Buy or DIY? 10 Pretty Pieces of Paper Decor
What do you think of when you think of Etsy? A treasure trove of vintage and handmade items, that you can’t find anywhere else. What do you think of when you think of Pinterest? An awesome place to discover tons of DIY projects and project ideas that you can’t find in one easy organized place.
Well, when it comes to decorations for celebrations, sometimes it’s hard to judge whether to go the buy or DIY route. When time is short, we say go for the buy. And better yet, use Etsy so that you know it’s still something handmade. If you’ve got a few months to prepare, invite friends over and DIY it up! Here are 20 ideas to get you started.
1. Fringed Tissue Paper Tassel Garlands: Create an instantly festive vibe by way of fringe. They’re affordable to buy or make, and are pretty darn stylish. You might even want to wear one!
Buy: Tissue Paper Tassel Garland ($27) (via The Paper Jar)
DIY: DIY Paper Tassel Garland (via Life. Love. Larson.)
2. Paper Rose Embellishments: This sweet pieces of flora are great for decorating a table, escort cards, or for creating a super detailed backdrop. They also make great gift or favor toppers.
Buy: Yellow Spiral Paper Flowers ($72 for 100) (via Paper Quirks)
DIY: Bright Paper Flowers (via Santa Barbara Wedding)
3. Sewn Circle Bunting: This has to be one of our favorite tricks in the DIY book. Take a few pieces of paper, cut a whole bunch of shapes, and sew into a garland. Bonus points if you use cutely shaped punches, glitter paper, and neon thread.
Pretty Piñatas
Yes, a piñatacan be pretty. If you want to go for a little less color than our full on piñata party, we’re digging straight up gold. You could even buy a readymade piñata and cover it with gold tissue paper!
Buy: Crystal Confetti Piñata ($125) (via Studio Mucci)
DIY: Gold Heart Piñata (via Studio DIY)
5. Paper Rosette Backdrop: If you’ve browsed the wedding decor section of Pinterest, you’ve probably seen a paper rosette or paper pinwheel. This is one of those tried and true ways to create a lovely atmosphere, and works especially well as a photo backdrop, dessert table backdrop, or even a ceremony backdrop.
Buy: Yellow, Peach, and Gray Rosette Backdrop ($185) (via KaLice Events)
DIY: Gold + Silver Rosette Backdrop (via Catch My Party)
6. Party Hats: You can’t have a party without party hats… can you? We love the idea of hatting it up for all ages, especially for party that goes late into the night. There are tons and tons and tons of party hats to buy and DIY on the web, so be careful not to get lost. These are our two favorites.
Buy: DIY Party Hat Kit ($18 for 10) (via Harvard 5f)
DIY: Festive Fringe Party Hats (via Oh Happy Day)
7. Dimensional Paper Garland: A close relation to the sewn circle garland, this trick takes a whole bunch of circles, layers ’em together, and turns them into a cool 3D piece of decor.
Buy: Layered Circle Garland ($9) (via NRZimmer Long)
DIY: Patterned Paper Garland (via Alison Kreft Designs)
8. Tissue Paper Pom Poms: You didn’t think we’d forget pom poms, did you? Every party needs a pom pom, and these would look great with a whole bunch of paper lanterns and party lights.
Buy: Backdrop Pom Pom Decor ($70 for 20) (via Prost to the Host)
DIY: Bright Paper Pom Poms (via Beauty and the Bratwurst)
9. Glitter Tags: These work great for gifts, name cards, or for tagging food and drink items at your next party. We love the dipped look but you can also go for stripes, polka dots, and more.
Buy: Glitter-Dipped Kraft Tags ($25 for 20) (via Hoopla Love)
DIY: Glitter-Dipped Gift Tags (via Brit + Co.)
10. Photo Booth Props: Last, you are obviously setting up a photo booth so you’re gonna need some props. You can never go wrong with funny mustaches and silly glasses, especially sunglasses that you definitely can’t see through ;)