By Debra Maslowski
Before learning how to make confetti at home I used to buy it from a craft store. Making the party favor myself is a fun, simple, and economical skill.
I love to entertain. Whether it’s a bridal shower, a company party, or just grillin’ and chillin’ with friends, I love doing all the cooking and setup for events.
I used to use confetti from a craft store for table decorations, but now I have a more natural approach. I learned how to make confetti at home!
Learning how to make confetti is fun and economical, as well as sustainable. DIY confetti is perfect for any event, and is a great way to get kids involved!
How to Make Confetti
Choose Your Theme
Confetti in the shape of booties, bottles, and pacifiers would work well if you’re hosting a baby shower. If it’s a birthday you may want balloons and cake shapes. And tiny caps and diploma confetti for a graduation party. Whatever your theme, you can always use stars or plain circles, like most confetti.
You’ll want to hit up your local crafts stores or dollar stores to find paper punches in fun and interesting shapes. They can be found near the scrapbooking supplies or in the seasonal section. The smaller punches normally cost from $1.00 – $5.00 and you can often find them on sale or clearance. (Or find a small set of fun punches online here.) I keep some standard punches, and then a few seasonal ones or special occasion punches for other events. You can also just use a plain circle paper punch.
You’ll also want to get some fine grit sand paper to sharpen them in case you’re punching a lot and they start to get dull.
Collect Your Materials
Most DIY confetti uses paper, but this idea is more economical (free, or nearly free) and environmentally feasible. My DIY confetti is made with leaves; they’re renewable, sustainable, and biodegradable. And, you can find them in many colors.
I collect leaves in the fall and dry them. Here in North Carolina, we have a lot of sourwood and dogwood trees, on which the leaves turn red in the fall. Some ornamental pears will turn red too. Oaks and maples turn from yellow to brown with a range of colors in between. Take a look at what’s out there to find the colors you want. I collect leaves that have fallen so I don’t damage the tree.
Other ideas are garden plants such as mint leaves, lemon balm, marigold flowers, or geranium flowers. Keep the scent in mind if using flowers or other garden plants. While I love the smell of geraniums, some people don’t.
Punching the Confetti
I use a large bowl to catch the cut outs once they are stamped. You can use dried or fresh leaves, but dried hold up better. If you use fresh, you’ll want to swab your punch every once in a while with rubbing alcohol. This will clean it AND keep it dry. Once finished, be sure to clean and dry the punchers thoroughly before putting them away.
Dried confetti will keep for weeks if you keep it in a sealed container, so it can be done well ahead of time. Fresh confetti will need to be used the same day, or you can spread it on a cookie sheet and dry it out.
How to Make Cofetti Colored or Sparkly
While most leaves are green, or in red and yellow tones if you catch fall leaves, there may be times you want a different color. The following method will help add color or sparkle to homemade confetti.
Step 1
Supplies:
- white granulated sugar
- food coloring
- cookie sheet
Process:
To get a special color, combine food coloring with sugar, adding more color until you get the desired shade. Salt will work too, but will not give you as much shimmer. Once you have the color you’re looking for, spread the sugar on the cookie sheet to dry. If it’s dry in your home, overnight should work. If it’s humid, place it in a warm oven for 20 minutes or so. Keep the heat low to avoid turning your sugar to caramel. Once it’s dry, you can go to the next step.
Step 2
Supplies:
- 1-2 egg whites, beaten
- colored sugar
- leaves
- small paint brush
- old towel for drying
Process:
Wash and dry fresh leaves well, or use dried leaves. Paint with a thin layer of egg whites, then sprinkle on colored sugar and set to dry. Once they are dry, you can punch out the shapes as above. If you use fresh leaves, they’ll need to be used right away because the moisture from the leaf will break down the sugar pretty quickly. Dried leaves made this way keep for up to a week if sealed well. You could also dry out the shapes if you’ve used fresh leaves.
Yay, you’re ready for your party!
Now consider making these homemade cinnamon roasted almonds for everyone to enjoy.
Have you tried learning how to make confetti? Tell us about your experience!
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