How to Make a Birthday Banner

By
Chelsea Foy
Chelsea Foy
Chelsea Foy
Chelsea Foy is a DIY expert, writer, author, and the founder of Lovely Indeed, a popular DIY and lifestyle website featured in notable online outlets, such as HGTV and Martha Stewart, She has over a decade of experience with hands-on crafting. Chelsea is also the author of two e-books on crafting and she has instructed DIY workshops across the country.
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Updated on 08/14/20
How to make a birthday banner

Lovely Indeed

Project Overview
  • Total Time: 1 hr
  • Yield: 1 banner
  • Skill Level: Beginner
  • Estimated Cost: $10.00

For birthday celebrations, there's something special about having a homemade touch. This simple birthday banner is so fun and festive, but it's also so easy to make. Make a personalized birthday banner for friends or family on their next annual celebration and they'll definitely feel the love! The guest of honor can also keep the banner as a birthday memento.

As you're planning, consider the theme of your birthday party to make the look of the banner fit the festivities. You can customize the colors, paper patterns, flag shapes, and even the style of your alphabet. There are no fancy cutting tools involved, so you can create this project with just the items that you already have in your supply cabinet, plus paper, stickers, and embellishments.

Gather materials to make a birthday banner
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What You'll Need

Equipment / Tools

  • Glue stick
  • Scissors or paper cutter
  • Pencil
  • Ruler
  • Hole punch

Materials

  • Solid color card stock
  • Patterned paper or card stock in a complementary color
  • Alphabet stickers or black marker
  • Cotton cord or twine
  • Tassels, curled ribbon, beads (optional)

Instructions

  1. Cut the Card Stock

    Start by cutting your card stock. If you're working with standard 8 1/2-inch by 11-inch sheets, you can simply cut them into quarters. Measure your first cut, using your ruler, along the halfway point of the long end, cutting the sheet directly in half. Then cut both of those sheets in half as well, creating four quarters. Each of these quarters will be 4 1/4 inches by 5 1/2 inches.

    Tip

    You will need 13 pieces for each letter of your banner if you're spelling out Happy Birthday. If you'd like to customize it with someone's name, make enough sheets to have one sheet for each letter in the name.

    Cut cardstock for a birthday banner
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  2. Cut the Patterned Paper

    Cut the patterned paper so that it serves as an accent color and pattern on each banner flag. Cut pieces of your patterned paper that are 4 1/4 inches by 2 inches.

    Tip

    You will need 13 of these patterned paper pieces for the letters of a Happy Birthday banner, or more if you're using a name, as per the instructions in the previous step.

    Patterned paper for a DIY birthday banner
    Lovely Indeed

  3. Glue the Pattern

    Using a glue stick, spread some glue on the back side of the patterned paper. Adhere the patterned paper to one end of a plain sheet of your solid colored card stock, making sure to align all edges. Press firmly along all edges to ensure that it's secure.

    How to make flags for a birthday banner
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  4. Letter and Punch

    Place one letter on each flag of your birthday banner, arranging the letter in the center of the flag with the patterned paper on the bottom of the flag. Whether you're using stickers or writing using a marker, you'll apply one letter of Happy Birthday to each flag. Once the letters are applied, punch a hole on both edges in the top corners of each flag using a hole punch.

    Tip

    If you don't have alphabet stickers, you can simply use a black marker to write a letter on each flag.

    Letter and hole punch flags for a DIY birthday banner
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  5. String Onto the Cord

    Cut a length of cord that's a few feet long. To string the cards, starting with the "H" and insert the cord into the left hole, from the front to the back, and then in through the hole on the right, from the back to the front. Continue in this manner with each letter in order.

    Tip

    You can string all the letters and words onto one long cord. Or, for more flexibility when hanging your banner, place each word onto its own cord so you can hang them up separately.

    How to make a birthday banner
    Lovely Indeed

  6. Hang It Up

    Your banner is ready to go. Hang cords up directly on the wall, or attach them to decorative hangers (like the gold ones below), and let the birthday festivities begin!

    Tip

    Give your banner texture and pizzazz by adding tassels, bits of colored and curled ribbon, and even beads to your garland.

    How to make a birthday banner
    Lovely Indeed