Birthday Banner - Tutorial

With birthdays around the corner I wanted create something bright and fun to celebrate. These flags are made from newspaper, old craft paint and tape. What could be easier? Here is what to do.

You will need:

newspaper

paint (I used old craft paint)

paintbrush

masking tape (2 inches wide)

scissors

rocks

a sunny afternoon (2-3 hours with play time in between)

First we spread out newspaper and placed one full sheet on top. We used old acrylic paint bottles that were almost empty. If the paint is thick add a little water to the bottle and shake. Now paint, put the sheet out to dry and grab another. We painted 7 sheets, front and back, using a variety of colors.

When the paint has dried cut each sheet in half down the fold. Fold these rectangles into squares and again into long rectangles. Now you are ready to cut your flags.

Be sure to cut from the edge where the top and bottom ends of the newspaper meet. Cut a diagonal line from that corner across the rectangle up to the opposite corner. You will end up with 3 flags and two left over scraps. Our 7 sheets of newspaper gave us 42 flags that are 10.5 inches across and 11.5 inches tall.

Now arrange the flags in the color order you want. Take 2-3 feet of tape at a time and place the flags on the bottom half overlapping them slightly. Fold the tape over to cover top edge of flags. Continue for the length that you need. I made 2 strings of 15 flags and one of 12. I didn't do the math but it I think ours cover about 35 feet. They are ready to hang.

Enjoy the party!