Halloween Paper Fan Bunting Tutorial
With a toddler in the house, decorating end tables and low shelves is pretty much off limits. Thankfully the walls are fair game, because buntings and garlands are among my favorite ways to decorate for a party or holiday. I recently made a festive Halloween paper fan bunting that I am kind of obsessed with, and have a tutorial to share with you all!
First, here are the supplies you will need:
- thin cardboard (such as a cereal box)
- coordinating scrapbook papers
- printable letters, chipboard letters, or stencil (for phrase)
- stamps & ink
- ribbon
- scissors
- hole punch
- glue stick
- tape
- hot glue gun
Let’s get started!
1. Make a circular template by tracing a small plate or bowl (I used a 5″ saucer) onto a piece of thin cardboard, and cutting it out.
2. Decide on a phrase for your bunting, and cut out as many circles as you’ll need from your scrapbook paper, using your cardboard template as a guide. Cut extra circles for any additional embellishments you plan on using. I opted for the phrase “boo,” flanked by a stamped pumpkin and ghost, so I cut five circles. I found a free printable for the “boo” letters here. To achieve a different look, you can use chipboard letters or a stencil for your phrase.
3. Make paper fans to serve as a base for each of the circles on your bunting. In order to have about 1″ of the fan visible behind each of my 5″ orange circles, I used 12″ by 6″ pieces of scrapbook paper to create each fan. Here’s how you make them:
a. Starting at one of the 6″ sides of the scrapbook paper, make half inch accordion-style folds.
b. Pinch your accordion folded paper in the center and bend it in half in each direction so it kind of resembles a bow tie. If you would like, you can use a piece of thread to tie at the center to help maintain this shape.
c. Fan out the paper into a circular shape and tape the edges together on the underside.
4. Next, assemble the layers for each piece of the bunting. I used an acid-free glue stick to attach the printed letters to the orange circles, and used a hot glue gun to attach the orange circles to the fan (a big dab of hot glue in the middle, and a few dots around the edge of the circle to prevent curling).
Side note – if you choose to use a stamp for any of your circles, I highly recommend testing on a scrap piece of paper a few times to ensure you are using the right amount of pressure and ink!
5. Use a hole punch to create a place for the fans to be strung onto the ribbon. Before punching, pinch one of the accordion folds at the top of your circle, so that each fan gets two holes (this helps the fans to stay forward-facing). I positioned the holes low enough so that they are not visible from the front.
6. String each of the fans onto the ribbon. You can secure the fans with some tape or a little glue if you want – I opted not to, so that I am able to reposition the spacing of the fans, depending on where I decide to hang the bunting each year.
Well, there you have it – a fun, festive, highly customizable holiday decoration! I’ve already been brainstorming a similar bunting to make for Christmas this year! If you make one of these for yourself, I’d love to see a photo – drop me a line at kimbercrafts (at) gmail (dot) com, or leave a comment below.
P.S. – You can see some of my other bunting and garland projects here: a felt leaf garland for fall, a bunting for my Mom’s elementary school library, a personalized gift for a friend’s nursery, decor for my craft room, decor my daughter’s nursery, and a felt polka dot garland.
