June 22, 2022

How to Make 4th of July DIY Confetti Poppers

Last year, we showed you how to create DIY confetti poppers made from a TP roll core. This year, we’re going better and bigger. We added a bit of pizzazz and flair to this DIY project, so you’ll want to add this blog to your favorites and use this idea for all upcoming celebrations. Anyone got a birthday coming up?

Gather your supplies because you’ll need a few things:

Wrapping paper core or two paper towel cores. You’ll need two of them. (We said better and bigger. :D)
Scissors
Craft Knife
Paper in your choice of colors. We keep all our paper scraps so we’re bringing those out as well.
Glue
Balloons
Tape
Cutting mat

Prep:

Gather all the necessary materials and set up your workspace. We like a clean, well-lit area and we always work on a cutting mat as this protects our working space and table surface.

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a cardboard tube cut lengthwise next to a pair of scissors on a cutting mat

Step One:

Measure and cut the cardboard core so that you have two equal length pieces. Then, cut one lengthwise. We used scissors for this step. If you are using paper towel cores, set one aside and cut the other as in the photo.

a balloon taped over a cardboard tube

Step Two:

Tie the balloon end in a knot and cut the top off. Wrap it around the one end of the solid cardboard core. Then, tape down so it is secure. The balloon should not be able to move off the cardboard. This is the confetti firing mechanism. By first pulling the balloon and then letting go, the confetti is catapulted into the air.

a balloon taped over the end of a cardboard tube with another cardboard tube taped around it

Step Three:

Slide the cut core over the solid core so that the taped balloon is now in between the two cardboard cylinders. Tape or glue in place so that nothing slides or moves. There will be a gap in the top layer cardboard. This will be covered up in the next steps, so no worries.

a craft knife on a cutting mat with a piece of cut paper

Step Four:

Use a pencil to mark the width and length of the paper you will need to wrap the cylinder. Add about a half an inch for the overlap. Square using a ruler and the grid on your cutting mat and then cut using the craft knife. Save the scraps for later decorations.

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Cover the cardboard with one solid sheet of craft paper in your choice of color. Plan for an overlap at the seam so that there is no visible cardboard or tape peeking from underneath. Glue down for a clean look. Leave about an inch unglued so that the fringe can be neatly glued under.

a piece of blue paper rolled into a tube with a piece of white fringe paper glued to it

Step Five:

Decorate! First, the flair — and, in this case, we mean fringe! Cut a sheet of paper a half inch shorter than the length of the overall cylinder. Mark a half inch. This is the part that will be glued in. Use the grid on your cutting mat as guides. Using a ruler and a craft knife or scissors, cut the fringe. Narrow cuts are better when using craft paper and wider fringe can be made from color printer paper.

Glue the fringe in place under the cover craft paper and then glue closed. Let it dry. Add other decorative elements to the surface of the confetti popper.

a completed popper being loaded with confetti

Step Six:

The confetti! We’ve covered a few techniques for creating paper confetti before in our article about DIY Summer Crafts, but here’s a quick recap: Cut narrow strips of paper and then cut them again perpendicularly to create small, square-shaped confetti. Those scraps from earlier steps are perfect for this! And one additional positive aspect of paper confetti is that it’s degradable, unlike plastic confetti which can turn into a lingering mess.