Party decorations aren't just for parties!

It's hard not to smile when you walk into a room decorated for a party, especially with colourful streamers and banners hanging overhead. So why not use these items in everyday decorating to as a bit of whimsy to a child's bedroom or playroom? It's an easy way to brighten a room and add another layer to your room theme or colour scheme. 

Gimme a P! Gimme an O! Gimme an M! What does that spell?
One half of pom pom! 

Pom poms aren't just for cheerleaders anymore. Thanks to the queen of entertaining herself, Martha Stewart has revitalized paper party decorations, reinterpreting the typical honeycomb-style decorations of the 70s and 80s into a classy and delicate pom pom. You can buy them in a package in coordinated palette of colours and sizes, or DIY-it and make your own. Either way, they add charm and fun to a room.

Simply hang a few (I like to use an odd number starting with no less than 5) and stagger the height at which they hang (see photo, above). Usually a push-pin is strong enough to keep them in place in the ceiling. Step back to view your arrangement as you go, making sure to space them out enough so that each pom pom is visible from the vantage point that they'll be most viewed from.

 This seller's page on Etsy shows an array of colours and styles, and uses not only solid colours, but patterned tissue paper as well (see photo at left). Adorable!

 Tip: you can also make your own by snipping folded sheets of tissue paper into strips, cutting from each edge towards the centre, but leaving the middle of the paper intact. Cut the edges so that you cut off any of the folded edges, then with a ribbon, bunch up the centre that isn't cut, and tie. You might have to play around with the density of tissue to get the right size and shape, but this is a great way to use pretty tissue that may have come in a gift bag but is too crumpled to reuse for wrapping.

Pennant-style banners

Another look I love is pennant banners made from scraps of patterned paper or fabric. It's a nice way to use up pieces from sewing projects or display pretty scrap book paper or wrapping paper. Here is a DIY tutorial for making your own banner like the one pictured on the right.

If you don't want to sew a pennant, its just as easy to use hem tape and an iron to attach the triangle pieces to your ribbon.

 

Pattern to illustrate cutting a paper pennant

If using paper, fold the paper in half to cut out the triangle (like making a heart out of a folded piece of paper). This will give you a diamond shape when unfolded and allow you to have the pattern on both sides of your pennant which is ideal for hanging across a room where it will be viewed on both sides. Paste the triangle to the ribbon by sandwiching it in between the two layers at the fold.

Pennant hung across a room

 Alternately, here is another blog DIY tutorial from Artsy Fartsy Shopaholic. She shows another no-sew method to creating a pennant banner. The nice thing is all you need is a hole punch and string!

Garland

Pom poms can be turned into garland too, as can many other items, such as circular stickers, fabric strips and paper shapes. The photo below is a collage of various ideas for creating garlands. Click through to view the original post on Kojo Designs. The blog includes links to a tutorial for these garlands.

 My personal favourite is the photo in the centre. It's made from pieces of linen fabric, folded, cut and tied to make tassels. This is great because left over fabric can be used. I can see this in a baby's room because of how delicate and soft it looks.

Have fun with these ideas and keep an eye out for inspiration in the party isle. Even if you don't make your own, decor kits such as Martha Stewart's party favours are sold at Michael's and Wal Mart and are a great and easy way to add a bit of whimsy to a room, so have fun!