Paper Doily Bunting

Recently I hosted an afternoon tea for Jessica's 21st birthday.  She wanted all things girly,  pretty and pink.  Balloons and streamers together wouldn't give us the look we were after so I dug into my card making stash.  I have lots of paper doilies in all sorts of sizes.  Suddenly an idea was forming.  Why not make  doily bunting ?

The bunting is very simple to make.  Here's what you need -

Paper doilies of your choice and color
String or twine
Sticky tape on a dispenser
Scissors.

Cut the doilies in half.  I cut 6 - 8 at a time

Roll out the string on a flat surface.

Work out the pattern you'd like to make.  I used one large,  one small,  one large,  one medium as a pattern.

Fold the flat edge of the doily over approximately 4 - 5 mm.

Place the string in the doily fold and use sticky tape to secure the edge.  Larger doilies required 3 pieces of sticky tape.

Make sure you use sticky tape on the same side of each doily.

Hang the bunting and enjoy.

When taking the bunting down,  be extra careful so you can use it again.

COST -  $2 - $3 for approximately 10 metres.

 

Decorating On A Budget - A Few Ideas

Decorating your home can be an expensive hobby /task.  Some people pay thousands of dollars for designers to do everything for them.  Those of us living on limited means can find it challenging to decorate without breaking the bank.  Here are a few budget friendly ideas to get you started on a new look.

*  Need a new vase ?  Pasta sauce jars,  tin cans and small glass juice bottles all work so well as vases.  You could jazz them up with a ribbon,  piece of hessian or a strip of old curtaining.  Just tie in a bow or attach with a hot glue gun.

*  Cushion covers can be made from pillow cases.  We all have odd pillow cases in the linen cupboard.  Grab them out, slip over your existing cushions and make adjustments as needed.  You might need to turn it inside out and tack a new seam .  An odd button sewn on could fasten the leftover material in place.

*  Tired on the pictures on the wall ?  Have a look through the photos you have stored on your phone or computer.  Enlarge and print one off. If it's larger than A4,  your local stationary shop might be able to help with large photocopies.

*  Local op shops can provide a wonderful supply of picture frames both big or small.  If you don't like the color of the frame,  give it a light sand then a couple of coats of paint.

*  Painting the walls can be an inexpensive way to freshen up a home and add real value.  Painting a whole house could run into big dollars.  There are a few options here. Check your local hardware  store for tins of mistinted paint at discount prices.  Another option is to paint one room at a time as your budget allows.

Pasta sauce and tomato paste jars as vases

Bottling jar recycled into a tall vase

My baking photographed and framed.