The party season can be pricey: new outfits, Christmas gifts for everyone and, of course, the expense which comes with hosting your own festivities. But you don’t have to cut corners with the décor. These crafty cheats will have your guests thinking you purchased your decorations from Harrods, rather than making them at home - and there’s no need to tell them otherwise.
Make your own printed paper bunting
Bunting is a party decoration staple. Whether it's at weddings, christenings, birthdays, or the school fête, it pops up anywhere and everywhere. So get cracking on yours, and choose from the thousands of patterns available online. Either pick a free one, such as these cute letter banner printouts or pay a small fee, like for the cool vintage map bunting pictured above. There are hundreds more available on Etsy - from this arty steampunk bunting to this cool glitter gold patterned bunting from as little as £5. Just print out, and start snipping.
Craft a pretty paper flower garland
As a pretty alternative to bunting, paper flower garlands look lovely looped over fireplaces, chair backs and across the front of buffet tables. For a retro look, give these tissue garlands a whirl. In an array of bright colours or in silver and gold for Christmas, they’re guaranteed to add some pizzazz to a fiesta. If your party has a tropical, jungle or woodland theme, these paper leaf garlands will create the right feel or if you’ve grown in confidence in your paper cutting and folding skills, try your hand at creating this stunning hanging wisteria decoration.
Create a selfie backdrop with pretty paper fans
Encourage your guests to be snap happy by creating your own photo backdrop. In this project by A Pretty Cool Life, paper fans create the perfect background for a homemade selfie screen and can be made using any kind of paper. Switch up the colours and patterns depending on your party theme - and leave a few props like hats, silly sunglasses and moustaches nearby - as well as a couple of disposable cameras to capture the action.
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Pretty up your table with paper decorations
Hosting a dinner party? Then check out these fancy decorations, which are perfect for sprucing up the table. Go extra fancy with gold-tipped paper feathers crafted from old newspapers or magazines, or print out your own text to personalise them for your guests. If you’re more floral than feather inclined, these folded paper flower creations will look pretty scattered over a dinner table laid with a simple white tablecloth and plain napkins.
Decorate with doilies
Julie Thurston via Getty Images
Cake doilies are ready-cut prettiness and the internet is awash with great ways to use them. So banish thoughts of tea at your grandmother’s house and use them to create pretty personalised cutlery wraps,, beautiful place setting holders, or use them to make paper doily Christmas trees.
Hang some pretty paper pom poms
If your party has a garden, forest or spring time theme, why not try and bring the outdoor feel indoors? Craft some of these beautiful tissue paper pom poms and hang them from the ceiling, or go a bit further and hang them from twigs or branches to continue the woodland feel.
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So there you have it. Party décor without the hefty price tag. And if you’re wondering what to do with all those scraps of leftover paper? Make a few handfuls of colourful confetti. It comes in all shapes and sizes, is ridiculously easy to make and means that you won’t waste a thing. Just remember who will be doing the post-party clean-up the next day...