Birthday’s only come once a year. As such, when they do finally roll around, it’s only natural to want to celebrate—and that means a birthday party. Throwing a birthday bash in your apartment (either for yourself or for a friend) is a fun and memorable way to recognize the importance of the people in your life. But between picking a time that will work for all of your guests, sending out invites, and finding the appropriate type of entertainment to jump out of the cake (or not), many party throwers forget to focus on one aspect of the festivities that should never be overlooked: the decorations.
As a result, you might end up either settling for cliché, subpar decorations, or worse, provide no decorations at all. However, the décor that adorns the party space is the first, most-clear indication of what the party is all about. If the decorations have obviously been thrown together at the last minute, or neglected completely, then what does that say to guests? What does it say about the person whose birthday everyone is supposed to be celebrating?
On the other hand, a well-decorated space can help retain a birthday party’s focus, directing the attention towards the birthday boy or girl in a way that other party elements cannot. Decorations also help guests relax and get into the spirit of the celebration, and even provide easy conversation pieces for those who might be having trouble socializing.
In essence, your decorations may just set the tone for your entire party, so give them the attention they deserve. Here are some of our favorite decoration ideas for a birthday party at home.
Balloons
Now, generally speaking, unless you’re throwing a party for children, balloons probably aren’t going to blow anyone’s mind. Still, these gas-filled latex bags have become one of the decorations most commonly associated with birthday parties, so incorporating them into your décor goes almost without saying. But rather than just grabbing a handful of colored balloons, filling them with helium, and forgetting about them until someone decides that they want to sound like one of the chipmunks, considers these unique balloon decoration ideas for a birthday party at home:
Make balloon caricatures. If you are of the artistic persuasion, there’s a simple way that you can turn average balloons into fun, personalized party favors. Just take an uninflated balloon, and use a black permanent marker to draw a quick character of one of your guests. Do the same for every other guest, and then fill the balloons with helium. As the balloons expand, the drawings will become distorted, creating wacky misrepresentations of your friends. Tie each balloon to a bag of party favors, and then have the guests try to locate which bag belongs to whom. Just be careful, some guests may not feel very flattered by your caricatures.
Use glow sticks. Make your balloons glow by placing a small glow stick into each one before inflating them. If you plan on keeping the lights dimmed during the party, these glowing balloons will provide a fun splash of extra illumination, and can be tossed or kicked around for various party games, or even placed in water as floating pool lights. And if you are planning on holding your party at night, a few of these balloons, filled with helium, and placed outside of your apartment door are a great way to let your guests know that they’ve found the right building.
Construct a balloon photograph tribute. A birthday is really a celebration of life, so make a tribute to your guest of honor by attaching small photographs from his or her childhood to helium balloons via short strings. If you can find the right weight balance, these photos will actually float around the room, giving everyone a glimpse into the life of the birthday boy or girl.
Create confetti poppers. This particular tip is only for those die-hard hosts who don’t mind a little bit of cleanup. Fill your balloons with colorful confetti before inflating them. Then at a predetermined point in the party (such as at the conclusion of singing the ‘Happy Birthday’ song) have the guests all pop the balloons at once. The resultant confetti explosion will go everywhere, and remind the guest of honor just how far you’re willing to go to celebrate their birthday.
Build a balloon mosaic. If you really want to impress your guests—and you have a lot of available wall space—consider creating a balloon mosaic. Gather as many small balloons as you can (water balloons work particularly well for this project) in as many different colors as possible. Separate out the colors, and then tape them to the wall so that the combined colors form an image. You can be as simple as you like (using the balloons to spell out ‘happy birthday’), or, if you feel up to it, you can go for something a bit more complex (a pixel-art version of the guest of honor would certainly turn a few heads).
Tables
Most birthday celebrations include a birthday cake, which means that at least a portion of the party is likely to take place around the table. So, incorporating the table into your birthday party décor certainly makes sense. And, because homemade decoration ideas for a birthday party are generally the most personal and meaningful, that’s what we’re going to concentrate on. Here are some fun DIY table decorations to incorporate into your next birthday bash.
