VALENTINE BUNTING

(Photo courtesy of http://beautifullittleweddings.blogspot.com/)

So most of us love bunting.  I have always wanted to have quilted bunting (probably from Pottery Barn Kids) or from some little shabby chic shop in St. Andrews that I can't afford.  However, I discovered something about bunting that seems to be almost a secret among normal households.  You don't have to use material! Let's face it: fat quarters from a craft shop are going to cost you a bundle and you have to finish the edges and blah blah blah. Instead, I've discovered a few things you can use instead.

First off you can use scrapbooking paper.  If you're trying for the traditional triangle bunting, you can fold the scrapbooking paper over the twine you're using to hang it and it will look lovely!

Second (and I'm pretty sure I came up with this idea myself) you can use napkins! You know when you see lovely printed napkins but you don't buy them because they cost way too much for something you're going to wipe food on and then throw away? Well, why not use them as bunting? Open them up and cut them into four smaller squares along their creases.  Then take the squares and fold them over your twine and tape or glue together.

For Valentine's Day I've got two ideas and both of them I'm pretty excited to try out.  One is this heart bunting I discovered online at www.thegreengables.co.uk (see above).  They've taken large pieces of recycled paper and cut out hearts.  Then there are two holes punched in either end and you string the twine through them. All you need is paper, tape or glue, and twine. Make sure you use heavy cardstock paper so it hangs well.  Easy and lovely!

Second is my own idea (once again I'm sure it's out there but I haven't seen it so I'm putting up an equally cute picture idea above).  I love making Valentines but I also feel it's a little wasteful in the end.  We decorate cards and put stickers on things and glue and glitter and in the end we hand them around, everyone exclaims over them, and then I either stick them on the mantle for a few days and let them go or store them in the children's save boxes.  Here's another idea: use them for bunting.  Specifically have sheets of paper that are either in the shape you will glue to each other or shapes that can be folded over twine for bunting! (Tip: make sure you don't have heavily glittered or stickered pieces that need to be folded as that gets pretty messy.) This is a great way to use your kids art to decorate for Valentine's Day and it's a great way to get inexpensive and meaningful bunting.
If you don't have kiddos to make Valentine card bunting, you can try for something like the picture above and spell out fun phrases.  Take a piece of scrapbooking paper, fold in half over the twine (easier than the material sewn above to the red edging), find templates of letters online and print out if you need help gauging letter sizes.  Decorate the letters and glue to the scrapbooking paper bunting.  It's easy and oh so cute!

Happy decorating!