Birthday Party Decorations

My daughter turned one in July, and we had a big party at our house to celebrate with family. I didn't want to buy a lot of decorations. I bought balloons, and I spent $1 on a cupcake banner at a yard sale and hung it over her high chair. I made everything else with supplies I had at home.

This website has A LOT of birthday party ideas. There's even a list of kid's party ideas called The Big List. If you can think of a birthday party theme, there's probably a list of ideas on this site!

I kept a couple of gift bows from baby gifts and took them apart for her party and just put them on the chandelier - no tying required! I had an old story book I got at a yard sale and decided I didn't really like it. So I took it apart and used it to make these paper rosettes. Of course any paper will do. Just accordian file the pages, mine took 3 pages per rosette. I trimmed the ends of each on to look a little different. I punched a hole in the top and hung them up with pink ribbon I had already. Here's a tutorial on making paper rosettes.

I found a bunch of containers, cans, and jars I had around the house. I lined them with tissue paper to use for chips, pretzels, forks, toothpicks, etc. I used a small mailbox decorated with green ribbon and a number "1" and put Rebecca's pictures in it for guests to take home.

I made pinwheels, also from a story book we weren't going to keep. It was really easy. I just tore out the pages, which were perfect squares. Cut it in diagonals (four triangle pieces), folded one corner and stapled it. I hot glued buttons to the front and a wooden dowel to the back. I put them in a mason jar with a bunch of vintage buttons, and that was our centerpiece. I love mason jars, by the way. I use them for lots of things.

I got the birthday flag at a yard sales for .50 cents, and I plan on using it again.


I used scrapbook papers and supplies to make the birthday banner. I used a template from this site to make my banner pieces. I used one of my lettering templates to make letters. And then I stapled the pennants to the pink ribbon (another baby gift bow).

So I spent next to nothing on party decorations, and we had a great birthday party! I've already started planning for next year!