.



Method 5 Using Other Materials.

1. Use colorful paper bags. Get enough colorful paper bags to spell out your message. Make sure that all of the bags are the same size. Stick one letter to the front of each bag. You can use letter stickers, or cut your own letters out of colorful paper and glue them on.[6]

2. Use paper cups. Get enough colored paper cups to spell out your message. Stick one letter onto the front of each up. Use clothespins to secure the cups to a lone piece of ribbon.[7]

You can cut your own letters out of colorful paper and stick them onto the cups using glue.

You can also use large letter stickers

3. Use balloons. Get enough clear, latex balloons to spell out your message. Fill each balloon with a handful of colorful, paper confetti. Blow the balloons up and tie the ends into knots. Stick one letter onto each balloon. Tie the balloons onto a long piece of string to create a birthday banner garland.[8]

The balloons must be clear, or the confetti won't show.

Rub the balloons across some carpet or your hair. This will create static and make the confetti spread out.

You can use giant letter stickers, poster letters, or vinyl letter stickers.

4. Use paper doilies to make the pennants. When making a pennant banner, consider using paper doilies. You can fold them in half over the string and glue them in place, or your can tape them. You can also secure the doilies to the string using clothespins. Use delicate, cursive or italic letter stickers in a contrasting color to form your message.

5. Use colorful clothespins to attach pennants to string. Instead of using tape or glue, try pinning the pennants to the string instead. This will give you a more rustic look, which can work well with country, burlap, and shabby-chic themes.



Tips.

Consider matching the theme of your banner to the theme of the party.

Keep the person's likes and dislikes in mind. You would not want to make a banner using colors that the person hates.

Use things that the person likes as inspiration. If the person really likes the color blue and cats, consider making a blue banner with lots of kitty cats on it.

Warnings : Banners made out of paper are fragile. Do not hang them outside if it will rain. Also, be careful not to tear them.





Things You'll Need.

Using Letter Shapes : Scrapbook paper or cardstock, Stencils, Pencil, Scissors or craft knife, String, Glue or clear tape.

Making a Pennant Banner : Scrapbook paper or cardstock, Pencil, Scissors, String, Glue, hole punch, or tape.

Painting a Banner : Butcher paper, Pencil, Ruler, Stencils, Acrylic paint, Foam brush or stencil brush, Painter's tape (optional).