MAKE: paper bunting, party hats and a DIY pinata!

For the crafty queens out there, a kids birthday party is like Christmas! Invites! Decorations! Games! We love it! When it came to celebrating Bedhead's 10 years, we used some of our own prints on paper to make party hats and bunting - the easiest way to say party without saying party! You can use any paper - wrapping paper, tissue paper, newspaper, kids artworks! We felt our quick cheat version DIY was in order. If you'd like to use some of our prints, you're most welcome to download them here: and print out - they're great for all sorts of crafty things!

DIY PAPER BUNTING

You'll need:
Printer paper - you can download and print our prints here.
Scissors
String
Hot glue gun or double-sided tape

How to:
1. Fold the paper in half lengthwise and cut into a triangle with the top of the triangle at the fold. It will create a back-and-front printed triangle. Repeat with all the prints you wish to use.
2. Open each folded triangle and run hot glue or double-sided tape along the crease of the fold. Add the string to the glue and fold back in place. Add another dot of glue to the point of the triangle to secure. Repeat with all triangles and hang.

DIY PAPER PARTY HATS

You'll need:
Paper party hats - we used Woolworths hats
Printed paper of your choice - download our prints here.
Scissors
Double-sided tape
Hot glue gun
Wool pom poms (DIY or use ready-made from Kmart)
Felt balls

How to: 
1. Place a square of double-sided tape into the top left corner of the A4 sheet of paper open in front of you lengthways.
2. Place the point of the paper hat into centre of the top of the A4 paper and roll towards the double-sided tape. Once it's stuck to the hat, Use a longer piece of double-sided tape and stick to the hat in the same place from the tip of the hat to the base of the hat. 
3. Roll the hat over the paper until the paper sticks to the double-sided strip and the whole hat is covered. Cut off the excess.
4. Add small pom poms to the front of the hat that coordinate with the print or add a wool pom pom to the top of the hat.

DIY PULL-STRING PINATA

The great thing about homemade pinatas is you can make anything - a mermaid tail for a mermaid-theme party, a train for a transport theme, a butterfly, Minecraft character or flower. The trick is to make the shape as easy as possible and decorate in a way that works best with your theme. For detail, add cardboard over a solid-colour fringing like we did with our Bedhead logo over a simple yellow fringe. We traced the logo onto black cardboard then cut out each letter so the fringe could be seen through the logo. Strictly for the dedicated this one - it's tiring on the fingers! This pull-string option is great for little kids you're not keen on using sticks for whacking! Or, if after whacking, the pinata has been made TOO well and doesn't want to smash open!

You'll need:
Large cardboard box
Scissors
Masking tape
Hot glue gun / double-sided tape or glue
String
Coloured crepe paper 
Curling ribbon or string
Lollies (goodness don't forget those!)
 

How to:
1. Start by cutting your shape out of the biggest side of the box. We just went a circle as large as we could in the box we had. You'll need two of these exactly the same, with the inside of the box facing out. 
2. Now cut strips of cardboard the same width out of the rest of the box. The easiest way to make the cardboard flexible enough to fit your shape is to cut the strips with the corrugated cardboard running horizontally across your width. This allows you to easily roll the strips along the corrugated parts to make it more flexible. 
3. Use masking tape to tape the strips to the edge of your shape. Do one side until complete all the way around. Now is the time to add your string to the top of the pinata so it can hang - poke two holes in the top and tie string through the holes to create a loop. 
4. To make a pull-string pinata, create a trapdoor in the base of the pinata. Tape on a "tongue" that keeps the trapdoor closed. Cut little slits into the trapdoor and add the string, tying knots on the inside of the trapdoor. Ensure the door is large enough for the biggest lolly to fall through easily. 
5. Attach the other side of the pinata using masking tape to the strips again. 
6. Fill with lollies and close the trap door by slightly bending the door inside so the tongue rests on the inside of the door opening.
7. Finge time! Leave tissue paper folded as it comes and cut into strips. Fringe each strip and then unfold, creating a long fringe. Attach from the bottom of the pinata with glue or tape and cover the tape with the next strip. 
8. Decorate as you wish on the outside.
9. Hang and have fun!

COLOURING IN TABLE RUNNER

A great option for kids who love to colour! Our birthday theme has party motifs, naughts and crosses and even some hats the kids can design their own prints on! Download and print here and follow the instructions on the page to put together.