This page is dedicated to ideas and inspirations for entertaining.
DIY Lifts and Levels Creative Table Setup Directions for Napkin Knot DIY Pennant Banner
DIY Flamingo Straws Festive DIY Cocktail Napkins
Directions for DIY Lifts and Levels
First, each sheet of cardboard was marked the desired width and then each strip was cut., against the corrugation, not with it. After using scissors for awhile, my son suggested the use of the battery powered scissors he had given me, which might make things go a little faster. Yes! What a great time saver!
Next, in order for the cardboard to form neatly into a sp
iral, fold the cardboard along each of the corrugated grooves. It helps to create a more rounded shape if you bend the board like this. This can be achieved a little more quickly by running the cardboard strip over the edge of the counter like you are curling a ribbon with scissors.
Using cheap white or clear school glue, start gluing the strips in a tight spiral. When it gets awkward to hold it, wrap a couple of rubber bands around your form, set on the counter or table, and push down on the cardboard to form a solid base. Let this dry, then continue adding strips, in the same manner, butting up the new strip to the end of the previous one, until the desired size is achieved.
The stands for this particular event were covered with silver wrapping paper and were embellished with a 2″ band of mesh rhinestones an inch from the top. While they can be decorated, they are great underneath your tablecloths and fabric pieces, which is how I use them most of the time.
These are inexpensive, sturdy, easily stored, and is it a great loss if left behind? Let me know what you think of the idea! I had never seen it done before, came up with it and thought it was rather ingenious if I do say so myself! Necessity is the mother of invention. Maybe you could use some DIY lifts and levels one day.
Creative Table Setup
A few years ago, I attended a wedding reception. As the event planner and staff were setting up the areas for the buffet, I realized they were using three round tables placed together and another table top was centered on top of those three, overlapping each of the three slightly.
I just remember thinking, ‘brilliant’! What a great way to place the tables, versus the more mundane, long row of rectangular buffet tables. The same concept could be used with square tables. That could be interesting as well.
This just shows that the inspiration for your events and entertaining, is all around, wherever you go! I am always alert to any creative ideas at restaurants, on television, and while shopping at stores.
Sometimes, I might miss part of a television show or movie because I have focused on what is in the background or how something is displayed, Fortunately, today we can rewind and stop the show if necessary! I love those features!
This has been in my catalog of ideas for future events for some time. Have you seen this before? As you can see in the second picture, the display was quite lovely and convenient for all of the guests as well.
Directions for Napkin Knot
The idea of the bandana as napkins for my mother’s birthday party a few years ago came to me when I saw them two for a dollar at Hobby Lobby. What a steal! I washed and ironed all of them and prepared them for folding. The pictures show how to fold the bandanas and the knot is just an overhand knot.
On the day of the party, I had help from a couple of my nieces. Tying all of them on the forks was definitely a lot faster! Obviously, this could be done in advance!
At first, the way I folded them, the ties were too long and awkward. So this was the end result of trial and error. It fits perfectly in your hand, captures the fork or utensils and makes it easy to hold plate, napkin, and silver all at once.
Everyone did seem to enjoy the bandanas. I think it was a hit and many guests took one home. The way they wore them at the party showed their personality.
The burlap used in this project is the six-inch wide burlap ribbon. The weave is looser than regular burlap. You could easily use regular burlap in the same way, but it might be a little more difficult to trace the letters like I have. I had the ribbon on hand so that is what I used.
First, I cut a piece of copy paper six inches wide, the same width as the ribbon, and decided how long I wanted the triangles to be. I used this as a pattern to cut out the individual pennants.
Note in the picture above that I left an inch overhang on the top so that I would be able to string the twine under it.
The font used for this project is ‘Rye’. I enlarged each letter individually and printed each on half a sheet of copy paper. Then, I place the letter on the paper under the burlap triangle, and using a black felt tip marker, traced each letter. Since the overhang to the back was one inch, I used that as a guide for the tops of the letters, and just centered each letter.
**Being a little OCD, I first tried using a ruler to copy the letters. Nope, that did not work very well. Tracing freehand, worked much better. You can see below, how clearly the letters are visible through the burlap.
Wanting to make sure the open weave did not fray much, I placed the burlap shapes on tin foil and lightly painted the edges with Mod Podge.
A black matte finished knit fabric was used for the background. Felt could be used just as easily. I had leftover knit fabric so that is what I used. The triangular pattern was used to cut out the black fabric. I just cut about a 5/8″ border around the long sides of the triangle. The top part, since it was going to be overlapped by the burlap, was cut straight across the top.
Mod Podge needs to be painted on the edges of the burlap triangle and pressed in place on the black triangular background. (Leave the overlap loose.)
After all of the letters are adhered to the backgrounds, lay the entire word out and decide how far apart each pennant needs to be. Leaving extra twine on each end for tying, lay the twine underneath the overlap, paint Mod Podge on the overlap, and fold over, encasing the twine. Continue until your word is complete.
The twine should lay to the back of the pennant and a little dot of Tacky Glue will hold the twine on the back corners of the black fabric. Afterthought. If I had made an overlap of the black fabric, too, the Tacky Glue would not be needed.
The supplies for this are simple. You will need a one and one-half inch Styrofoam ball for each bird. I used the smooth ones. (I think Abby used the other kind.) The glitter used on these was from Hobby Lobby. The color is ‘Pink Ice’ and it is the extra fine glitter. You will also need pink feathers, pipe cleaners, a toothpick to make a hole in the Styrofoam ball for the pipe cleaner, a black felt tip pen, a ruler, Mod Podge, Tacky glue and a pair of scissors. These straws were found at Michael’s for $9.99. I had a forty percent off coupon so I paid six dollars for one hundred straws. Don’t you love the polka dot and stripes together?
To begin with, you need to make a hole in the ball. The smooth ones that I bought already had a hole about a half inch deep in them. I used my handheld drill and a 7/16″ drill bit to gently drill through the premade hole to the other side. (The regular styrofoam balls would be much easier to push a sharp awl or screwdriver through.) In order for the straw to slide onto the ball relatively easily, I had to slide the drill bit back and forth a few times. Be sure the straw fits completely through the ball before going on to the next step.
Paint Mod Podge onto the ball and sprinkle the glitter onto the ball. I rolled the ball into a bowl of glitter but found that holding it on the end of a round handled paint brush and pouring the glitter over it worked better for me. Let the glue dry.
Using the toothpick, make a hole in the ball where you want the neck to be. Cut a 12″ pipe cleaner in half, making two six inch pieces for the neck. On one end, bend and loop the pipe cleaner to create the head and an ‘S’ curved neck. (See below for detailed instructions.)
Yes, I realize the picture below is a backward ‘S’ but I have to hold it with my left hand and manipulate with my right! If you turn it over, it is an ‘S’. When I was taking the picture I didn’t think of that! Lol!
Using the felt tip marker, tip the end of the beak with black. Insert a pipe cleaner into the hole made with the toothpick.
Insert the straw into the hole in the ball at desired height. Choose two feathers approximately the same size, trim if necessary. With the Tacky glue, attach to the ball on each side. Flamingo wings usually are positioned down rather than up like the swan.
That is all there is to it! How cute these DIY flamingo straws are going to look on the table next to the beverage dispenser!
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