Easy Striped Birthday Banner
My oldest turned 15 earlier last month. A huge cliche, but where have those years gone? For each birthday, I like to make decorations (despite no encouragement from the boy) to mark the occasion. This year had a bit of a Manchester United theme. His main present is a trip to Old Trafford for the last game of the season. I wrapped his presents with this red and white Hand made easy gift wrap. Then for maximum impact on the day, I made this easy striped birthday banner in Manchester United colours.
In all honestly, I am well aware that gift wrap and birthday banners are not things that interest most 15 year old boys – but deep down I think he does appreciate that I make a bit of effort. I’m going with that thought.
Materials
- Cardstock – I used watercolour paper
- Paint and paintbrush
- Scissors
Method
First cut out the letters. To get uniform sizes, to avoid measuring / drawing, cut the letters into rectangles first. To make things as easy as possible, dont cut out the closed counters or “inside” of the letters such as the P. 
Once all the letters are cut, paint horizontal stripes. 
Add two different sizes of stripes for contrast.
And a few different sizes of letter / number. Mr PSGC asked why not paint the full sheet and then cut out the letters from that. It is obviously an option, but as a complete cheapskate, I wanted to cut some of the letters on the horizontal and some on the vertical to minimise wasted card.
Once all the letters are painted and dry, attach them to a wall!
You can punch holes in the back of the letters and string them up. Or as I did, (to still be able to access my cupboards); attach bluetac on the back of each letter and stick it to the wall.
This type of craft and birthday decor is a favourite with me. It takes next to no time to make, and can be done in any colour. Polka dots would look fab, or let your little ones loose with splodges of paint for a dads or grandparents birthday.