The fun and whimsy of first birthday parties is cheaper if you create most of the decorations at home.
Ringing in the first birthday for your baby boy can come at a surprisingly high cost. Many specialty decorations will only be used once and may not seem worth the investment. A few simple tricks go a long way to save you cash. Opting for do-it-yourself decor, incorporating food items into your party theme, and choosing inexpensive items will save you money. Working on a budget is easier if you plan ahead, so give yourself a couple of months to plan for this special day. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Add inexpensive punches of color. Purchase latex balloons in a rainbow of colors. Suspend long, brightly colored ribbons from the balloons. Place these floating decorations in your party room for a bright burst of color, rather than hanging expensive signs or banners.
2. Have your food do double duty. Use desserts, such as cupcakes and candy-coated chocolates, as part of your decor. Arrange multicolored cupcakes into the shape of a rainbow on your table or use cupcake stands to perch these treats around your home. Fill bowls, candy dishes and vases with colorful candies.
3. Showcase your memories. Print black and white photos from your computer with images of your baby boy from his birth through his first birthday. Enlarge the pictures as posters or suspend them from the ceiling with fishing line. To hang the photos, simply print two pictures of the same size. Apply a long strand of fishing line to the back of one with tape. Attach the backs of each picture together with tape. Dangle them from the ceiling for a special, personal decor option.
4. Use tissue paper to make pom-poms. These beauties look dramatic when hanging from the ceiling but only take a few minutes to make. Layer 10 sheets of tissue paper on top of each other. Lay the tissues in front of you so the longest sides lie on the right and left. Hold the sheets of tissue paper together, and create a fold 1 inch away from the bottom edge.
5. Continue to fold the pom-pom papers like an accordion, as if you were making a fan, until you reach the top edge. This creates a long rectangle shape. Place a floral wire over the center of the rectangle. Fold the wire in half over the tissue paper rectangle. Twist the wire tightly to hold the paper in place.
6. Use scissors to cut round edges on the two short sides of the rectangle. Unfold the paper by pulling the round tip of each sheet away from the others. Continue to pull each sheet away from the center to form a large, round ball. Suspend the pom-poms from the ceiling with fishing line.
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