make a paper garland using cupcake wrappers, straws and tissue paper

There's nothing wrong with store-bought paper garlands, but I'm all about custom, unique and one of a kind. I also think that being known for being creative amongst my group of friends, there's a level of expectation that I will make most things from scratch myself.

So when I was planning the decorations for my daughter's recent first birthday party, I started making tissue paper flowers. I wasn't sure exactly what I was going to do with them, but I knew that they would have a place within the overall confetti theme.

But it wasn't until I found some jumbo length straws in a two dollar shop that I got an idea. An idea for a fantastic straw and paper garland.  Here's how to make a paper garland in 5 simple (colourful) steps...

how to make festive cake stands

Here's a fun little DIY from my daughter's recent first birthday party.  As part of her confetti themed party I wanted to have some food displayed on colourful elevated stands. I didn't want to buy something specifically for the party, so I set out to make something unique (and budget-conscious). Here's how I did it and how you can do it too...

5 ways to decorate envelopes

Since starting the Creative Pen Pals project, I've immersed myself in all things snail mail. Because let's be honest, one of the greatest joys of receiving a penned letter is the initial reaction you have when you realise that there's an adorned beauty in amongst the bills.

Something I've found though, is that if you only have a couple of pen pals, the letter-writing kits which come in packs of 10 or 20 certainly start to become less exciting and more *groan* "there's that stationery again".

Don't get me wrong, I love me a cute printed letterhead, but I also love the uniqueness of receiving something that has been customised or is one of a kind. So it got me thinking. How can I easily create some lovely, colourful stationery that can be customised using the same technique but different supplies?

So I've come up with 5 ways that you can embellish standard envelopes (nothing fancy, just plain old envelopes from an office supplies store) with supplies from your craft stash. 

festive party ideas on a budget: theming

Setting a theme for a party or special occasion is important for a few reasons. It enables you to:

• select decorations that will compliment each other 
• stay on track when selecting items and planning the overall day 
• set a menu to match your theme

Please don't be daunted by the task of deciding on a theme. You don't have to go over the top (if you don't want to) and simple ideas such as choosing a colour or pattern such as dots or stripes will help you pull everything together in next to no time. Sticking with a basic theme means it's easier to customise party basics such as plastic cups, cutlery, napkins etc.

Of course if you want to be a little more elaborate and pick a mad hatter style party, then that's great too, but you must be prepared for the challenge, and the work involved.

Below is an example of a theme, menu and decorations that I'm sharing from my daughters' recent first birthday party to provide some inspiration.

festive party ideas on a budget

My littlest one turned one on the weekend.  For a week leading up to her birthday, I was making lots of decorations and preparing for her party on Sunday, using every spare minute possible to cut, paint, glue, stick and create.

We didn't have a budget in mind, but as it was only a small party being hosted at our house, I didn't want to spend too much money. And if I can make it myself, then you know I will always accept the creative challenge.

The theme I decided on was 'confetti' which made it easy to customise the decor and to create a lot of things from scratch using paint and stickers along with some cheap supplies. It made the entire theming colourful, whimsical and fun.

Over the course of the next week I'm going to share with you the menu, decorations and ideas so that you can create your own confetti themed kids (or grown-up) party on a budget or find inspiration in everyday objects to DIY your own do.

You'll be amazed at how easy (and cheap) it is to create a colourful setting that'll have your guests swooning.