Have Fruity Fun With These DIY Party Decorations

Abbie M
by Abbie M
10 Materials
$30
1
Easy

I love using bright colors as part of my summer decor, and where better to find bright colors than in lots of different fruits? I've found ways to add some fruity flavors to DIY party decorations, from lemony serving trays to patterned tea towels. Now, these decorations come out for every summer party, but there's no reason why you can't use these DIY ideas to brighten your home all year round!

Click the link below for the free printable!

Fruity Tray

Tools and Materials

  • Wood circle
  • Pencil
  • Acrylic paints
  • Brushes
  • Handles
  • Drill
  • Sealer


Step 1: Gather Your Materials

First, I gathered my wood circle, which was already cut into two halves. Each half of the wood panel makes one fruity serving tray. I chose to create a tray with a lemony theme, so I opted for a bright yellow acrylic paint as my primary color. You could experiment with other colors to produce a different fruit segment as a serving tray. 

Step 2: Paint

I painted the panel with white acrylic, making sure I achieved complete coverage of the wood. I used a pencil to sketch on the design of the lemon, just to make sure that my painting would be accurate and even. I found that a small paintbrush allowed me to paint on the yellow paint with precision. Once the zesty yellow was complete, I touched up the white parts to hide any pencil marks. 

Step 3: Seal

Before I sealed, I drilled in four holes in preparation for installing my tray handles. I used Minwax One Coat Polyurethane to seal my serving tray. I chose a much bigger brush this time, as the sealer can be applied liberally. This step is vital, as a serving tray could be exposed to all types of spills and splashes over the course of its life. 

Step 4: Attach Handles

You may decide to add more layers of sealer for extra protection on your DIY party decorations. Once the sealer is dry, it's time to attach the handles. I opted for plain black handles to let the bright yellow color really shine. I slotted the handles into the holes and screwed them into place. 

Fruity Glasses

Tools and Materials

  • Glass
  • Tape
  • Paint
  • Brushes
  • Pen
  • Sealer


Step 1: Gather Your Materials

You can turn all sorts of glasses into DIY party decorations with this technique - I chose the glass that I thought I would use the most often during the summer months! I used lots of different colors of paint as my layers, picking those that would create a lovely rich watermelon shade. I also made sure I had a clean surface to work on, as I didn't want to accidentally paint something that didn't need to be painted.

Step 2: Tape Off the Glass

I used tape to mark out the area in which I would be painting. I made my paint boundary around a third of the way up the glass; but there's no right place to start painting. You could even cover the entire glass with a fruity design! I decided to keep the paint on the lower third to make it easier to work out how much liquid remains in the glass - useful for those summer pool parties!

Step 3: Paint

I selected a black marker pen to add some seeds to the bottom section of my fruity glass. I layered on pink, red, and green tints of acrylic paint to produce my desired finish. I made sure that each layer of paint was completely dry before moving on to the next - I found that a hairdryer is effective at speeding up this process.

Step 4: Seal

Once my paint was all applied and dried, I removed the protective tape from my fruity glass. When the tape is taken off, you can really appreciate just how important the tape is at keeping your design even and contained. I used a new brush to apply a layer of sealer - a crucial step for DIY party decorations that will be very near to liquid for most of their life. 

Fruity Garland

Tools and Materials

  • Fruit garland printable
  • Scissors
  • Tape
  • String


Step 1: Gather Your Materials (Free Printable)

The fruity garland printable does most of the hard creative work for you. I decided to use a variety of fruit templates, including watermelon, grapefruit, and kiwi. This enabled me to create an interesting pattern on my garland. However, if you have a fruit that you love more than any others, you could rely on just one fruity template for your DIY party decorations.

Step 2: Cut Out and Tape to String

I cut out each of my fruity shapes with scissors. I made sure that I didn't rush the cutting process, as I wanted every part of my garland to have that clearly defined semi-circle shape. I flipped my fruits onto their reverse side, then used tape to attach my string. The length of the string will determine how long your garland will be.

Step 3: Hang

I knew exactly where I wanted to hang my fruity garland, so I ensured that I had enough printable fruit and enough string to stretch across my desired surface. I made sure I had the same gap between each of my fruit, giving me a uniform finish when I hang my garland along the bottom of my outdoor table. You could try using more narrow gaps between the fruit to create a busier garland, which could be used to spruce up a smaller indoor surface. 

Fruity Drink Stirrer

Tools and Materials

  • Colored paper
  • 2 cups
  • Pencil
  • Scissors
  • Toothpick (or a skewer that you'll cut to the desired length)


Step 1: Gather Your Materials

I collected two paper squares of similar size, as well as a cocktail stick. I decided to go for shades of yellow and orange to form my fruity drink stirrer, as I was keen to back up the summery theme of my DIY party decorations. In particular, I thought about what colors would go well with my fruity glass. You could also experiment with more contrasting colors, such as red and blue. 

Step 2: Cut Out and Shape

I placed a small cup onto my orange piece of paper, then used a pencil to draw an outline of the rim of the cup. I cut around my markings to give me a circular piece of paper. I repeated the same process for the yellow, but I used a slightly smaller cup. I glued the yellow paper onto the orange, forming one sunny circle. I folded my paper into quarters, then began to fold in a fan effect. 

Step 3: Attach to Toothpick

Once my folding had produced an umbrella shape, it was time to attach the toothpick. I pierced my toothpick through the center of my paper umbrella, then cut the toothpick down to size. Again, I used the size of my fruity glasses as guidance - I didn't want my drink stirrer to completely shade my drink.

Fruity Coasters

Tools and Materials

  • Fruit coaster printable
  • Cork coaster
  • Pencil
  • Scissors
  • Glue
  • Mod Podge


Step 1: Gather Your Materials (Free Printable)

I chose the kiwi fruity coaster design to make my first of these DIY party decorations, but there are lots of great options out there. I printed out the template to fit with the size of a cork coaster. I found that the circular-shaped coaster works well with fruits like the kiwi, but you could try using rectangular coasters if you have some lying around. I also got my Mod Podge ready for action.

Step 2: Cut Out and Glue to Backing

I carefully cut out my kiwi shape with scissors. I applied a generous dollop of Mod Podge to my cork coaster, then stuck my kiwi printable on top. My kiwi didn't fit perfectly on to the coaster, which gave my finished item a cork border around the edge. I liked the way that this looked, but you might want your printable to cover the cork entirely. Once the paper was glued down, I covered it with Mod Podge.

Fruity Tea Towels

Tools and Materials

  • Tea towel
  • Paint
  • Lemon


Step 1: Gather Your Materials

I found a plain white tea towel that was ripe for being turned into something fruitier. You could use a tea towel that already has some element of a pattern on it, or you could try using a tea towel of a different color. A white surface was perfect for the paint colors that I had in mind, including bright yellow and pink. I also made sure I had a lemon ready to be my unconventional paintbrush.

Step 2: Stamp the Napkins with the Lemons

I cut my lemon in half, then applied yellow paint to the inner side of one of my lemon halves. I used the lemon as a stamp, transferring the paint to the bottom corner of my tea towel. I needed different lemons for different colors, making a row of stamps. You could cover the whole tea towel with lemon marks or use the stamps more sparingly.  

I have found that these DIY deco r all work together beautifully. I like the way that lots of different fruits are featured across the designs, making my outdoor table look as bright as a fruit bowl. However, you could experiment using just one fruit for every single decoration. If you've got any ideas about how to add more fruity flavors to party items, then let me know in the comments below!

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  1 question
  • Susan Susan on Feb 05, 2022

    What sealer did you use?

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