It is fun to get creative with party themes. It can make crafting up a party as fun as attending one!
The Sky's the Limit Graduation Party
By Lisa Storms
Difficulty level
I decided to do a whimsical take on a graduation party with a “the sky’s the limit” theme filled with paper airplanes and clouds.
Beginning with the invitation, I kept it very simple by typing up a text block with the party information and printing onto white cardstock.
Punch along the top of the invitation text with the ‘Up in the Clouds’ border punch to mimic clouds. Cut another piece of white cardstock slightly longer and punch along the top again, offset slightly from where you began with the first punch so the designs will be staggered. Adhere both to a blue cardstock mimicking sky to complete.
Paper airplanes were fun to make as children, and still are today! Fold up some mini planes old-school style using fun patterned papers for a little whimsy. The planes for my cupcakes toppers began with a 3 by 3.5 inch rectangle. Adhere to lollipop sticks (I used a low-temp hot glue gun) to insert into cupcakes at varying heights.
Punch two different sizes of clouds in various shades of white and gray. Layer together with a toothpick in between for cloud toppers to mix in with the planes.
Fold up some extra planes to add to globes for easy table centerpieces. Hot glue a wire into the center of plane and wrap around the globe’s arm. Sprinkle plane and clouds punches throughout the party for simple and inexpensive décor.
I have become a little obsessed with mini piñatas, so cute and festive. They can be used as party favors for small events but obviously become less practical with large groups. For a large graduation party, they would be fun to make for any younger children coming to the party, but most of all they are just cute party décor!
The right tools make this project come together quickly. Fold tissue paper in your school’s colors to fit into paper trimmer and cut .75 inch strips. Fold the strip multiple times as shown until it’s around two inches wide. Fringe-cut along one edge of the strip using Amplify® Mixed Media Shears. These are great for cutting thick materials so they let you knock out of bunch of fringe very quickly.
Unfold the fringe into long, single-layer strips. Coat a party cup (2.5 inch diameter at top) with a thin layer of white glue (apply with a foam brush) and add fringe strip around the cup, beginning at the bottom, until you reach the top as shown. Set aside to dry.
To create the top of the cap, cut 2 squares of coordinating cardstock and 1 square of chipboard (think cereal box) using the square die in the Fuse Creativity System®. This knocks out the cutting in seconds. Adhere the chipboard sandwiched between the cardstock squares with an extra strength glue stick. Attach a simple embroidery floss tassel to the middle with a brad.
Once the fringe is dry, fill the cup with goodies and adhere a single layer of tissue paper to the cup opening using an extra strength glue stick along the rim. Allow to dry fully and trim off excess with scissors. Using a low-temp hot glue gun, adhere on the cap’s top to complete. Now the bottom can be poked open with a simple finger instead of a stick after serving its cuteness purpose as party décor!
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