How to Make Birthday Party Decorations
Homemade birthday party decorations not only cost less, but they impart a custom look on your event. Rather than match all your decorations, which has a packaged look, aim for coordination, picking up a background color, detail or theme throughout your space. Make the look bright and cheerful, but keep the space open enough to allow for free flow of conversation and moving about the room or outdoor area.
Step 1
Select a theme for your birthday party. Don’t worry about printing all your DIY decorations with images of Sponge Bob or rain forest animals. Instead, consider more abstract or place-based themes, such as Atlantis or the wild west for children and international cities or natural settings for adults. A simple color-based theme will also work.
Step 2
Deck the halls with tissue flowers. This Mexican traditional party decoration requires only tissue paper and pipe cleaners. Stack several sheets of tissue paper and fold them accordion-style. Wrap a pipe cleaner around the center to secure the folds and gently separate the layers of tissue paper for a spectacular blossoms. Gather the flowers in vases, stack them on cake trays or suspend them from the ceiling using fishing wire.
Step 3
Create a customized banner that celebrates your guest of honor. Use card stock to print out large letters in decorative fonts that spell out the person’s name. If you have time, have guests customize each letter with a doodle or just an autograph. Hang the banner over the main table.
Step 4
Make the cake a focal point. Jump on the cupcake trend by constructing a tower of cupcakes, with bright icing and candies as decorations. For a child’s birthday party, allow the guests to customize their own cupcakes with gumdrops, chocolate chips, miniature marshmallows and other candies.
Step 5
Illuminate your event with mood lighting that you make yourself. For a simple function, pillar candles in wine bottles have bohemian charm, while tiki torches make an outdoor event feel more celebratory. Line your walkway with a version of luminarias. Wrap tap lights, flat lights that run on batteries, in rice paper. Secure the paper with double-sided tape.
