Paper birthday decorations to make at home

A cheap birthday at home can look finished with paper you cut yourself. Make the pieces in the table, hang them in three spots, and leave the floor clear for the games.

Paper decorations to cut tonight

Piece	What you do	Where it hangs
Paper chain	Tape construction-paper strips into loops, each loop through the last.	Across a doorway
Cupcake-liner garland	Thread liners onto string.	Along the cake table
Confetti	Punch scraps of colored paper.	On the tablecloth
Shape garland	Cut circles, stars, or hearts and string them.	Doorway or the line where wall meets ceiling
Scrapbook bunting	Cut triangle flags and string them.	Above the cake table
Crepe streamers	Twist a roll in the party colors and tape the ends.	Door frame
Paper fan	Accordion-fold a sheet, pinch the center, and tape it.	Photo wall
Tassel garland	Cut a paper fringe, roll the top, and tie it to string.	Photo wall
Name banner	One flag per letter of the name and the age, plus a spacer flag between words.	The wall guests see first
Photo string	Clip printed photos to twine.	Photo wall
Photo-booth props	Cut hats and masks from cardstock and tape them to sticks.	A box by the photo wall
Party-hat station	Set out plain cones, markers, and stickers.	A side table
Cupcake toppers	Cut small cardstock shapes and tape them to toothpicks.	On the cupcakes
Food tents	Fold cardstock in half and write the snack name on the front.	In front of each bowl
Favor tags	Cut small rectangles, punch a hole, and tie them on.	On the goodbye bags
Paper flowers	Layer cut petals and pinch the center.	In a jar on the cake table
Door sign	Write the child's name on one sheet of cardstock.	Front door

Paper chains from construction paper, cupcake-liner garlands, and confetti punched from glitter paper are the common-item set on the Fun Play World decoration guide. Cut colorful paper into circles, stars, or hearts and string them, and clip printed photos to twine with clothespins, on the Photojaanic home decoration list. Bunting from scrapbook paper, streamers in the party colors, and paper flowers for the table are the low-cost paper route on Life is a Party. Tassels tied to a string, and paper fans, are backdrop pieces on the Pump It Up decoration notes. Place cards, cupcake toppers, and banners are printable party pieces on the Brother Creative Center party decorations page.

Food tents, favor tags, and the door sign are folds and cuts you can add from the same cardstock. Favor tags belong on the bags in birthday party goodie bag ideas.

Supplies for the evening

For the paper pieces, gather cardstock, glue, tape, scissors, and string. Those sit on the materials list for DIY birthday decorations at home on the Photojaanic guide. Add construction paper for the chains, cupcake liners, crepe paper or tissue for fans and streamers, a hole punch, toothpicks, and clothespins.

A cheap set is paper and tape you already have, plus cardstock if the drawer is empty. Keep one color family so a chain, a fan, and a banner read as one party. A dinosaur afternoon can use the same paper pieces. See dinosaur birthday party ideas.

Make them in this order

Start decorating a few hours before the party, the timing on the Photojaanic home decoration guide. That same page also allows the day before. Either window works if the cutting is finished before the first guest knocks.

1. Clear the table. Cut every hanging piece first: chains, shape garlands, bunting, fans, tassels, and banner flags.
2. String them while the pieces are still in order. A spacer flag between words keeps a name from running into the age.
3. Fold the table pieces: toppers, food tents, favor tags, and paper flowers.
4. Write the door sign and the food tents last, so the names stay clean.
5. Hang, then set the food out.

The paper invite can use the same colors. See how to make a birthday invitation.

Hang them in three spots

Pick just a few areas and make them a focal point, which is the home-decoration advice on Life is a Party. Hang decorations at various heights, and split the room into a photo spot, a cake table, and a gift spot, as the Fun Play World guide lays out for staging.

Spot	Hang here	Leave clear
Door	Door sign, a short paper chain, streamers on the frame	The path from the door to the coats
Cake table	Bunting or the name banner above, toppers, food tents, paper flowers, liner garland	A place to set the cake down
Photo wall	Fans, tassel garland, photo string, a box of props	Floor space in front, for the child to stand

Three spots are enough for a living room. Covering every wall eats the evening and crowds the games.

When the name banner is the piece guests read first, the purpose of the Name and Age Birthday Banner is a Happy Birthday banner with your child's name and age at a home party, printed at home. It includes three looks, dinosaur, mermaid, and unicorn, plus swallowtail flags 3.25 × 5.5 in, two per sheet, with punch marks. It includes a Party Maker file so you type the name and age, print only the flags you need, with a flag count and string estimate. It also lets you type the name and age (or your own phrase) in the included Party Maker, or pick letters from the A–Z and 0–10 sheets. It requires a printer, cardstock, scissors, a hole punch and string, and a web browser to personalize. It comes as separate PDFs for US Letter and A4. It is print-only. It is home-print flags only, so the file has no large photo-lab banner size.

One honest limit

These pieces are paper you cut at home, for the door, the cake table, and one wall. A fabric banner, a balloon wall, or a room wrapped in shop decor is a different project, and this page stays with the evening paper route.