Best (DIY) Day Ever!
It was a magical weekend over here! We celebrated Little A’s 5th birthday in the best way we know how…Full of magic and a ton of DIY!
When Little A requested a Rapunzel party, I was SUPER EXCITED! This was a theme I could work with! I always get a teeny bit (read: LOTTA BIT) carried away when it comes to decorations, but I also love to create something from nothing so this was a great opportunity to knock it out of the park for cheap! I used my Silhouette Cameo for almost every decoration and it was perfect. If you’ve never heard of a Silhouette Cameo, you are absolutely missing out! It is my party décor secret weapon. I know the price tag can scare people, but over the past 4 years, this machine has paid for itself 10 times over! Read on to find out what I did.
I knew I wanted to re-create the flags and garlands from the Kingdom of Corona because it would be the biggest bang for my buck. I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut out varying colors of purple flags as well as the Tangled sun out of cardstock. A simple jute string and voila! The kingdom of Corona is alive and well in our house, and all for under $5!
For the green garland, I did something crazy…I used plastic tablecloths. Yes, those $2 tablecloths you buy at party stores. Unfold the tablecloth lengthwise from the package only. Cut the whole thing into 1 – 2 inch strips & then make diagonal cuts up and down each side, being careful not to cut all the way through. It should look like a chevron when you are done.
Next, unfold each piece and crinkle it up in your hand to give it some texture. Then all you have to do is wrap around your yarn
You will loosely wrap 3 or 4 strips at a time around your yarn, overlapping to create bulk, carefully tying off each end to the string. Next, scrunch them up to make it look as full as possible and repeat. I’ll be honest, this one was a bit time consuming, but I broke it up over a few nights after bedtime when I was just sitting and watching TV. I made 100 feet of green garland for $6. You absolutely cannot beat that!!!
I used the same concept for the green backdrop for the Snuggly Duckling food area. This time, we just hung the pieces vertically from the yarn. Total Cost – $2
Ah, the castle. This was my favorite DIY from the day because it took care of a problem as well as looked super cute. Our house is on the smaller side with one great room downstairs. I try to move things around, but most things have to stay where they are for a party, either because there is no space or because they are bolted to the walls (California! Gotta earthquake proof.)
My wine rack is one of those things that can’t be moved. But it’s also right where we always setup the food and decorations. So, I thought I’d turn it into a Castle! I bought this very large roll of corrugated Castle Backdrop from Amazon. This was a splurge at $30 but the payoff was huge! We just wrapped the wine rack in the paper and added a cone made out of 3 poster boards. With the leftover cardstock from my flags, I cut out “shingles” and that’s it! Final cost $35, but I only used about 1/3 of the castle roll which I can utilize again for another party. And the fact that my wine rack no longer seemed out of place was a huge bonus. It’s all about using what you’ve got.
I love these lanterns so much! They added that final Wow Factor! I used my Silhouette Cameo to design and cut these and they turned out perfectly. We hung them everywhere we could and people loved them! If you don’t have a Silhouette, you can also purchase them here!
Finally, the plastic tablecloths are back again! I really can’t get enough! They are so inexpensive and I keep discovering new ways to decorate with them. I used 4 tablecloths to make this braid for a total of $8. That makes my penny-pinching heart so happy haha. I cut each table cloth into 6 pieces and started braiding away, using 6 pieces per braid to give it some volume. Then, I tied them all together and strung them across the banister and wall. Worked perfectly.
I love throwing a party! But I’m also not about to break the bank for it. The Grand Total for all these decorations was $56!! That’s it! And, if I’m being honest with myself, the true cost was only $36, because I still have a giant roll of castle backdrop that I can use 2 or 3 more times!
To get you started down this decorating road, click below to get your free Flynn Rider Wanted Poster download! These are so cute and come in 2 different styles because “They just can’t get his nose right!”
I love throwing parties on a budget. The look on people’s faces when I tell them my “garland” is plastic tablecloths is priceless! And if you could only have seen Little A’s face when she came down the stairs and saw her house transformed into the Kingdom of Corona! It was worth EVERY penny…or lack of pennies in this case thanks to some budget friendly party décor!
Happy Decorating!!
