Party planning expert Mary Wertz shares easy, unique ways to decorate for a special-occasion party.
Personalized Drink Magnets
Create personalized drink glasses for an anniversary, graduation or any other special-occasion evet.
Materials:
several plain low-ball glasses (available at discount stores)
waterproof paints or markers
adhesive-backed vinyl
scissors
etching cream
glass cleaner
dish soap
Steps:
- Draw on designs, initials, dates or names onto a square of adhesive-backed vinyl.
- Cut out the design or initials and stick the square to the glass. It's best to tape it at an angle because it is difficult to get it straight.
- Apply etching cream over the paper and let it sit for five minutes.
- Wash off all traces of the etching cream with water. Clean the glass with glass cleaner, followed by dish soap and water. Glasses that have been etched are dishwasher safe.
Other Ideas
- For a child's birthday, use a water-based acrylic paint to decorate the glass on the front door of your home with balloons or their name. It's a nice surprise for the child when they get home from school, and it will let the parents of the other children who will be attending the party know that they have the right house.
- Paint a glass tabletop the same way you'd decorate the front door in the previous step. Be sure that you paint the underside of the table so that the paint won't scratch off or get wiped off if a spill occurs. The paint should come off with glass cleaner.
- Use transfers to decorate napkins. Just draw on the design and take it to a photocopy shop. Have the design copied onto iron-on-transfer paper, then bring it home and iron it onto the napkin. An important tip is to make sure to use a design that's smaller then the face of your iron. This will ensure that the paper won't shift and skew the design.
- An excellent party favor for a graduation or birthday party are magnets. Buy sheets of magnets in business-card size, then take a picture of your child to a photocopy center. Have them put the picture onto the stickers, then place the magnets on top.
