DIY Vintage Halloween Banner
It is somewhat of a tragedy that though my love for Halloween runs deep, and is my favorite holiday of the year, I don’t have a single DIY on my blog for Halloween. Bad, bad Emery (cue slap on the hand). Obviously this needs to change. I mean, what kind of weird, creepy mother am I destined to be if I don’t have a plethora of Halloween DIYs on my blog by the time my children are old enough to read and comprehend arts and crafts? So it’s time to start now, and we shall begin with an easy one—a Happy Halloween banner.
I know there are a-many Halloween garlands and banners on the inter webs (pun intended). It’s just that my Halloween aesthetics lie somewhere between the child and adult decor. I like a more vintage Halloween, sprinkled with some of the fun modern decor. I think it’s always a challenge for designers to find their Halloween niche, to the extent where many simply stick to the “Fall” decor and choose not to let a little of their quirky and creepy side out for the world to see. Halloween doesn’t just have to be for the kids. It’s such a unique holiday that, unfortunately, has completely transformed into commercialism, like all good things. But still, it holds so much creativity and personality that is such a shame to bypass, especially to anyone who sees themselves as a creative person.
And shame, shame to me, I actually had planned to post this one last year. But for who knows what reasons, October flew by, Halloween came and went, and I felt a little too weird posting Halloween DIYs when the Christmas fanatics had come out of hiding and DIY paper stars were made in access. Yes, every year there’s the toy that’s all the rage, along with the DIY that everyone must make for their mantle. Anyways, this little gem got hidden away, but now she is yours to cut out and hang.
Here’s What You Need:
14 sheets of black felt 9x12 sheets (I suggest the sturdier, less flimsy kind)
Conte pencil or something that will write on black and be seen
Masking Tape
Scissors
Hot glue gun
White string
Here’s What You Do:
After downloading the Happy Halloween Banner Template, you’ll need to print it out on normal printing paper. No large, fancy template that will need to be printed at the printing store here.
Cut out each of the letters and place one letter per one sheet of felt
Use the masking tape to hold them in place on the felt to better trace each letter with the white conte.
Cut out these letters from the felt, making sure you cut on the inside line of the conte so it doesn’t show.
Unroll two 5-6 feet long pieces of string, and make two adjustable loops at the ends. Then, fold in half to find the center.
Take the first “P” in HAPPY, and glue the top center of the “P” to the center of the string. You’ll only need to make a line of glue on the very tops of each letter for the string to sit on.
Start gluing the letters on either side, an equal distance apart. I eye-balled approximately an inch between each letter.
Repeat Steps 6 & 7 except with the “O” in HALLOWEEN.
Use the adjustable loops to get the desired swoop of the banner on a wall. Or you can use paperweights to hold it down on a shelf or mantle.
Easy enough, right? I had a couple spider clips I added to the ends of mine just to cover up those wall hooks so they’re not such a distraction to my amazing banner. As much as I love this DIY, I’m also very excited to share a few more Halloween DIYs next year to really start building up my collection.
