This was another DIY that was a nice budget saver as it used items I already had around the house! For this you will need:
*Coffee Filters (the round ones with the “ruffles”) you can find them at the dollar store
*Food Colouring (In the colours that match your party theme)
*Cardboard box (Size depends on how large you want your numbers)
*Drill
So here I started with my coffee filters and dyed them in batches of the colours I was using for the party (Red, Blue and Yellow). In order to get your desired colour you may need to add more dye to the bowls of water! Now, a quick side note here! The red food colouring does NOT make the filters red…nope, it makes them PINK! So for the red I ended up using some red tissue paper I had left over from Christmas and just cut them into circles about the same size as the filters! Once you have dipped the filters (do about 30-40 at a time) into the dyed water you want to set them aside to dry for 24-48 hours.
Now, the fun part! I used a leftover box from a recent clothing delivery and drew the numbers out with a sharpie marker. I wanted my numbers large enough to place on our gate (As you can see from the top photo) so they are about 1.5 feet each. I cut the numbers out using some heavy duty scissors, and used an box cutter to fine tune my edges (it doesn’t have to be perfect as your filters will cover most of it!). To get the holes (which you want done ahead of time so all you have to do is push the filters through) I used a drill and randomly pushed it throughout the numbers to get enough spaces so it would be nice and full! You can always use a screw and a hammer if you prefer, or anything else you can think of to puch a hole. *You will not need all these holes filled, but it is nice to have a selection so you can move your filters around as you go*
Starting to come together here! This is the time consuming part…grab a glass of wine and put on a good show…get comfy and be prepared to have sore fingers! You have to take each coffee filter and twist it (as if you were making a tissue flower). Once you have a good half- inch of “twist” on the bottom you can insert it into one of your holes. Continue with each colour, mixing it up as you go, and remember you may need to move some around the holes to get a fuller look!
YUCK! “WHAT IS THAT” you may think! Well my friends, this is the back of your pretty number! A bunch of snake like nubs sticking out everywhere! Since I was placing mine on the front gate I didn’t have to worry about what the back looked like (we took a staple gun and POW right into the wood). IF you are really worried about people seeing the back I would suggest cutting an identical piece of cardboard at the beginning that you can just affix to it. Although, most of the time when making a number (or letter, or symbol etc) like this, you will be placing it against a wall or on a table where people really won’t notice. They will be so blown away by your talents that they won’t have time to examine the back!