Tropical flowers made of paper are a must-have luau decoration.
Luau refers to a Polynesian feast that typically includes island foods such as kalua pork, fish and tropical fruits, enjoyed while listening to the sounds of steel guitar and wooden drums. Today, many use this island tradition as a party theme. If you are planning on hosting a luau and wish to put your creative skills to use, use homemade crafts instead of store-bought luau decorations.
Welcome Sign
Draw the almond shape of a surfboard onto a piece of cardboard. Next, write a message such as "Welcome to the Luau" across the surfboard. Frame the text by drawing hibiscuses, gardenias or other tropical flowers around it. Use acrylic paints in tropical colors such as red, pink, yellow, green and purple to color the design. After the surfboard dries, cut it out from the cardboard sheet. On the day of the party, either attach the board to the outside of your front door with a piece of masking tape or place it inside the house, by the front door, so that the guests can see the welcoming message as they arrive.
Table Decorations
Most luaus feature a buffet-style row of tables for displaying food. Consider using hollowed coconut shells to decorate the tables. Take a whole coconut and cut off approximately a quarter of the shell on one end so that the inside of the fruit is revealed. After pouring the milk out of the shell, leave the coconut out to dry until the white meat hardens, at which point you can scrape it out with a spoon until the shell is empty. Fill the shells with tissue paper flowers or seashells and place them across the buffet tables. You can even use them as centerpieces for the tables at which your guests will be eating. Keep in mind that the meat will need several days to dry out, which means that you should begin preparing the shells at least a week before the party.
To add more pizazz to each table, purchase white paper place mats and use watercolor paints to decorate them. Ideas include writing a guest's name on each mat or painting an object that is typically associated with luaus on each mat. Examples include tiki huts, palm trees and cocktail glasses garnished with tropical flowers. Your guests can keep these personalized place mats as souvenirs after the party.
Hula Skirts
Because hula dancing is an essential part of a luau, consider making hula skirts for the female guests. To make a skirt, cut a strip of paper that is approximately 2 or 3 inches wide and long enough to fit around a guest's waist. Estimate how much length is needed to fit the guests on average and then make the strips a little longer than your estimate suggests. Excess length can be overlapped in order to make the waistband fit snugly. Next, cut some more paper strips, which should be long enough to reach from the waist band to the knee. Glue one end of each strip to the waistband, making sure that there is minimal space between each strip. As the female guests arrive at the party, help each wrap the waistband of a skirt around her midsection and staple the two ends together.
Tags: each strip, female guests, front door, long enough, place mats