How to Make a St. Patrick's Day Banner

Here are just a couple ideas of what you can do with a little bit of green dimensional paint, glitter glue and some fabric. You don't have to have artistic talent to make a nice looking banner. These projects are fun and easy enough for a rainy day project for the kids to do.

St. Patrick's Day Hat Banner

List of what you'll need to get started:

* Kelly green, white, black and yellow acrylic fabric paint

* Assorted colors of dimensional fabric and craft paint pens

* Nylon paint brush

* Green and gold glitter glue

* Black fabric marker

* Pencil

* Light green fabric* (any size you want your banner is fine)

* There are many different types of fabric that would work with this craft.

In the photo attached I used broadcloth. Other suggestions would be sport nylon, flannel backed satin or even felt

Directions:

Step 1: Decide what kind of St. Patrick's Day related graphic you would like to use on your banner. A simple design would be a four-leaf clover or a hat.

There are some great sources on the Internet where you can get free designs that can be traced onto the banner by printing the design and cutting it out along the edges. To make it larger than a standard printer page try tiling the print when printing and then tape the pieces together to make a larger print.

Step 2: Once you've chosen your graphic make up a mock banner on a piece of paper. Know in advance where you want to put the graphics and words to make it easier to keep everything in order when putting your banner together.

Now you're really ready to begin. Using the picture as an example, here's what to do.

Step 3: Cut out the graphic design you chose. (In this example, the hat.) Place it on the fabric and trace along the edges with a pencil. Remember to stroke as light as possible with the pencil as sometimes the paint can't cover all the pencil marks.

Write the words "Happy St. Patrick's Day" on the bottom of the banner in pencil. Get creative with it. Don't be afraid to add a few curls around the edges of the letters.

Step 4: Now you're ready to start painting. Start with the items above first. In the case of the example, use the Kelly green acrylic paint and nylon paint brush to paint in the hat. To add a little shading to the hat, add one strip of Kelly green and then a strip of Kelly green with a little white added to the paint to lighten the color. Next to the darker strip, add a lighter strip. Continue a few times across the base of the hat.

Step 5: Paint the black belt around the bottom center of the hat, leaving a square for the buckle area.

Step 6: Paint the buckle area on the hat yellow. Remember to leave the center area on the buckle black. Let the paint completely dry.

Step 7: Using a colored dimensional fabric and craft paint pen, write over the penciled "Happy St. Patrick's Day" letters. Let the paint completely dry.

Step 8: Now the really fun part. Decorate the rest of the banner using the acrylic and dimensional paint. Use your imagination. Add stars, clovers, circles, squiggly lines. Whatever makes you happy.

Step 9: Using the gold glitter craft glue, paint over the yellow buckle to make it shine.

Let dry and hang.

Here's another idea.

Pot of Gold Banner

What you'll need to get started:

* 11 x 17 inch foam sheet

* White (or light green)

* Brown and green smaller sheets of foam with glued backing

* Foam sheet markers in red, yellow, green, blue and black

* Dimensional paint and craft pens in red, yellow, green and blue

* Green and gold glitter glue

* Pencil

* Scissors

Directions:

Step 1: Using the pencil on the back of the brown sheet of foam, draw a pot for a pot base for the pot of gold. Cut the pot off then peel the backing off the glued foam sheet and attach it to the bottom left corner of the 11 x 17 white foam sheet.

Step 2: Drawing the rainbow from the pot. Leave about a half inch to an inch between the top of the pot and the rainbow that lifts from the pot to the sky. Draw first with the pencil then color in with each color of the rainbow. Blue, green, yellow and then red.

Step 3: Using the black marker, write across the top of the sheet: "Happy St. Patrick's Day"

Step 4: Next to the pot of gold and below the rays of the rainbow write: "Luck of the Irish". Remember, have fun with your lettering.

Step 5: Using a green sheet of foam with the glued backing. Draw two (2) four-leaf clovers on the back of the foam and then cut them out. Peel the backing off the cut-out clovers and place them on the white foam around the rainbow.

Step 6: Using the dimensional paint and craft pen add a stroke above each color of the rainbow rays to highlight the rainbow. Top line red over the red marker ray, yellow top line over the yellow marker ray, green top line over the green marker ray and blue over and below the blue marker ray.

Step 7: Using the gold glitter glue, paint in the gold for the pot. Place it between the rainbow and the top of the pot.

Step 8: Using the green glitter glue, paint in some lines on the four-leaf clover to add some shine.

Let it dry and hang it where your guests can see it for some fun.