Looking for an easy party backdrop for an upcoming event? This one is your answer! This party background is super easy to make and costs just around $5 in supplies!
This is the easiest and cheapest party background. In the history of ever.
Really, I promise.
Would I lie to you?
Why absolutely not!
This is one of the many DIY party decorations I made for my daughter’s 1st birthday party and it was also probably the easiest, but yet the largest scale one!
Go figure, right?!
This party backdrop costs about $3 – $6 to make depending on how much you spend on your plastic tablecloths. You can buy the $1 tablecloths for it at the Dollar Tree or you could splurge a little and buy ones that are about $2 or $3 at Party City. It’s totally your choice and it’s totally customizable – you can choose whatever colors you want to for it. Personally, I got my tablecloths from Party City because they have a huge variety of colors.
To make this, you’ll need about an hour or so, but it’s an easy hour!
Party Background
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Materials Needed:
- 3 Plastic Rectangle Tablecloths (colors of your choice, I paid $2 for each of mine at Party City.)
- 4-8 Thumbtacks or Pushpins
- Good Sharp Scissors
Steps
The video below will show you exactly how to make the party backdrop step-by-step. I’ve also included written instructions below the video as well.
Step 1
Determine if you want your background to hang horizontally or vertically. The one shown in this post you are reading now is hung horizontally because it worked better that way for the space I was hanging it on. I have made these and hung them vertically though as well. You can see a vertically hung party backdrop I did for the sparkly horses birthday party here.
Step 2
Once you decide which direction to hang it, open up one of your tablecloths and put it on the wall with thumbtacks. For mine hanging horizontally, it took 6 thumbtacks. Just start in one corner and tack it up as you go. Once you have the first tablecloth up, step back and decide if it needs to be leveled out in any places and adjust as needed. You can put the tablecloths in any order when it comes to color. In the end, all the colors basically mix together. If you’re really particular about one color showing more than the others, then put the one you want to show more as the last layer on top of the other tablecloths. There will be a little sliver of it that will show more at the very top.
Step 3
After the first tablecloth is up, open up another one and layer it on top of the first one. I did this by removing one tack at a time, and then putting it back through both tablecloths. Repeat with the third and final tablecloth.
Step 4
Next, take a pair of regular scissors and cut strips up to about 3-4 inches from the top of the tablecloths. You are going to cut all three tablecloths at once when you cut a strip. I didn’t even measure the width of my strips, I just eyeballed it. They were each probably around 3-4 inches wide.
Step 5
Once all your strips are cut, you are going to braid each set of strips together. Start on one side of the backdrop, take your first set of strips (one of each color that you cut at the same time), and braid them together from the top down. You only want to braid down far enough to hold the strips together. You don’t have to start with a certain color and end with another one. Just braid each set together – once more, all the colors will blend together in the end. Here is how mine looked when I braided it after I had cut all the strips.
Once you have braided all your strips, you’re done!
Told you it was super simple!
The white thumbtacks were driving me crazy at the top, so I punched out balloon shapes from pink & blue card stock and put them over the tacks with square photo mounts.
DIY Party Backdrop: Helpful Tips, Tricks, and Questions Answered
Can I make this ahead of time and then take it to the party location and hang it up there?
Yes. What I would suggest doing is lay all the tablecloths on the ground, if you don’t want to put them on your wall. Put some heavy books or something similar along the top to keep them in place, then cut the strips and braid them as stated above. Once braided, you should just be able to pick it up and take it with you.
Could I do this with more than three colors?
You bet! I did this same backdrop with six colors right here!
Could I staple this together and then attach it to a wall with tape? The place the party is located at doesn’t allow thumbtacks in their walls.
I definitely think you could staple it together along the top. As for the tape, I would recommend using a wide width FrogTape. It’s strong, but shouldn’t take the paint off the walls.
Have you ever made a DIY party background before?
See how I put a spin on this backdrop for the kid’s 2nd birthday by layering in more colors here!
Looking for more easy DIY party decorations?
Birthday Photo Collage – perfect for birthday parties, graduations, anniversaries and more!
DIY Party Banner – no fancy cutting machines required! You’ll just need scrapbook paper and scissors!
DIY Bunting Cake Topper – another one where you’ll just need some scrapbook paper!
DIY Cupcake Pedestals – so cute, yet made from thrift store finds!
DIY Party Hat – if you’ve got five minutes, you can make this adorable party hat!
Want to come back to this birthday party backdrop idea later? Just pin the image below!
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Erin @ Sugar Magnolia says
Yep still obsessed with everything about these decorations! I would have never thought that was made with table cloths!! I have so many ideas in my head for what I could use a back drop like that for
J says
This is beautiful! I’m glad you are alerting women to using $1 tablecloths for decorating effects that would be prohibitive if paper or fabric were used instead! Beautiful colors!
Ζήνα says
I love it! great colors, amazing idea! thank you for sharing it.
Cheers
Zina (new follower from Fun Friday Blog Hop efzin-creations.blogspot.com)
suzanne kay says
You are so incredibly talented!! I’m so glad we found your blog!! Thanks for linking up with us at One Sharendipity Place this weekend!
Sue @thet2women.com
Jane@Cottage at the Crossroads says
Hello! I found your link at the Pinterest Party. I love the name of your blog. There is no better sound than rain on a tin roof. I grew up with that sound, and I’m really hoping to put a metal roof on our home someday. I LOVE your party backdrop. I will remember this for the next party that I have. Pinning your idea!
Jodi Durr says
This is really great and inexpensive. I love to host parties, so I’ll be filing this idea away. Great work!
