Having a party doesn’t mean needing to spend lots of money on the decorations. Better to use the funds for the entertainment and food, and make as many of the decorations as possible. Here are some ideas for inexpensive homemade party decorations to make the room look festive.

Balloons: Balloons are inexpensive and colorful. They brighten up a room and give an instant party atmosphere. Blow them up and scatter them around, or tape them on the walls, hang them from the ceiling, tape them to sticks and make “balloon bouquets” for centerpieces on the tables. Have the kids (or guests) draw fun faces on the balloons with markers, or decorate them with stickers, and you have a party activity for the first arrivals.

Table Coverings: Use white butcher paper or even brown bags turned inside out and taped onto the tables. Then, use paint and vegetable stamps, sponges and cardboard shapes to stamp patterns on them. Or, paint congratulatory messages on them with a paintbrush or thick markers. Kids would be a great help with this, too, and they’d love it. You could also leave the table covers blank and put crayons and markers in little cups or baskets on each table so the guests can decorate the tables any way they want to. This last part is great for kids or teens, and, if you’re having a casual adult party, this could be fun for them, too.

Walls and Ceilings: Hang colorful paper decorations from the ceiling. Cut a large circle from construction paper, cut into it in a spiral shape all the way to the center, and hang it from the center end. Make a bunch, and it looks like spirals all coming down from the ceiling. Also, crepe paper makes easy streamers. Print signs on the computer, and color or paint them, or even “splatter paint” them with a few colors to make them festive. Post them around the room. The signs should have congratulatory messages for the guest of honor or references to the occasion, such as “Happy End of School!” and “Happy New Year!”

Festive Flowers: It’s easy to make fun-looking flowers from tissue paper or wrapping paper and some pipe cleaners. Simply layer a few pieces of the paper, stick one end of the pipe cleaner through the center, and then twist the paper around the pipe cleaner. Affix with tape to hold it, and put a bunch in a vase. These make fun centerpieces for the tables.

Remember that the idea is to create a fun-looking room, so bright colors are the perfect start.