Later today on the Inspired Bride, I’ll be sharing a Kentucky Derby inspired shoot I recently styled for Southern Weddings Magazine with my talented friends, Shauna Younge, Jonny and Michelle of Paper Antler, Amy Hardy, and Dani of Studio Fleurette. Here on Somewhere Splendid, though, I thought I’d share the tutorial for the award ribbon inspired drink stirrers we used on the tablescape (Shauna even used them as dessert decorations on her lovely table!). They’re incredibly affordable and, once you get the hang of it, you can whip them out in no time. I produced over a hundred of them in about an hour, so it’s a great detail to add to any party with very little financial or time investment necessary.
supplies
- scrapbooking paper in multiple colors
- paper trimmer
- long toothpicks, or bamboo skewers cut in half
instructions
Trim your scrapbooking paper into quarter inch thick strips using a paper trimmer (if you have very steady hands, an X-acto knife and ruler is fine, too). Set your toothpick or skewer on top of one of your paper strips, about a third of the way up the strip. Angle the strip at 30°, then wrap the remaining two thirds of the paper strip around the skewer to form a V shape (as shown in illustration #1). Pinch the paper slightly near the skewer so the strip keeps its shape as you continue to fold it into a flag.
Fold the long strip section down behind the shorter section so the longer piece runs parallel with the skewer (as shown in illustration #2). Pull the longer section back over the skewer (it will now run parallel with the shorter strip, but on the other side of the skewer, as shown in illustration #3), then flip the flag over and tuck the longer strip section under the loop that you’ve created with the paper strip. Pull the two strips to tighten the flag.
Trim the strips to even them up if necessary, and then cut V-shaped notches in the end of each strip to finish.
Image by Paper Antler.
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I always thought somehow they were magically pulling the paper through the knot… YAY for this DIY! I love this and will be using it for my littlest’s birthday next week! Hooray!
Yay no glue needed! So clever!
Just love it when the simplest items make such stylish accents on a party table! Thanks for sharing.