Project Post 26: DIY No-Sew Banner

Yesterday afternoon we (my class) hosted a little sip & see shower for a friend in my Sunday School class and her precious new little boy. Due partly to this being a very busy time of year and also that we have a small class, myself and another friend were the only ones able to plan and prepare for the shower. The church does not have a fund set aside for showers, so the cost is really up to the individuals planning the event (we are working hard to remedy this, as half of our class is currently pregnant).

Keeping that in mind, the costs can add up pretty fast. We made several little DIY decorations like tissue pom poms, little chalkboard signs, and a banner. I knew I wanted to make a banner for the food table. I didn't have a clue where I was going with it when I bought a yard of canvas fabric, but I think it turned out pretty cute.

First, I laid the canvas on my kitchen table, and cut out a little flag. Once I was happy with the shape, I used it as a template and cut out 6 more flags so that I would have enough for each letter in his name (5) and one blank on each side. Then I picked out a font to use for the letters. For this, I just go to a free font website - one that will give you a sample using the letters you need (like dafont.com) and find a font I like.

Here is what I used to guide drawing his name on the canvas:

{"Romantiques" font - a current favorite}

Then, using this picture as a guide, I just sketched out each letter with a pencil onto each canvas flag. After each letter was sketched, I painted each one with white paint, then went back over each letter with navy blue (sharpie marker and a little paint) for the "highlights."

I then planned to use my hot glue gun and make a "loop" on the top of each flag to put ribbon through (here's where being able to sew would come in handy), but my mom suggested just cutting a couple of slits to run ribbon through. Using her method, I didn't have to locate and use my hot glue gun (with a toddler wanting to be part of every bit of this process).

This is the quilt in his nursery (for whatever reason, I always like matching shower decorations to the baby's nursery), and I already had some ribbon on hand that I knew would be great to match this quilt.

{Picture via here}

So I cut 2 slits in each flag and then ran the ribbon through them. I think it turned out pretty cute for a very economical, thrown-together banner. It's definitely not something you'd want to permanently hang on the wall, but it was cute for a shower decoration. It was so easy to make that I thought I would share - anyone could do it!



Don't mind the thermostat box and the ugly vent on the wall. Those are things we ignore when decorating this room. Also, the lighting causes pictures to have a green/blue tint. I tried all the editing tricks I know and it still won't get rid of it.