DIY Holiday Banner

November 1, 2018

Holiday wreaths, they are everywhere. Last year I made one with greenery and it was so messy! Every time I opened the door it would shed. This year I am set on creating a holiday banner. I recently saw a wall hanging with some lettering in a room and thought a front door holiday banner would look nice. Something festive, but not too in your face. Then the word joy came to mind and it seemed like the perfect fit. Joy is the energy I want to bring to our home this holiday season.

Here is the best part, I used all my crafting scraps! This project cost $0! Are you like me and have leftover craft pieces? It’s amazing what you can make with these with a little imagination. If you don’t have felt, tassels or a dowel on hand these materials were not very expensive. The holiday banner with all new material would cost less than $10.

Step 1: Materials – Gather what you have and assess!

What do you have? Think of the crafts you’ve made over the past year and all the bits and bobs leftover. I had the following:

Red Felt

White Material

Pom Poms

Sequins

Dowels

Hot Glue

Step 2: Pick a font and cut out the lettering.

Yes I could freehand this lettering, but I wasn’t in the mood and I wanted to make this quick and easy! I actually have a thing for fonts, its a problem. Each week Creative Market gives away free fonts and other goodies! I have this page bookmarked so I can check it often. More than fonts I love tracing! Haha, I know, I’m an adult, but it’s so satisfying.

Step 3: Trace your word backwards

No one likes to see trace lines so remember to place your word backwards on the material when tracing.

Step 4: Create a banner template.

Once you have your word cut out, figure out the shape and size of your banner. I wanted the banner to be quite large, so I measured out 19 inches across and went from there! The shape I was going for was a pendant, so made a point at the bottom once I figured out the overall size.

Step 5: Trace your banner template.

Again we could free hand, but I wanted the banner to be symmetrical. I used the clamps to keep it in one place while tracing. Remember to flip the banner over once you are finished tracing so you don’t see the pen marks.

Step 6: Cut out the banner.

This part is easy since you already know your banner is perfectly measured!

Step 7: Assemble.

You have both pieces cut out. Lay out your word on the felt or whatever material you are using to see what placement works.

Step 8: Glue

I love my hot glue gun! It’s easy and saves a lot of time. Plus for budget friendly projects like this I don’t need to spend more time than necessary. Sewing the banner could be an option if you have the time and skills. I have neither of those.

Step 9: Glue some more!

Again gluing was the easiest option for me. Fold over the top so the dowel is able to easily slide through. I left a little room in case my gluing was slightly off.

Step 10: Add the dowel.

Since my banner ended up being quite large I crazy glued two pieces together. Since I was trying to use old crafting scraps, I used what I had on hand!

Step 11: Add the ribbon.

Whatever you have whether it’s sequins or ribbons or yarn, anything that can easily be tied onto the dowel.

Step 12: Add pom poms

The banner needed an extra something to finish it off! I added these pom poms I had from another project! Since they have an edge to them it was easy to glue on the back of the banner.

There we are, a simple and easy holiday DIY. It only took about 30 minutes to create and I didn’t spend any money!

What do you have in your craft stash that you could turn into a holiday banner? Or maybe you have some leftover crafting materials you could use for another holiday craft? This time of year is perfect for clearing our all of your craft pieces. I already have a few ideas to make holiday DIY’s with pieces I have from other crafts I made this year!