Sweet Orange Fox

With Trent's birthday coming up, I have been hard at work churning out countless decorations. Some days I feel like I'll never be done, but then I take a step back and realize it's so worth it! Things are turning out cute, and most importantly the decorations will double as Halloween decorations for years to come. 

One of my favorite things to make are these paper fans. Here are a few from our baby shower/BBQ last year that we reused for July 4th this year. 

 I have made them for several holidays and events in the past, and this year they are really catching on in some of my favorite stores (Target, of course!) At $3-6 a pop, though, you will be spending a fortune on something that is SO easy and SO cheap to DIY. 

Here's what you need to start. This is for a larger fan, but you can make smaller ones like the red, white and blue ones above with just one sheet of paper.


 Paper cutter (or a pair of scissors and a really steady hand!)
Two sheets of 12" x 12" scrapbook paper
Glue stick
Paper puncher (optional) or just some cut circles of cardstock
Glue gun



1. Start by cutting the two pieces of paper down the middle so that you end up with four 6" x 12" sections.






2. Fold each of the four pieces accordion style into about 3/4" sections.







3. Glue all four pieces end-to-end, connecting a downward fold with an upward fold (see picture), making one long chain of accordion folds. 








4. Pull the two ends together to make sure they will join into a perfect circle. Depending on the size of your folds, you may have to trim off one or two folds so that you don't have excess.




5. Fold the chain over on itself, right sides together, and glue the two loose ends together just as you did when making the chain.







7. Starting with the back, apply a generous amount of glue gun to the middle of the fan and place a cardstock circle on top, holding in place until the glue dries. 





8. Repeat step (7) on the front of the fan.





9. You are done!! Now you can either glue a wooden dowel to the back so they can be stuck into centerpieces, glue some twine to hang them or simply place them around your house. 



Once you make the first one, they become a piece of cake, I promise! You can make all different sizes and use them everywhere...even miniature ones as Christmas ornaments, package decorations, etc. They are so fun and festive - hope you enjoy!


Just a quick recap:




As usual, don't forget to enter the giveaway for this fantastic Halloween burlap banner!!! The giveaway ends tonight at 11pm CST, so get your entries in ASAP!

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