Use letters along with your serving dishes. Depending on what kind of food you plan on providing, you’ll likely have a number of different serving dishes sitting on your table. But instead of just going with whatever dishes you find in your cupboard, purchase a few plastic or ceramic letter-shaped dishes. You can then arrange your serving dishes to spell out initials, phrases, or anything else you’d like to share. Alternatively, you can purchase a few sets of alphabet refrigerator magnets. Leave these on the table amid the various food dishes, and give guests the opportunity to arrange them into fun birthday wishes.
Make personalized dinnerware. Who wouldn’t like a festive birthday cup or plate with their own name on it? With nothing more than ceramic dishes, permanent markers (Sharpie brand seems to work best) and an oven, you can make personalized dinnerware in any design you want. Just buy some inexpensive ceramic plates from your local discount store, wash them, allow them to dry completely, and then decorate them however you’d like with the permanent markers. Then, heat your oven to 425°F, and place the dishes inside. Allow them to bake for 30 minutes, and then let them cool in the oven. Once they’ve cooled, distribute them around the table for your guests to enjoy. Be warned, however, that those who attempt this craft sometimes experience different results, so be very careful when washing your custom dinnerware, as the ink may still come off of the dishes. Likewise, when serving food, cover each plate with a clear plastic disposable plate, so guests can eat off them without fear of smearing the designs.
Grow some candy trees. Every table needs a nice centerpiece, and a simple potted plant can fill that role nicely. Of course, if you’re throwing a birthday party, you’ll probably want something more festive than a peace lily. Instead, “grow” some DIY candy trees. For each one, you’ll need
-small decorative stones
-a styrofoam ball
-a short length of wooden dowel
-tissue paper
-wooden toothpicks
-ribbon
-a small flowerpot
-small, soft candies (of your choice)
Using a pen or pencil, gently push a small hole into the bottom of your styrofoam ball. Fit the dowel into the hole until it is snuggly in place. FIll the flowerpot with small decorative stones. Secure the dowel into the flowerpot, so that it stands freely on its own. Wrap the styrofoam ball in tissue paper. Now, take your small candies, and gently press a toothpick into each one (soft chocolates might work the best, while hard candies probably won’t work at all). If your candies are not individually wrapped, then wear latex gloves while you work. You’ll need a large number of sweets per tree, so bear that in mind while you are doing your shopping. Poke the other end of each candy-bearing toothpick into the styrofoam ball, until the ball is completely covered. Tie a ribbon around the base of the ball, around the excess tissue paper. Repeat as many times as necessary. Place the candy trees in the center of your table, and encourage guests to help themselves!
Create a lighted table skirt. A table skirt can help give your table a more elegant, formal look. Of course, if you’re more interested in something fun, a lighted table skirt might be a better way to go. Just get some simple string-lights in the color (or colors) of your choice. string the lights around the underside edge of your table. Next, arrange white tulle fabric so that it hangs down over the lights. When the lights are turned on, they will shine through the tulle, lighting it up, and creating a fun and unique table skirt.
Use butcher paper to create a table-top canvas. White butcher paper, cut to the right dimensions to cover your table surface, can be a fun way to bring out the artists in your guests. Provide a selection of crayons and colored pencils, and encourage guests to decorate the butcher paper however they’d like. Have each guest sign their creation, and possibly write a short birthday message. After the party, the paper can be thrown away, or gifted to the guest of honor (assuming that it’s not covered in spills).
