Hosting a backyard summer bash using repurposed household items turned party decor is simple -- just look around your home for old knick-knacks, kitchenware, and furniture that can be transformed. Not only are you reducing waste, but you're also saving time and money.
Try these ideas:
- Do you have any used books in your home that you will never read again? Hollow one out and place a plant inside to use as a whimsical pot.
- Don't bother buying brand new glasses. The most stylish and unique champagne flutes are often vintage pieces from local stores or tag sales. Many artisans also sell repurposed wine glasses shaped from old beer bottles, or vintage tea cups fused to glass stems.
- For those who prefer non-alcoholic beverages, provide fruit juices or water with fresh slices of lemon in a recycled glass beverage dispenser with an easy-to-pour spigot. A glass dispenser is also great because it can be reused again and again. Look for DIY posts online for repurposed glass cookie jars turned beverage dispensers. You can even order spigots to fit the hole you have drilled in the glass.
- You can even create your own beverage dispenser by hollowing out a watermelon and attaching a spigot at the bottom. Fill this natural dispenser with a delicious mixed cocktail and don't forget to compost the rind after the party.
- Hang repurposed Mason jars from sustainable twine and fill them with soy tea light candles. As the sun sets and the mosquitoes descend, make use of already used citronella candles and LED lights to cast a pretty glow over your entire yard.
Kate Harrison is a green entertaining expert, author of "The Green Bride Guide" and founder of GreenBrideGuide.com.
