Are you looking to create a stunning and colossal number for a birthday bash or a wedding celebration? Perhaps you want a gigantic 3D standee number that steals the show at your special event. Or maybe, it’s your little one’s birthday, and you want the number to match their height for an extra-special touch. The solution? Do it yourself!

DIY giant birthday numbers can be easily made out of cardboard. Almost any piece of cardboard can be used to make pretty large 3D standee or balloon mosaic number.

This technique of making a 3D number is easy to follow and allows you to create practically any large number or letter at home. With the same number template, you can easily make a piñata, standee or a balloon mosaic.

Tools

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Giant Cardboard Number

Step-by-step tutorial

If you don’t have a big enough piece of cardboard you can glue several pieces together using the neat overlap seam technique. If you are going to make a piñata you will need the second (back) side to be cut out too. If your giant number is a standee for a photoshoot, like a decoration or a shell for the balloon mosaic, you really do not need the back side. It will be just fine having Front and Sides only. The thickness of your 3D number is totally up to you but with a large display number, I would recommend making its depth at least 4-5 inches and wider as your number is getting higher and larger.

Part 1.

work with the template

Cut out Front Template.
You can buy and download ready to print on a standard pages plans for numbers here in my store or you make them on your own. I used the Prym Toothed Tracing Wheel to trace my template. It’s for sewing, but it worked like a charm for the cardboard too.

How to work with a template

All templates are ready to print on a regular sizes paper and have to be taped together into one big number or letter template

Part 2.

Prepare Giant Number Sides

Sides are simple strips of cardboard (4-5 in and up) cut in such a way that the rigid structure of cardboard is perpendicular to the long side. Make several of them and you will glue them together on a go. An important part of these sides is a paper bleed.

To create paper bleed you need to cut off the rigid structure at the edge of your cardboard stripe. It has to have the same width as your cardboard thickness.

Lastly, cut slits half through the cardboard structure which will make side stirpes super flexible and ready to work with

How to glue using paper bleed

1. much easier to apply hot glue;

2. keeps your work at a straight angle and at a place so no taping is needed;

3. the edge of your huge cardboard number will be neat and clean.

Part 3.

Glue Giant Number Sides

It is better to start to glue off the corner, somewhere with a straight side. Glue in short steps, letting hot glue to cool down. Make additional paper bleeds to overlap seams if you need to add another side stripe. Clean up the edges as work finished, cut off extra paper bleed with scissors.