{Craft} Birthday Banner

I had so much fun creating this Birthday Banner for Kyah's 1st birthday.

I had brainstormed for weeks trying to think of something fun and creative that I could use for the Banner. I knew I wanted a banner somewhere at the party, the problem was trying to decide what style banner I wanted. I am happy to say that the inspiration came from Holly over at Life in the Fun Lane. I remembered reading about her daughter's birthday banner and it finally dawned on me to check out her DIY archives. Sure enough... there was an amazing banner and her DIY tips.  


The down side to all of this... I did not have crepe paper at home and I was too lazy to go to the store and buy any. However... I had a "craftybug" bite my rump and I got to thinking. I had some coffee filters stored in my craft room, I had white card stock and I had food coloring. {are you following??? - if not, keep reading}. 


I was so excited that I got started immediately.  From start to finish this project took me about 45 minutes and it cost me nothing!


WHAT I USED: 

• Coffee Filters {had at home}
• White Card Stock {had at home}
• Computer to print letters {had at home}
• Food Coloring {had at home}
• Wax Paper {had at home}
• Some water and a plate {had a home}
• Twine/Ribbon/Tape {had at home}
• Glue Stick {had at home}

Total Cost: $0 {free free free}

Can you tell that this is simple, simple, simple?  I LOVE how it turned out, especially for the price!  

The How To: 
This is totally optional, because you can just print out the letters in 100 font size. I however, wanted to add a little "pop" to the letters. I chose to use Microsoft Publisher to create a simple template. {as you can see above}. 
After printing out the letters, I used a drinking glass to trace a circle around them. I then cut them out. 
{I am all about using what's lying around the house}. 


Next, I took out my coffee filters and headed to the kitchen.  In the kitchen I placed a few sheets of wax paper out on my counters to protect them from stains.  I then got out a few salad plates. I filled each salad plate with just a bit of water {maybe 1/4 cup}. I added a few drops of food coloring to the water and used a toothpick to stir {though, you can use whatever you want}. 


I gently placed the crinkled side of the coffee filter into the colored water. I only let it stay there for about 1-2 seconds. Just long enough to pull up a tiny bit of water.  I then placed it CRINKLE SIDE DOWN on the wax paper. {Note: If you turn the coffee filter over, the excess water will run down and ruin it- I know}. 


I continued this patten until all of the coffee filters where colored using my color selections.  Then I let them sit and dry for about 30 minutes. 

Once they were dry, I simply whipped out a Glue Stick and glued my letters to the inside of the coffee filters. I then taped the filters to a piece of twine and hung it on the wall. SIMPLE and OH SO CUTE!

Please let me know if you have ever created a birthday banner. I would LOVE to share it with my readers and feature you on my blog.