How to make a number from napkins
When celebrating a child's birthday, they always try to decorate the room to the maximum and even prepare a photo zone. The most popular decor for the holiday now is the name of the child, his first letter, as well as just numbers indicating how old the birthday boy is. Most often, voluminous numbers are made from napkins, since this is a budgetary and not troublesome way. As a result, it turns out to make the perfect bright decor.
How to make birthday numbers out of napkins
Not only the anniversary requires special preparation. At least the first 10 years of a child's life are celebrated magnificently. Especially parents try to capture a year old baby. For this, they create a volumetric layout of the figure in order to photograph the baby next to it. Every year you can create new numbers and take beautiful pictures, so that you can then clearly compare how the child grew up.
Note! To immediately see how the baby has grown, it is better to make the numbers the same size every year. And put the baby in front of them or squeeze in the same position.
You can buy such an unusual decor for the holiday, but it is much cheaper and more interesting to make numbers from napkins with your own hands. This will require stationery, napkins and a little perseverance. The time to create a masterpiece depends on the size of the figure the parents want. If this decoration is on the table, then it is necessary to make a layout no more than 40 cm in height. And if this is part of the photo zone, then a one meter high figure will be an excellent option.
To create a number from napkins, you need a base - a cardboard blank and the napkins themselves. For a figure, an old box from under a TV or other equipment, or just thick cardboard from a hardware store is suitable. Napkins are bought the most ordinary square inexpensive. The color depends on the preferences of the birthday person, or the manufacturer of the decor. You can follow the standard path - pink for a girl, and blue for a boy.
Preparation of tools and material
Before figuring out how to make numbers from napkins, you need to prepare all the tools.
You will need:
- Cardboard.
- PVA glue or superglue, it is more convenient to replace with a glue gun.
- Ruler.
- Scissors.
- Pencil, pen, or marker.
- Thread.
- Colored paper (if necessary, if there is no desire to make the ends of a two, five, six, eight or nine from napkins).
- Paper with a sticky side, it is also masking tape (ordinary tape will not work, you cannot glue a flower from a napkin on it).
- Stapler and staples to it.
- A couple of sheets of plain paper.
All this must be collected and laid out in front of you on a table or on the floor. If the figure is planned to be large and voluminous, then it is better to free yourself up more space for work.
Important! When making a figure, nothing should interfere with the process - foreign debris, dust on the floor, papers on the table. All this can affect the quality of the cardboard product.
Digit making
It is necessary to make a blank in stages. If this is a two-digit number, then you need to repeat all the steps for each digit. The instructions for creating are simple:
- Draw the desired number on a piece of paper. Make the sketch straight and neat.
- Transfer the drawing to cardboard in an enlarged size.
- Cut out two identical numbers - this will be the front and back of the product.
- Measure the bottom. It should be at least 20 cm wide if you want the figure to be stable.
- Measure and draw on cardboard all the sides and top - the connections of the two sides.
- Cut the blanks.
- Put everything together and check if the parts match.
- Connect the two sides of the number below, use masking tape for this.
- Add the rest of the inner and outer sides one by one.
- If necessary, additionally secure the folds with glue or masking tape.
When the figure is ready, you need to put it on and let it dry.
Note! In order for the craft to look neat and strong, it is necessary to make all the sides the same in width, at least 20 cm.
After creation, the workpiece does not need to be painted or varnished or glue. Flowers from napkins will still be glued to it. What flowers the creator chooses does not matter. It is only important that they look harmoniously relative to the size of the figure.
If you want to make the decor only on the front side, then you will have to glue the rest of the cardboard blank with colored paper. Such a floral decor will not look so cool, but to congratulate the baby on his birthday and take a couple of photos, it will do.
Decor figures
Attaching one flower, even to a colored number, is not enough. In order for one, two, three or even a two-digit number to look beautiful, it is necessary to cover all sides with flowers from napkins, leaving no empty spaces. How to make flowers for a number from napkins depends on what type of flower will be chosen. There are quite simple options:
- Carnation.
- Chrysanthemum.
- The Rose.
- Peonies.
For decoration, you will need colored or white napkins. The product can be monochromatic - it is simple, light and elegant. Or it can be two or three colored (no longer needed, otherwise it will be clumsy) - it is bright, unusual and cool.
