DIY Paper Lei

Whenever I entertain, no matter the occasion, I almost always prepare a little crafty project for guests to do during the party. I set up a craft table complete with all the supplies needed to make the craft and also include completed samples and instructions (sometimes I’ll even do a little demo). I usually choose simple crafts that can be done by anyone and any skill level. This is perfect for kids parties, though I still love doing kids crafts as an adult and have found that my friends love to do them too even without children present. This year, for my 28th birthday, I decided to throw a Luau in my mom’s beautiful backyard. To keep with the theme, the craft of the evening was a paper lei-making station.

Supplies Needed:
• Flower Punch
• Paint Chips
• String
• Pony Beads
• Hole Punch
• Scissors
• Personalized Favor Tags

I collected a bunch of colorful paint chips from my local grocery store to use for this project. You can use any kind of colored paper you like. I love paint swatches because they are free and they come in lots of different colors. I found my flower punch at a local craft store as well.

Step 1: Punch flowers. Choose any color combination you like. I chose pink-yellow-orange and blue-purple-turquiose for my leis. Using a hole punch, make holes in the center of each flower. Next you’ll want to cut your string to the desired length that you want your lei, leaving a few extra inches for tying a knot.

Step 2: Fold your string in half and loop the center through a custom favor tag. I chose the Posies style scallop tag to emulate a flower. String one bead through both ends of the string so that it sits right above the tag.

Step 3: Separate your strings and begin adding beads and flowers. Feel free to make up your own pattern with the number of beads you use and the colors you choose. Since my paint chip flowers are one-sided, I doubled them up back-to-back.

Step 4: Once you’ve finished stringing your lei, tie a knot to secure it and it’s ready to wear! You can even write your name on the back of the scallop hangtag in the center so you know which one is yours!

More birthday ideas from Rachel…

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Rachel (160 Posts)

Rachel Beyer is an artist, designer and creative maker based in Portland, OR. She loves crafting, party planning and illustration. Rachel runs her own creative blog, Adventures In Making and also has a line of greeting cards, art prints and handmade goodies called Camp Smartypants.