Not going to lie, I originally thought making this steamer Photo Booth backdrop was going to be so much easier than it turned out to be. I don’t want to give you any false impressions from the get go that this was quick and/or easy. It look me about 3 separate weekends to finish once I actually started to put together the final product, and one additional weekend of failing miserably to make it a simpler way.
*Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and for my business. All opinions expressed here are my own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission.
So let’s start with what you’ll need for this project and then I’ll tell you about my Pinterest fail and how I actually completed the backdrop
What You’ll Need:
- Plastic rectangular tablecloths (I got about 16, 4 of each color) – 108″ x 54″
- Metallic tablecloth
- Plastic grid netting
- Streamers
- Scissors
- Push pins (optional)
My Pinterest Fail
My initial plan was to cut the tablecloths into strips of streamers (like what you would hang in a doorway), and then I would attach those strips of streamers to a background table cloth and use that to hang it. Here is the Pinterest pin that gave me the idea:
I cut 3 of the tablecloths and laid out my base before quickly realizing:
1. My base tablecloth was way too weak and was going to rip if I added additional weight to it
2. I was going to need way more tablecloth streamer strips than I initially planned.
It was a great idea from the original creator which is why I’m sharing their how-to, I just didn’t plan/execute it well. So I regrouped and swallowed the idea that I was going to have to do the individual streamers in netting that I had seen in other DIYs.
How I Did It:
I started by unrolling the fencing and measuring out the size of the backdrop I wanted. There were going to be 8 girls at the party and I wanted all of us to fit nicely in front of the backdrop, so my final measurements ended up being 6.5 ft x 8 ft. Then I used push pins to hang it up on a wall. This made it easier to attach the streamers and visualize the final product, but you could do this from the floor.
Then for the streamers, I started with thee tablecloths. I unfolded the tablecloths and refolded them in such a way that I can cut multiple streamers at once. See image below
Repeat this for however many tablecloths you need. I recommend cutting more than you think you need.
Then, for a change in texture I used real paper streamers. I cut each strip 4’ in length and set those aside. I did end up using each roll of streamers from the linked set above.
Now that all the streamers are cut and ready, its time to assemble. To achieve the layered look “easily,” make sure you start from the bottom and work your way up.
To attach the streamers to the fencing, I pulled one streamer diagonally through 2 squares and then let it hang. I didn’t tie them off. The streamers were long enough that they weren’t going to fall off. And then keeping them loose gave the illusion of more volume.
I did one color at a time and placed them horizontally. Not necessarily in a straight line, I tried to create texture by doing a wavy line. Then, to start the next horizontal line of streamers, I moved up about 1’ on the fencing and started the next line. This saved time and I didn’t need to fill in all of the fencing because of the length of the streamers.
And repeat! I mapped out the general area and colors ahead of time but ended up winging it as I went. Make sure to mix in metallics to add texture and dimension.
Final product was light and pliable enough to fold up like a blanket and easily transport to the Airbnb. Then to hang, I just put up 3 command hooks on the wall and hooked the fencing. It was super easy to set up. I left netting available at the top to attach to balloon garland, but in my “The Party” post, I explain how we only had an hour and a half to set up. I didn’t have time to put balloons at the top of the backdrop, but the general set up took 10 mins.
Here’s the link to the balloons I attached to the front. I just tied small pieces of string that came with the balloons through the netting. I was actually able to do this ahead of time and just inflate them when I got to the airbnb (that’s type A planning for you).
If you try this out for your own party, be sure to tag me! Happy Bacheloretting!
@taylormaeddesigns on Instagram and Pinterest and @taylordawson on Tiktok
