Most party decorations aren't usually too expensive, but if you're buying enough party decor to deck out an entire room or home, things can quickly add up. It can also be hard to find decorations that match the theme you want, or that even look nice to begin with. Luckily, most of those same decorations you buy at the store can be made at home using everyday materials. And with a little thought and effort, you can make your decorations look 10 times better- here's how.

Make Party Hats With Paper Cups

This is a really cool DIY project because you can make these hats before a party or turn it into a full-blown activity for kids. All you need are some paper cups, preferably ones with different patterns and colors, and things like cotton balls, string, paint, and colored tape. If you do decide to turn it into an activity, just lay everything out on the table and let the kids go wild.

After they're finished, they have their own customized party hat they can don for the entire party, or at least until they're inevitably lost. If you do decide to make them before the party, you could get your own child involved.

Turn Construction Paper Into Beautiful Starburst Decorations

We're sure everyone remembers cutting construction paper to turn it into a cool pattern when they were a little kid. This is basically the same idea, but the end result is a lot more intricate and worthy of being hung on a wall. You can use construction paper or opt for some cardstock. Start with a square and then fold those diagnally twice. Next, you're going to want to clip through the folds.

You'll end up with a piece of paper that's cut into thirds. Unfold everything and curl the flaps together. Tape these so that they're slightly overlapping. After all of that is done, glue everything together so that they resemble the starburst shape.

Create Paper Pompons Using Tissues

These pompons make great decorations for just about any occasion. They can be hung on the wall or simply placed on tables. Just grab some tissue paper of your preferred color, and start by stacking them and then folding all of the paper at once. Next, tie some string around the center of your folded paper and unfold the stack from the ends. You can also cut the ends using scissors.

Lastly, simply pull the ends apart to form your petals. This decoration is super easy to make and it adds a nice touch to your display that's not going to look out of place.

Turn Scraps Of Fabric Into A Hanging Decoration

If you're the type of person who does a lot of crafts, then you probably have some scraps of paper lying around. Instead of just throwing it all away, why not reuse it and turn it all into a great hanging ornament? Just take a hula hoop or something similar and tie your scraps of paper to it. You'll probably want to make sure that all of your scraps are shaped like ribbons, but it's not a necessity.

Finally, use a couple of pieces of string to hang the hula hoop wherever you want. After you're done, you can save it and break it out again for the next party.

Make Your Own Piñatas For Birthday Parties

We won't get into the technical details of this one, but there are plenty of instructions online, and it's actually super easy to make. You can make your own piñata for a kid's birthday party or even for an adult party. What you choose to fill it with is totally up to you. Most instructions call for some cardboard, tissue paper, and, of course, scissors. It's a bit of work, but it's really worth it in the end.

You could always go and buy a piñata at the store, but it's so much funner to make your own and create just about anything you can think of.

Make Colorful Hot Air Balloons

This is a really easy crafts project that's sure to brighten up a kid's birthday party. All you need are some balloons, cardboard, glue, sticks, and paper. You can use colored sticky notes and string to decorate the top of your balloons. For the baskets, paint or color your cardboard pieces once you've glued them into tiny squares using your sticks. Next, simply hang them from your balloons, and you're done.

Of course, these look great if you use helium in your balloons but you could also simply hang them from the wall or ceiling to make them appear as if they're floating.

Add Colored Water To Vases To Turn Flowers Different Colors

This is a really cute project to do with kids. Basically, just add some food coloring to the water in your flower vases, and over time, the flowers will absorb the coloring and start changing colors. Not only does it look great, but you can use it as a learning opportunity for curious children. You can use any color flower, but white flowers are going to be best for this one.

The same thing goes for the vase you use, as any color can work, but you might want to consider using clear vases so you can see what color water each vase has in it.