Food
If there’s one part of the birthday party that you don’t want to get wrong, it’s the food. From snacks, to cake, to drinks, and beyond, people may come to the party to celebrate the person having the birthday, but they stay for the food. And if you want to give your guests the best possible experience, then you need to make sure that your food looks inviting. Here are some food-related simple decoration ideas for a birthday party at home:
Provide a drink recipe mat. If you’re providing mixed drinks to your guests, then why not let them combine their own ingredients? Just lay out a large piece of black butcher paper over your bar surface (or table). Place the various ingredients on the paper, and then, using brightly-colored paint markers, write out a few of your favorite drink recipes. Guests will be able to follow these recipes to create delicious concoctions, and you won’t have to spend the entire evening tending bar. And, if you have particularly creative guests who like to make their own unique drink creations, encourage them to write down their personal recipes for others to try. This craft works just as well for those who aren’t interested in drinking alcohol—just substitute alcoholic beverages with a variety of juices, sodas, and syrups.
Make a DIY piñata. There’s something so entertaining about beating a piñata to smithereens that goes well beyond the candy reward that you get at the end. But instead of purchasing a piñata from your local party supply store, you can easily make one yourself. The easiest way to do this by getting
-a large balloon
-crumpled newspaper
-duct tape
-papier-mâché
-tissue paper/squares
-paints
-string
Start by inflating your balloon. You’ll want to have enough space for all of your candy, so try to get the balloon as big as possible before you tie it off. Using paper-mâché, cover the balloon, leaving only the knot uncovered, and allow it to dry. Once the paper-mâché has hardened completely, use scissors to cut off the mouth of the balloon (this will pop the balloon, however, the paper-mâché should retain its shape). Paint the paper-mâché however you’d like, and use glue to add tissue squares for a more authentic look. Allow the paint to dry. Using the hole that you created when you cut the off the mouth of the balloon, fill your piñata with candy. If you have extra space that needs to be filled, use crumpled newspaper. Plug the hole with a large wad of crumpled newspaper. Puncture two smaller holes in the paper-mâché on either side of the large hole, and tie a short length of string between them—this will give you a ‘handle’ you can use to hang your piñata. Hang the piñata, and you’re done! Make sure that you use only wrapped candies in your piñata, because no one is going to want to eat unwrapped ones after they’ve fallen on the floor of your apartment.
Share a make-your-own cookie bar. Almost everybody loves cookies, but not everyone loves the same kind of cookies. So, give your guests the cookies they love most, by letting them make their own! Start by mixing up some basic cookie dough. To do this, you’ll need
-1 cup butter
-1 cup brown sugar
-1 cup white sugar
-2 eggs
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-3 cups flour
-1 tsp baking soda
-¼ tsp salt
Cream the butter, add your brown and white sugars, and then mix. Continue to mix as you add your eggs, vanilla, flour, salt, and baking soda (add these gradually as you mix). Set the dough aside. Then, in decorative bowls, provide your guests with a number of different optional ingredients, such as chocolate chips, nuts, dried berries, etc. Give every guest a single dollop of cookie dough, and let them add whatever ingredients they’d like. Once everyone has created the cookie of their dreams, place each cookie on a baking sheet, and bake the entire batch at 350°F. You’ll need to keep an eye on the cookies as they bake to ensure that none start to burn, as each cookie will have a slightly different cooking time. Allow the batch to bake for about 10 minutes. Serve the personalized cookies, and don’t forget to top the guest of honor’s cookie with a birthday candle.
Put glow sticks in your ice bucket. Keeping drinks cold and available is one of the jobs of a good party host, and it often means providing a bucket filled with ice and beverages. But you can make things a bit more interesting by including a few glow sticks in your planning. Glow sticks, placed in the bucket along with the ice, will give everything an unnatural and festive glow, and will also help party goers see what drinks are available (particularly in dim lighting).
Above all, birthday decoration ideas for your home should reflect the overall theme of the party, so don’t be afraid to experiment or revise when you need to. And, always try to bring the focus of your décor back to the birthday boy or girl. After all, this party is for them; don’t let your fun decorations draw attention away from where it should be. If you can create a fun and entertaining atmosphere that helps everyone celebrate the guest-of-honor’s birthday, then you’ll have a party that will be remembered long after the balloons have all popped.
Did we miss anything? Share your own birthday decoration ideas in our comments section!