Let’s be honest — hosting an event can be a scary experience for your wallet. There’s the cost of the food, decor, servingware, and maybe even extra tables and chairs. Here at Brit + Co, we’ve hosted many Friendsgivings over the years. From college dorm rooms, to one-bedroom apartments, to houses, we’ve squeezed our friends into all types of places. The key to a successful, low-cost Friendsgiving is keeping it potluck-style and taking advantage of discount stores and paper products to create decor. Follow along below to learn how to create paper decor that will dress up your space (on a budget) for one of the best holidays of the year: Friendsgiving.
Paper leaf Friendsgiving table runner
Flowers, and even fake flowers, are pretty expensive. To cut down on costs for Friendsgiving, we decided to make a table runner out of paper leaves.
Materials + Tools:
- various colors of card stock
- ribbon
- scissors
- hot glue
- leaf template
Download and print our leaf template. Trace the leaves onto various colors of paper and cut out. Our runner is made up of about 50 leaves.
Vary the sizes and cuts of the leaves. Some leaves are from the template and others are just teardrop shapes with slits cut out of the center and sides.
Cut a strip of ribbon that is about two feet long and attach leaves using a hot glue gun.
Yes, it’s that easy. Pro tip: Choose a color scheme that complements and adds a pop of color to your tablescape.
Paper pendant Friendsgiving banner
Felt banners are great but kinda costly. Luckily, you can get the same cute look with paper, streamers, and letter stickers. This banner is so adorable you might just want to keep it around and incorporate it into your gallery wall.
Materials + Tools:
Create a template for a pentagon shape that measures about four inches in height. Cut out as many as you’ll need for your desired phrase.
Then stick on those letters, girl!
Cut small pieces of streamer and fringe the bottom. Roll up to create a tassel and hot glue onto the bottom point of each letter in the banner.
Use hot glue or tape to attach the letters to string and then get ready to hang and marvel at all the glory (and saved dollar dollar bills, y’all).
Brown Paper Friendsgiving Placemats
This is the easiest and cheapest way to update your table for Friendsgiving. It will even make a folding table look like a million bucks. Keep the paint pens out on the table for guests to leave notes for each other or the host.
Use your hand-lettering skills to create name tags for your guests. Switch it up by seating two new friends next to each other — or even better, play matchmaker and sit two single friends next to each other.
Oh, and if you’re unsure about your lettering prowess, we’ve got about a dozen online classes to help you level up!
Having more than four people over? Create lounge seating with large pillows on the ground and use coffee tables or even nightstands to increase table space.
Don’t be afraid to leave the traditional color palette behind and introduce newer, brighter colors. These colors still bring fall feelings into play but add a playful touch to the event.
Show us your latest hosted event by tagging us on Instagram + using hashtag #iamcreative!
DIY Production and Styling: Kelly Bryden
DIY Video Production and Styling: Alonna Morrison
Videography: Trevor Tillman
Photography: Brittany Griffin
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