Easy DIY Crafts for Summer Outdoor Parties

Beth Rice 18/07/2019

It’s time for outdoor parties. Summertime brings on the grill, the pool, and friends and family joining you in your backyard. Want to dress things up a bit while keeping costs down?

Here are 3 easy DIY summer crafts to brighten your outdoor party or gathering.

Pool Noodle Garland

For the barbeques and pool parties, this pool noodle garland adds color and décor without costing much or taking much time to make.

Items Needed:

Pool Noodle DIY — Pool noodle DIY materials

Different colored pool noodles
String
Exacto knife
A cutting mat or something to cut on (definitely not your solid wood dining room table from DutchCrafters)

Instructions: With your exacto knife, cut the pool noodles into ½ inch slices. Cut enough noodle slices to fill the desired length of your garland. String the noodle slices on the string.

DIY Pool Noddle Garland Project — 1/2″ pool noodle slices

DIY Pool Noodle Garland — I just used two colors, but you can get really lively with three or more!

Tie a noodle slice at each end so the rest of the slices don’t accidentally slip off while you are hanging it.

Warning: It’s very hard not to play with the pool noodle slices.

This project was very easy to do. The only challenging thing was to slice evenly.

Terracotta Cloche

Here’s a great idea for keeping the flies away if you’d like to head outside with a small to medium snack platter. The terracotta cloche can cover your food neatly and in style. You can cover a larger plate with a bigger pot. Plus the terracotta helps keep whatever is underneath warm or cool.

What’s a cloche, you might ask? For those who garden, you might be familiar with a cloche. It’s a protective covering used for plants to shield them from cold temperatures. A cloche (French for bell) for tableware can be made of glass, marble or other materials and adds a lovely touch to decorate with.

Items Needed:

DIY Terracotta Cloche — Just the terracotta pot of your choice and rope thick enough to knot through it.

1 terracotta pot that’s washed out well
Rope

Instructions: Simply make a handle by knotting the rope through the hole in your terracotta pot.

*Note: You can get even more creative by painting your pot or using colored rope.

Decorative Streamers

It’s easy to add color and pretty up your outside scene with decorative streamers. Select the colors that best match your décor and return to the days of making “paper snowflakes.” This project involves some folding and creative cutting.

Items Needed:

DIY Streamer Project — Materials for DIY streamers

Streamers in different colors
Scissors

Instructions:

Cut the streamers into smaller lengths/strips
Fold them in half and continue this until you have a small section
Cut a small rectangle out of each folded side and leave them attached at top
Make fun patterns
Hang them up to decorate

DIY Streamers Project — Streamers folded and ready to cut

I used a hole punch to add some patterns. I found it easier to use a smaller pair of scissors for cutting since once the streamers are folded, they form a thick layer that’s harder to cut through.

I added the garland and streamers to the pergola outside the DutchCrafters store.