DIY Hard to Find Decorations

When Zion’s 4th birthday started to closer we figured he was old enough now for him to decide on his own what theme he wanted. Well, we were’t surprised when he picked Plants vs Zombies. Now some of you are probably wondering, “um, what is that?” To answer, it is a game that can be played on an iPad and I believe more recently video gaming systems. Basically you plant plants to defend your house from approaching zombies. They are very animated zombies and not like the scary ones you see in movies.

We started to look for decorations for his theme and to my surprise they were not widely available anywhere. I searched so many websites for anything I could find, and only came across balloons and cupcake toppers. So, I called in my sister and we decide to make our centerpiece decorations.

What you need:

• Pictures of your choice
• Construction paper
• Wood sticks
• Ribbon
• Pipe cleaners (optional)
• Scissors/glue
• Paper grass
• Buckets
• Filler (we used beans)

Instructions:

• We printed out colored pictures of 3 different zombies and 3 different plants that Zion picked. We printed out 2 of each picture. Then, we cut them out, leaving a tiny white border around the picture.
• Then, we glued the pictures to one side of the construction paper. I then cut a large square around the picture and glued the 2nd picture (same picture) to the other side of the construction paper. Punch holes on 1 side of the finished square.

• Take your wood sticks and wrap them 3/4 of the way down with pipe cleaner. **This part is optional. You can use just the wood stick if you would like**
• Cut your ribbon to the desired length (I made mine long enough to tie and curl). Then take your square and line it up with the wood stick. Place your ribbon through the hole and around the stick. Tie in a knot. **Careful not to tie it to tight  because you will rip the paper). It should now look like a little flag.
• Fill your buckets about 1/4 of the way up with whatever filler you picked (we chose uncooked beans). Then add the paper grass on top.

• Place your finished picture flag into the bucket. The filler at the bottom with secure the stick.

And there you have it! We made 6 of them and it only took about an hour. You can also attach a ballon or 2 to the bucket handle if you would like. Another option is to place the wood stick in between 2 pieces of construction paper instead of on the side. Either way, it was super simple and a great way to make cute decorations for a birthday theme that may be hard to find.