Easy Confetti Banners + Birthday Kit

My sister's birthday was last week and I wanted to do something special for her being that she's on the West Coast and I'm in the Midwest.  We grew up especially close so it's always a bummer to be so far apart for birthdays, holidays, and other celebrations.  I thought about what she would like: a vintage, convertible Ford Mustang, ticket to Hawaii, or Jack Johnson popped into my head, but I wanted something a little more thoughtful and fun.  (Okay, all those are thoughtful and fun.  I just need something in my price range).  I had seen some adorable birthday-in-a-box kits and thought I'd try my hand at one.

It was fun coming up with ideas.  And I loved the way the banners turned out...They're playful and so colorful.  Perfect for birthdays and for another festive holiday that's coming up (Cinco de Mayo).  My daughter requested one for her room as well.

Here's the miniature confetti cake banner.  

Here are the supplies you'll need to make the banners:

various colored and/or patterned paper

hole punchers in various sizes

ribbon

clear thread

skewers

scissors

sewing machine

I felt like I was punching out circles for hours (really I wasn't, it just felt like it).  I learned to plan ahead next time and punch in increments and do something else like watch a movie. Or better yet, next time I'll have my kids help me because they always think this kind of thing is fun... 

Next, set your machine to do a baste stitch and sew your circles together.  Working with the clear thread is a little tricky; it's a little tempermental and I had to slow down and be patient, but it was worth it. 

Leave some string on the first and last circles of the banner for ties; for the cake banner, you'll want to tie the strings to the skewers.  I tied some ribbon to the tops of the skewers to add a little more flair.

I packaged up the confetti banner and will do the same for the cake banner.  Then I tossed in some candles, balloons, napkins, and confetti because what's a party without confetti?  I had great intentions of assembling some cute cupcakes in jars, but California's weather has been crazy lately and I didn't want to send them that far only to have them spoil.  So in lieu of those I repackaged some organic cake mix and added sprinkles. 

We'll also include a handmade card of the thirty-something (ahem, twenty-nine, I mean) reasons why we love my sister.  Add everything else into a cute little box, and voila!  Birthday in a box for a very special person.


Posted by Dawn