DIY Cutout Banner

When I found out that Adam's daughter was coming to visit and we were having a birthday celebration, I immediately knew that I wanted to create a a whole setup for her dessert and presents. I had a vision and, for the most part, it turned out just as I had hoped. I made a DIY cutout banner that was the backdrop to the table that held presents (and would have held the dessert bar, if the oven hadn't had broken). This is a craft that I really enjoyed taking the time to do. While it is a little bit time consuming, It is reusable and has much more personality than a party banner that you find at a store.

What You'll Need:

Cardstock/Heavy Paper (contrasting for the letters and backing)

White Copy Paper

Pencil

Scissors

Glue Stick

Hole Punch

Ribbon

To start off you will need to create your letter stencils. With your copy paper and pencil, reference a font and draw it to the size that you would like your cutouts to be. I used the Curlz MT font and made my letters about 1/3 the size of the paper. If you can type the font out and print it, then blow up the letters that would also work, but I just eyeballed it from the computer. Next, cut out the letters.

Turn the copy paper cutout onto their backs and place on the backside of the cardstock you are using (for example, I used the glitter stock, so I put the backwards cutout onto the smooth, backside of the glitter stock). This will make sure that any tracing lines are on the back and not visible. Trace the letter onto the cardstock, then cutout.

 Next, take your backing paper/stock and cut it out in any shapes that you want. You can make different shaped edges or opt for a simpler rectangle, oval shape like I did.

To adhere the letters, use one sheet per letter and make sure you cut out so the letters are all centered the same and the shapes are the same sizes. Use a gluestick to glue the letters onto the backing before you cut.

Using a hole punch, place holes at the top of the backing, and string your ribbon through the holes. (I used streamers to set the backdrop to the banner on the wall)