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DIY Photo Backdrop

DIY Photo Backdrop

Hi Swanky DIY-ers!

Today we have double for you! A super easy and affordable DIY photo backdrop and some cute pictures of my cats! It took me about an hour to put the backdrop together and costs around $10. We had birthdays this month for both kitties and decided to treat them to a little cat party.

Step 1: Gather Supplies

-Plastic tablecloth
-Tissue paper in the colors of your choice
-Double sided tape
-Scissors
-Cardboard piece to make a template for your tissue paper pieces


Step 2: Measure & Cut Your Backdrop

I ended up having a wall in my apartment that was the perfect size to hang this backdrop, but I did need to trim the sides just a bit. Here's my helpers:

Since this is a plastic sheet tablecloth from the dollar store, I would recommend being very careful with it. The cats themselves put a couple of holes in it and I did too just from moving it around.


Step 3: Cut Out Your Tissue Paper

Now that you have a good idea of the size of your backdrop, you can start working on your tissue paper triangles. Our triangles ended up being 12 inches in width by 8 inches in height. I made myself a cardboard template to use to cut the triangles into the same size and shape. Use any size you'd like! Whatever works best for your sizing needs.

I did try to press these in a big book under some heavy stuff overnight to try to get the creases out of the paper. It didn't quite work, but did help a little bit.

Step 4: FRINGE!

Now that you have your triangles together, you can cut them into the cute fringe! I didn't use a template for this, just estimated about an inch to an inch and a half apart for my cuts. It does save time to cut multiple sheets at once, but you do run the risk of the pieces on the back of the pile getting warped from the paper not laying completely flat. A few pieces at a time seemed to work best. Be sure to leave an inch or so at the top for the triangles to stick to the tape.

 

Step 5: Assembly

Using a tape measure, I measured to see how many of my flags would fit on the now perfectly sized backdrop. It ended up being five triangles. I laid down a long piece of double sided tape from end to end of the backdrop. Then, started placing the triangles on top with the corners touching. The first row is pretty easy! Instead of going directly under the first row, I wanted the triangles to overlap a little. So, I flipped the bottoms of the triangles from the first row up, and placed my second row about halfway through the middle of where the first row lays.

And y'all... THAT'S IT!! It's that easy! Continue flipping up and taping the triangles on to make the backdrop as tall as you'd like.

I would recommend assembling this on the site of your event as the paper is thin and easy to tear. Transportation would be very difficult. The overlapping of the triangles also left a little bit of the double sided tape exposed and the tissue paper would get stuck in these places. Luckily, with it having layers, these places were mostly covered by fringe. Here's my final result:

We added our cat birthday banner on top and it is just stunning! This would also be great as a photo booth backdrop for your event.