Earthly TasteOne of the best things that summer brings is the mighty tradition of barbecues! Whether you’re into burgers, shrimp or fresh veggie recipes – grilled delicacies enjoyed with your friends and family is one of the best ways to spend your sunny vacation. While the food may be the centrepiece of the event, some fun and eye-catching decorations always help a simple get together feel that much more festive! Check out some quick and easy DIY craft decoration ideas that’ll help turn your BBQ from another outdoor meal into an amazing party everyone will remember.
Lanterns
A truly successful daytime party will surely spill into the twilight hours, at which point some mood lighting will be necessary for your garden. Simple fairlights certainly can do the trick, but paper lanterns create an elegant, almost otherworldly feel.
And in some ways – they’re like an environmentally friendlier alternative to balloons! After all, they can be recycled and reused. All you’ll need is paper (crimped tissue paper might look particularly pretty!), glue, wire (even old coat hangers will do!), scissors, string, LED lights and a printer, if you want to add some graphics onto your lantern. There are lots of online tutorials for many different styles, whether you want to keep things simple or try your hand at a more stylised craft with an Oriental look.
Craft your own Tableware
Depending on the number of guests you’ll be inviting, BBQ clean-up can be a daunting prospect for the host, which is why disposable tableware often comes into play. But that doesn’t mean it needs to look cheap or be wasteful. You can easily DIY your own bits and pieces that’ll look great, but you won’t lament recycling at the end of the day.
You can use a roll of recycled Kraft paper or unused wrapping paper as a table runner or to make your own placemats. Vintage diners often do this, so it will look fun and retro, as opposed to just a cost cutting solution. Plus you can download and print some fun graphics, border or SVGs and stick them onto the paper, to give them a more jovial feel. You can print matching designs onto plain paper napkins and recyclable cups as well, to get a theme going.
Novelty garments
The head chef, the master griller, deserves some unique garb for all their culinary efforts. With the help of a crafting machine (though even a regular printer could work!) you can pick out a fun design or hilarious quote and customise an apron or chef’s hat! Click here for summer fonts that would be ideal for a novelty apron or even a set of matching t-shirts for the whole family or as party favours for the guests.
A standard iron on heat transfer will work great, but for a really neat and high quality finish, you could try your hand at sublimation. It requires some more specialised crafting materials, but you can find plenty of handy resources online to give it a try! Since BBQs aren’t exactly a refined dining experience and can get a little messy – especially the junior guests – some bibs will not only be useful, but also hilarious!
Personalize each one with your guest’s name or add a funny design, like a bow tie or chest hair! You could even turn it into a fun activity for the guests – they can have a bib drawing competition, while they wait for the food!