Carnation
For carnations, it is better to use red, white or pink napkins. Although, if you want to simply and quickly decorate the workpiece, then you can take other colors. Algorithm of actions:
- Staple a square simple (not thick) napkin in the center with a stapler.
- Cut the edges so that you get a circle.
- Start lifting the napkin up, layer by layer.
You can place a pencil in the center so that it is more convenient to press the petals against it.
Important! You don't have to try hard. Jagged edges and sloppy crumpled sheets will only make the flower look more realistic.
the Rose
At least one, at least three, at least seven - everything will look great if decorated with a rose. It is not difficult to make it:
- Fully expand the napkin to a one-layer square.
- Begin folding the napkin diagonally to form a line 3 to 5 cm wide.
- Tie one edge of the line with a thread or staple tightly with a stapler.
- From the tied edge, start twisting the rosette, simultaneously straightening the edges of the napkin.
- Secure the flower with glue.
Please note that roses are often small. It will take more of them for decoration, and more time will be spent on making. But a number decorated in this spirit will look neat and cute.
Attention! Roses are often used to decorate blanks for girls.
Chrysanthemum
Very easy to manufacture:
- Cut a regular square napkin at the seams so that you get four small squares on top of each other.
- In the middle, pull the napkins with a thread to make an accordion.
- Trim the edges on both sides with scissors, give them the shape of a semicircle (although you can leave them torn, it's more realistic).
- Start lifting the petals from both sides.
- Leave the bottom layer almost even, just slightly raise the edges.
Chrysanthemums are very convenient to use for decorating numbers two, three, five, six, eight and nine, because they have rounded sides. But for one, four and seven, you can take absolutely any flowers, and chrysanthemums too.
Other decor options
In addition to decorating blanks with flowers from napkins, other materials are used:
- Corrugated paper.
- Plain colored paper.
- Buttons.
- Pom-poms (made of fabric or bags).
- Ribbons.
- Pieces and strips of fabric.
- Bright applications (drawings or abstraction).
This is especially true for boys who do not want to be photographed against a colorful background. They can paint the number in blue (or your favorite) color, trim it with corrugated paper. Colored paper can be used to make horizontal stripes in the form of a rainbow.
An excellent option would be sequins in neutral colors - gold or silver. They look bright, festive and creative. You won't surprise anyone with numbers from flowers. Therefore, if you want something extraordinary, then you can safely look in the direction of threads, ribbons, appliqués. Any materials are suitable for decoration, as long as they cover the entire workpiece.
Features of fixing decor
Making flower decorations is painstaking work, but it is not difficult. But attaching flowers to a cardboard base is harder. Here it is necessary not to crush the buds, not to break the petals, not to leave free space on the figure and to do everything harmoniously. It is most convenient to use a glue gun. With it, the attachment process will go quickly and smoothly. But if you only have ordinary PVA glue or Moment at hand, then you just need a little more patience.
Better to start from top to bottom:
- The glue should be applied to the middle of the flower from below, holding it with your fingers at the sides or by the folds.
- Then you should carefully attach a carnation, rose or chrysanthemum to the cardboard and press it down with your finger or pencil where the glue is.
- Hold for 10-60 seconds, release.
- Wait and make sure the decor is not falling off.
- Do this with all colors.
There is no need to leave space between the buds so that there are no “bald spots”. A fully filled figure will look lush and weightless.
Advice! It's better to do the sides first. You can practice on them. Then you will not need to look for a place to hold on while you are gluing, because the front side is already ready.
Decorating the back side or simply pasting it with colored paper depends on your wishes. But in the case of volumetric shapes, it is better to decorate everything. Then you can take many interesting photos from different angles.
What else can you make birthday numbers
You can make a birthday number not only from cardboard and napkins. A wooden or metal sheet is suitable for these purposes. The figure will not be voluminous, but it can be interestingly decorated with the help of various materials. Even Christmas balls can be hung on a silver number, and it will look unusual.
If everything is in order with imagination, then there will be no problems. Paper, cardboard, threads, bags, fabric pom-poms, ready-made flowers, beads, ribbons, buttons, soda lids, candy wrappers, balloons, ping-pong balls - everything will come in handy to create a festive atmosphere and decor figures for birthday.
A napkin number is a great option for a photo at a holiday. Adults and children will love this gift on their birthday. And making a figure is not difficult, but how many emotions the birthday person will have.
Video: how to make a volumetric figure from napkins?
50 design options for a three-dimensional number for a birthday
