Recycled Newspaper Pennant Banner
What’s a birthday without a few decorations? Now that we’ve got the invitations on their way, how about prepping the house? It’s time to start the next segment of our Green Birthday Guide.
As a kid, there’s nothing cooler than seeing someone put up a few decorations in the house that are Just For You. Honestly? I don’t think that changes when we’re adults IF someone else does it. You know I wouldn’t be reminding you of this bit of joy without a way to make it greener, right?
Here ya go:
Make a Recycled Newspaper Pennant Banner
We got our hands on a Wall Street Journal in English (yea!), and I don’t have to tell you how glum a newspaper like this can be around this time of year. So after Martin and I drank up every beautiful English word, I decided to brighten the paper up. (Go ahead and roll your eyes. Brighten up anything in the WSJ? Pah-leez!)
To make your own:
1. Draw triangles on the newspaper. Mine are 6 inches tall and 5 inches wide with a half inch lip on the top. (The lip is a must for attaching thread later.)
2. Paint and decorate your triangles. I use acrylic paint. The low water content will keep your paper from curling, and the paint is cheap. (If you don’t want to see your plummeting IRA behind the pretty paint, mix a little white paint with your color.)
Here’s the supplies I used. Believe it or not, I’ve found these exact same stamps in Germany (at Idee) and the US (at small scrapbooking stores). Of course, they were almost twice as expensive in Germany. So was the paint. Oh well.
3. Cut out the flags and arrange.
4. Assemble the flags. Flip them over and fold down the lips. Add a bit of glue, and lay your string along the seam. Press closed. I use a paintbrush to spread the glue. Sooo much easier than a bottle.
That’s it! Now where’s the party?
March 10th, 2009 at 1:50 pm
That’s so cheerful! And I agree, I would love it if someone decorated the house for my birthday too. Although, more thank likely, I will be doing it for my kids if it happens at all.
March 10th, 2009 at 8:23 pm
Very cute! I think you’re right, it doesn’t change – it’s always fun to have an excuse to decorate like this. :0)
March 13th, 2009 at 10:11 pm
Very cool. Those are great grown-up decorations too :)
March 14th, 2009 at 3:44 pm
What a great idea! I love this!
March 18th, 2009 at 3:18 am
that’s so clever! that would work for a lot of occasions.
March 18th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
What a fun idea! It is kid-friendly very friendly on the wallet, too, which is always a good thing.
March 18th, 2009 at 10:04 pm
Glad you all like this banner. Thanks. It’s tons of fun to make!
Katie
March 19th, 2009 at 11:46 am
Katie~ what a fun banner! I love all of your happy color choices. Newspaper is such a satisfying material to work with. Here’s a link to a different way of hanging a newspaper bunting that you might be interested in:
http://mayamade.blogspot.com/2008/08/newspaper-bunting-tutorial.html
March 28th, 2009 at 10:03 pm
When we redid our current house, we got rid of the American hot water tank and bought, instead, a Bosch instant hot water tank. Several advantages: you only heat the water you use which means you save energy and money, you always have all the hot water you need. We had had two solar hot water heaters in the past. The first was from an area engineer and it never needed backup because it had a 100 gallon tank. The second was from a national company and we ended up having to install a gas backup.
We also have a four-seasons porch, screened halfway and insulated below. My husband had acryllic panels cut which we fit for the cold weather. He also put a transom up high above the door at the precise angle needed to capture the winter sun. (I can’t do that math!!!) It warms the porch so well that we not only can sit out there to read in the winter but in the early spring and late fall, we open the kitchen door to let that warm air into the kitchen, saving fuel and money….again.
October 25th, 2009 at 5:22 pm
I just found your blog and added it to my reader right away. I can’t wait to come back and look all around. I think this a fabulous idea. Making a bunting out of fabric (i used old scraps of material and a curtain i found at a thrift store) is nice too. And it will hopefully last for a very long time. Here’s a picture of mine http://mjbillingtonquebec.blogspot.com/2009/09/blog-post.html
July 18th, 2011 at 4:06 pm
Such a fun idea! I am doing it now….except with the gigantic mass of scrapbook paper that keeps multiplying in my basement!