Brenda @ Chatting Over Chocolate says
LOVE this idea! Thanks for sharing! Pinned 😉
Angela Paris says
love this – what an awesome idea!! 🙂
Jen @ Girl in the Garage says
I love it! What an awesome impact for little money and time!
Leslie Stewart says
Thanks so much for sharing your party backdrop at my party! Stop by House on the Way tomorrow to see it featured. Feel free to grab a “featured” button too.
Leslie
Jamie {Better With Age} says
Wow, crazy attention to detail, girl! I LOVE this. And yes, my kids would tear it down in a second if it was hung the other way too. But I wouldn’t think of doing it this way. Amazing..as usual 😉
Jamie
sue says
You and your post from last week have absolutely won us over, and we’ll be featuring it this weekend at One Sharendipity Place!!
sue @thet2women.com
My name is Rita says
What an awesome backdrop idea! Cheap and so pretty! I will be using this for sure for my next parties. Thank You so much for sharing on last weeks party. Hope to see more from you on my next party.
JSayIt says
T-H-A-N-K Y-O-U, saw the same pic you did and was going to work it out when I thought, wait, I bet some awesome blogger already did and voila! A CIF Champion girls soccer team will now have an awesome backdrop at their banquet thanks to you. I was sure it was braided, but the rez on the original shot was too poor to confirm. I’m swamped this week so appreciate the fact you already worked it out for me. Cheers.
Emily says
that is great! Its a perfect backdrop and you can do any color!!! Love this! Pinned ;o) and stumbled!
tayona miller says
i Loved this idea and used it for my daughter under the sea party! here is a picture of how it turned out
Jenna @ Rain on a Tin Roof says
No way!! Ok, the backdrop is adorable, but your little girl is just too cute – and that cake – love it all! Way to rock it!
Denise says
Great ideal…I need a back drop for my 50th birthday party.
Laura says
I’m so excited to try this. We have a really horrendous section of siding in our backyard and I was trying to figure out a clever way to cover it up. The table cloth backdrop is perfect. This idea may turn a particularly stressful problem into a great way to add color to our party decorations!!
Jenna @ Rain on a Tin Roof says
Awesome, Laura! Hope it works out well for you!
Erica says
Just did this last night for my daughter’s 16th birthday party. It’s beautiful!!!! Wish I post a pic to show you 🙂 Thanks for the awesome inspiration.
Jenna says
Awesome, Erica!! I bet it was great!
ytd says
So love this idea. I work for a foster care agency and when we have an adoption match I try to get the child’s fav. colors. This is so inexpensive and easy.
Jenna says
Oh that is so sweet of you – this would be perfect for that!
Laurie Price says
I’d love to make this for a party I’m having in a restaurant. Do you think I could staple the tablecloths together? I’m not allowed to use thumbtacks in the restaurant. I’d then tape it up across the top with packing tape. Would that work or not? It’s a GREAT idea! Thanks for sharing!
Jenna says
I think that could work, Laurie, I just think you would need a lot of staples and strong tape.
Anna says
I love it! However, there are so many ads on your page that it is causing your video to pause to buffer every 15 seconds! I really wanted to watch it!
Jenna says
Thanks for letting me know about that, Anna. I’ll look into it!
Sonia says
Thank you is beautiful i love it
Is easy and litle money i whach all time
8/23/17
Debbie l says
I think this is a perfect start for a wedding decor for a bride on a budget! ! Thank I’m excited! !
Kim Jasperson says
I love every idea in this post. I have been planning for my daughter’s 2nd birthday…and then I saw the girls had the same name (Landry) and I knew I was in good hands 🙂
Jenna says
Oh that’s so cool, Kim!! I don’t see many other little girls with the name Landry! Hope the birthday party is/was a huge success!
Cheyenne Wallace says
I loved using this for my daughters birthday party! I used it in front of a doorway to keep the area closed off to one room!
Jenna says
Oh awesome, Cheyenne! So glad it was helpful!
Kathy says
I wonder if it would look OK with pink, white, and gray and for a tutu theme baby shower? What do you think
Jenna says
I think that would work just fine together!
Cindi says
What a wonderful idea! Thank you for sharing!
Any tips on transporting the background if I create it at home and take to a party elsewhere?
Jenna says
Thanks, Cindi! You could lay it out on the floor and tape or paper clip the tops of the tablecloths together, then make the backdrop and roll it up to transport.
sam says
I love this idea. Do you think this could be attached to a tent? I need a backdrop for a tent and would love to do this..
Jenna says
You could probably attach it with some of these large black paper clips, maybe?
Dawn Reed says
I love this tutorial! I made the backdrop for my baby shower’s photobooth using your post! I shared it on a recent DIY Baby Shower blog of mine and linked to you so more people can get inspired by your awesome $1 store craft. 🙂
Thanks!
Jenna says
Awesome, Dawn! Thanks!
Carolyn Garvey says
I am considering doing this to decorate a wall sized mirror. How did you get table cloth backdrop to stick to the wall and windows? Did you have to use tacks, double sided tape, etc?
Carolyn
Jenna says
I used tacks, but I believe you could use double sided tape.
Michelle says
I love this idea,but the venue we are using for my daughter baby shower doesn’t allow tape or holes on the wall, can you give me a idea how I can achieve this look?
Joy says
Just followed your tutorial and whipped out one of these bad boys for my 4yr old’s bday. Thank you for the killer idea. I love the dollar tree- so many awesome, cheap party ingredients.
Gabby says
Can I put this together at home and the Bring it to the location of the party and hang it there?.
Jenna says
Yes – just tape it along the top first.