Paper Streamer Ideas: Twists, Curtains and a Simple Backdrop

A roll of crepe paper streamer is one of the cheapest ways to fill a room with color, and most of it ends up draped once across the ceiling and forgotten. These paper streamer ideas go further with the same rolls: a twisted swag that holds its shape, a fringed streamer, a two-color rope, a curtain that works as a backdrop and a hanging chandelier.

All five need only streamer, scissors, tape and string. None takes more than about half an hour, and the simplest takes five minutes.

How crepe paper behaves

Crepe paper is covered in tiny crinkles that run across the width of the roll. Pull it lengthwise and it stretches a little, then stays stretched. Pull harder and it tears straight across, quickly and without warning. Two habits follow from that:

• Hang streamers with a little slack. A streamer pulled tight between two points has no stretch left and rips when someone brushes it.
• Handle it gently and with dry hands. Damp crepe goes limp, and the dye in some papers can transfer to pale surfaces when wet.

A standard roll is about 1.75 in (4.5 cm) wide. For narrower or wider strips, cut your own: keep a folded pack of crepe or a standard sheet of tissue paper folded, and slice across the folds at the width you want. Unfolded, each slice is one long strip. Mixing two widths in the same decoration adds depth without adding a color.

Twists, fringe and two-color ropes

These three treatments turn a flat streamer into something with more shape, and they can hang side by side.

The twisted swag

Tape one end to the wall or ceiling, unroll to the far point and twist before fixing the second end. About one full turn for every foot (30 cm) of length looks even; fewer turns read as a flat ribbon, and many more make the streamer narrow and stringy. Let the middle hang 6 to 8 in (15 to 20 cm) lower than the ends. On a long run, anchor the middle with a small piece of tape so the twists do not all slide to one side.

The fringed streamer

Cut a length of streamer and fold it back and forth on itself into a stack about 6 in (15 cm) long. Snip slits up from one long edge, about 1/2 in (12 mm) apart, stopping about 1/2 in (12 mm) short of the opposite edge. Unfold it and hang it flat with the fringe along the lower edge. Cutting through more than eight or so layers pushes the stack out of line, so make long streamers in two sections. The same cut on a larger scale is the basis of a tissue paper tassel garland.

The two-color rope

Lay two streamers of different colors on top of each other, tape them together at one end and fix that end in place. Hold the two loose ends together and twist them as one. Because both colors show on every turn, the result looks striped. Twisting shortens the pair, so cut both streamers well beyond the distance the rope has to span.

A streamer curtain for a doorway or backdrop

A curtain is a row of vertical strips hanging from one horizontal line. It makes a quick background for the cake table or for photos with photo booth props.

1. Cut a length of string a little wider than the space, or cut a strip of cardboard about 2 in (5 cm) tall to the same width.
2. Cut streamer strips to the height of the drop plus 2 in (5 cm). A backdrop about 4 ft (1.2 m) wide needs roughly 14 to 20 strips, depending on how much wall should show between them.
3. Fold the top 1 in (2.5 cm) of each strip over the string and tape it to itself, or tape each strip to the back of the cardboard. Alternate the colors in a fixed order.
4. Hang the string or cardboard, then trim the bottom ends level or leave them uneven.

Strips on string can slide, which makes it easy to adjust the spacing after hanging. Strips on cardboard stay put and travel better. Give a few strips two or three twists and tape the bottom ends to the wall to break up the straight lines.

The streamer chandelier

A ring hung flat from the ceiling with streamers falling from it fills the space above a table. Use the inner ring of an embroidery hoop, or cut a ring from corrugated cardboard about 12 in (30 cm) across and 1 in (2.5 cm) wide. Cutting cardboard with a craft knife is an adult job.

1. Tie three equal lengths of string to the ring, spaced evenly around it, and knot them together above the center so the ring hangs level.
2. Cut strips about 20 to 30 in (50 to 75 cm) long in two or three colors.
3. Fold the end of each strip over the ring and tape it to itself, alternating colors, until the ring is covered all the way around.
4. Hang it from the knot and trim any strips that hang too low.

The five ideas compared

Idea	Effort	Where it works
Twisted swag	Lowest	Across a ceiling or along a wall
Fringed streamer	Low	Table edges, shelves, under a banner
Two-color rope	Low	Stair rails, doorframes, long walls
Streamer curtain	Medium	Behind the table, doorways
Chandelier	Medium	Above a table, in a room corner

Streamers are one piece of the room, not all of it. The guide to planning handmade birthday decorations shows where a backdrop or an overhead piece fits alongside the banner and the table.

Taking streamers down to reuse

Crepe that has not been torn or badly crushed can be used again. Peel the tape off slowly, or snip the taped ends away. Untwist each length, then roll it loosely around a cardboard tube and tuck the end under. Rolling keeps the strip flat; stuffing streamers into a bag creases them permanently. Fringed lengths roll the same way, and a curtain can be rolled up around its own cardboard strip.