Festive Diy Party Decorations - Martha Stewart

Hi, I'm Erin Peery, Associate Crafts Editor at Martha Stewart, and I love to party. But what's even more fun than partying is making decorations. So here are two easy garland ideas made out of paper. Here's what you'll need. A roll of crepe paper, crepe paper streamers, a circle cutter, vellum, scissors, fringe scissors, double stick tape, monofilament, and a cutting mat. Our first hanging decoration will be a garland of pleated spheres. This is a Martha Stewart craft circle cutter, and it can cut circles of any different size. Fit this knife cutter in, hold down firmly, and cut your vellum paper. You'll need about seven for each sphere. Once you have a whole stack of circles, just start folding them in half. You don't have to keep them all the same color either. When you feel like you have a substantial pile, you can start putting together your spheres. On each semicircle, stick a piece of double stick tape and attach the next straight at the seam. Keep applying double stick tape right near the seams and adding folded circles. Keep adding them until when you open it up, it makes a pretty shape. Before I close the sphere, I'm going to attach it to the monofilament, which I've already cut. Use a piece of double stick tape to hold it in. Fan out the folds, and you have your first segment. And then you just keep cruising. Ta-da! Now let me show you how to make a fringy one. Once you have a strip of crepe paper, use your fringe scissors. These are a super tool. They have five blades. Just work your way all down the side. This is such an easy, fun streamer. Put them in the trees or hang them from the ceiling. Very festive. Once you've fringed one side, flip it over and simply do the next. Anybody can do this project. If some of your friends think that they're not good at crafting, this is a great intro for DIY decor. Tell me this is not a party just waiting to happen. There are endless possibilities with both of these techniques. So craft on!