Christmas Banner
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Years ago I got creative and started making my own banners. They are simple to make and there are a ton of different ways you can make your own. You can use burlap or fabric to make the banner, or for a no-sew version, try using foam tiles, ribbon and scrapbook paper as I did here. The below instructions include the measurements and sizes I used for my specific banner pictured. Once you have the general idea, it's very easy to make one smaller or bigger, depending on your particular wants and needs.
What you'll need
- foam sheets (these can be purchased easily from your local craft store; they usually run under a dollar a piece and come in a wide variety of colors)
- white card stock (I got this in the scrapbooking section of the store because you can buy it by the sheet)
- letters to spell whatever word you're using (I printed mine using Microsoft Word, in the Showcard Gothic font, in 475 pt size)
- pictures to go along with your chosen theme (again, using Microsoft Word, I found free clipart and used those pictures)
- scissors
- glue or double-sided tape
- ribbon (choose a color or pattern that coordinates with your foam tiles and paper); you'll need enough to thread through each of the foam tiles, and a little extra for hanging
- hole puncher and decorative hole puncher
How to make it
Measure and cut your foam sheets to 6-3/4x6-1/4. You'll need one for each letter of your chosen word, and an extra foam square for both ends of the banner as well, to add a picture.
Cut your white cardstock to 5-1/2x5-1/4. You'll need one piece for each letter of your word. The measurements don't have to be precise, but you want all the pieces to be the same size, and the cardstock pieces to be a little smaller than the foam pieces, so you're creating a bit of a frame.
Glue each piece of cardstock onto the front of each foam piece, one for each letter of your word. You can also use double-stick tape for this step as well.
Cut out each letter of your word, and glue it to the center of the white cardstock. The 475 font size I used fit perfectly on the cardstock, allowing a nice section of white space all around, but if you're using a different font, you may want to play around with the sizes to get the right fit for you.
If you are adding foam pieces with a picture on either end, then cut them out and glue to the foam. Be sure to allow extra room all around so you can still see the foam square, for continuity when it hangs alongside the other foam pieces.
Using your regular hole punch, on the top of your foam square, measure in 2-1/4 inches from the left side and punch a hole (leave about a 1/4 inch from the top). Now do the same on the right side. You'll be using these holes to thread your ribbon through, to hang the banner.
Starting from left to right, thread the ribbon from the back of the tile into the first hole, straight across the front to the second hole. From the back of the second hole, you then thread it into the next tile. Continue until all the tiles are threaded, leaving a little bit of ribbon in between each tile, and a little extra ribbon on either end for hanging. For my five tiles, I used 53-1/2 inches of ribbon.
