Wandering the aisles of the local craft store, I stumbled upon this glitter craft tape that I’d never seen before. Pretty and repositionable, too – so if you mess up, you can just pull it apart and start again. Optional: cut out the birthday kid’s name (or all the guests if you’re feeling ambitious!) in white paper, glue it on flag, and use it as a topper, favor, or place setting.

Materials needed: glitter craft tape, scissors, tissue paper, paper straws, bamboo skewers

Step 1: Cut a 6-inch strip of craft tape. Remove backing.
Step 2: Place a paper straw in the center of the strip, lining the top of the straw up with the edge of the tape, and fold closed.
Step 3: Cut the edge to make it even, and trim off any white that is peeking out the top or bottom, front and back.
Step 4: Cut a 6-inch by 2-inch strip of tissue paper.
Step 5: Fold it over on itself several times lengthwise, then fringe.
Step 6: Twist the bottom edge of the fringe and insert it into the straw top. Glue to secure, if you want.

Photography by Tim Gibson