DIY Glitter Birthday Banner

In preparing for Behr's birthday party, I knew I wanted something personalized, but could not quite find the perfect fit. After seeing Anna's glitter garland, I had more direction, but still fell short of finding something within my reasonable budget. Then Anna shared a tip by one of her readers, glitter card stock, for cheap on amazon! Plus a little inspiration from Elizabeth, and I was ready to roll with my own DIY project.

Step One Supplies: 

• 12" by 12" glitter cardstock - I purchased a 24 sheet pack, but only needed about 3 sheets in case you are buying them individually
• printer paper, to print your banner template. I used century gothic, size 500, bold - lesson learned: use grey font color instead of black to save on ink, and only type each letter you need once.
• pencil
• scissors 
• twine
• tape

Step Two:

As I said in the supplies, you only need to print each letter once. I didn't want to risk missing a letter, so I printed them all, but only cut some out once (like the P). I also cut all of the printed letters first, so I could arrange them to maximize the configuration and reduce wasted glitter cardstock. Don't forget to flip your cardstock face down so your pencil lines are on the back AND flip your printed letters face down.

Step Three:

By arranging the letters as you cut, you catch any letters you might accidentally miss, or if you happen to cut a letter backwards, and determine which is the top of letters like H, because there is a slight difference with some fonts.


Step Four:

Lay the letters and twine out with the correct spacing to be hung. Then flip each letter vertically - towards you, not like a page in a book - and move the twine to the new top, not closer to you. This final step might require a book to hold the twine in place at the end, or an extra set of hands. Gently pull the twine so it is taut and tape the twine to the back of each letter. I chose tape instead of a hole punch because my banner was going to be back lit and I wanted to keep the letters solid. Also, I did not have ribbon on hand, but had plenty of twine. Note: Once you hang you banner, you may want to adjust the way a few of the letter hang and re-tape the back.

Be sure to check out my party inspiration board and the recap post (updated with sources!)

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Thank You Plant

Mother's day is just around the corner, the school year is coming to a close, and inevitably the warmer weather is accompanied by invitations to backyard barbecues and pool parties over the next several months. These mini plants are the perfect way to say thank you, for any occasion. I brought one to a Kentucky Derby party this weekend, four are heading to my son's infant room teachers at daycare (Behr transitioned to the toddler room...not ready to talk about it). These are so easy, I might even make a few more next weekend just to have on hand. Oh, and I need to make more for the grandmothers and great-grandmothers too!

Tips: 
+ Choose a plant that is relatively compact. I chose mint, but considered thyme and rosemary.
+ Be sure to lay down a drop cloth or newspaper as you will get dirt everywhere.
+ No need for garden tools, but you will get your hands dirty.
+ To finish the jars, cut a long piece of string, yarn, or fabric, enough to wrap about ten times around the mouth of the jar. Be sure to leave extra length from the start to be able to tie a bow and the end.