March 17th is right around the corner, and it is time to gear up for a St. Patrick’s Day celebration. Whether you are Irish or not, the holiday is a lot of fun! Do you plan on having festivities at your house, or do you just want to add some “luck of the Irish” to your décor? Before you settle for boring store-bought decorations that everyone else will have, why not try some DIY projects? Here are some unique ways to decorate for St. Patrick’s Day that can involve the whole family.
Go for the Green
Green is the official color of the Emerald Isle, because of its lush grasses and the blessed shamrock of St. Patrick. While emerald green is the standard for holiday decorations, feel free to blend various shades of green for your look. Make eye-catching displays like grouping green books on the counter, green utensils, or even green toys.
The Chain Gang
Remember making paper chains out of construction paper and paste in grade school? Draw or copy a template of a shamrock on cardstock, and give each of your children one. Purchase construction paper or cardstock with different shades of green, or designs with green. Let your youngsters trace several shamrocks on the paper, and then cut them out. Staple the plethora of shamrocks from stem to leaves, alternating shades or designs. Decorate your porch or your living room with your kids’ shamrock chains.
Pot of Gold
Make your own pot of gold! Buy some small, inexpensive terra cotta pots at your local gardening center. You will also need a variety of flower seed packets, craft sticks, glue, paint, and gold-foiled chocolate coins. Pain each flower pot black, and let it dry. Then, paint a green shamrock on each and let it dry.
While the paint is drying, tape flower seed packs on the top of your craft sticks. When the pots are totally dry, coat them with some clear acrylic spray. Fill each pot with the chocolate coins, and put the flower seeds stick in the middle. Now you have cute decorations that everyone can take home and plant later.
Felt Shamrocks
No decorations for St. Patrick’s Day would be complete without four-leaf clovers. They are simple to make out of green felt, and will last several seasons. Get felt sheets in different green hues, scissors, sewing needle, and green embroidery floss.
Cut the sheets of felt into vertical strips of various widths. Next, cut four pieces into the shape of clover leaves for each shamrock. Put two stitches in the bottom of each leaf, and thread four of them together. Tighten the bottom of the shamrock, tie a knot in the floss, and clip off any excess.
Scatter your tables with these delightful felt shamrocks, or put them on wires to create unique bouquets in a flowerpot. Glue them on t-shirts or headbands for an original touch of green. Give them as St. Paddy’s gifts at work or school.
St. Patrick’s Day Mason Jar Vases
Do you have a collection old mason jars to use for crafts? Turn a few of them into country-style vases for your table. Purchase jars, puff paint, and any shade of green you like. After you wash and dry the mason jars, use puff paints to draw shamrocks or whimsical Irish sayings on them.
When your puff designs are dry, paint the jars with the green paints you have chosen. Fill your lovely vases with fresh spring flowers, twigs, or whatever you think would look nice. If you like, tie raffia bows around the mouth of the vases.
Mini Irish Landscape
Dioramas may be small, but they have returned as a huge decorating trend. Here is another chance to use those canning jars you have been saving. Visit your local dollar store and buy some green reindeer moss and faux moss-covered stones from the floral aisle. Fill a couple of jars about a quarter full with the reindeer moss.
Use a small pair of tongs to place the mossy stones where you want on top. Add a few small river pebbles to look like boulders on the hill. For a touch of realism, place a few mini sheep in your scene. Put your “Emerald Isle in a Jar” on a stand in your foyer.
Easy-Peasy Candle Centerpiece
Dried split peas are the ideal green for St. Patrick’s Day, and can help you make a simple, but elegant centerpiece. Place a white pillar candle in a wide apothecary jar, and pour enough dried split peas around it until covers about a fourth of the candle’s bottom. Add depth to your tablescape and make three of these candles with different sized jars.
Cute as a Button Door Hanger
Do you want a unique St. Paddy’s Day plaque on your front door? Cut a piece of plywood for the size you want, and sand the edges to make it look neat. Use gray and cream paint to create horizontal stripes across the board.
After it dries, spray it with a coat of sealant. Draw the shape of a shamrock in the center of the plaque. Most craft stores sell containers of buttons with different shades of one color. Use your glue gun to fill in the shamrock with buttons of different sizes and shades of green. Make a hanger of twine and hang your plaque on the front door for a friendly Irish welcome.
You do not need a leprechaun’s treasure to decorate your house for St. Patrick’s Day! Make awesome decorations from things you already have in your craft supplies. With the help of your little leprechauns, your whole house will be “lucky” and festive.
