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18th birthday decorations: creative homemade décor ideas made easy

An 18th is a special occasion and should be celebrated in style. To do this, you will need suitable decorations to help you create the right ambience. In this article, we’ll give you creative 18th birthday decoration ideas that you can easily make yourself, from personalised straws and sparkling lanterns to glittering party glasses. With these decorations you will be ready to rock your 18th birthday party!

Content:

18th birthday decorations: funny party straws

Homemade straws are a simple and funny decoration idea for an 18th birthday. They spice up any drink and are guaranteed to make one or two guests smile. We'll show you how to make these straws in no time at all:

Materials to make funny party straws

  • A photo of the person celebrating

  • Drinking straws

  • Construction paper (with patterns/glitter)

  • Adhesive pads or adhesive strips

  • A pair of scissors

  • A pencil and a ruler

How to make these 18th birthday decorations:

  1. Print out a headshot of the person celebrating several times and cut out the head neatly with a pair of scissors.
    Tip: Use the number of straws you have as a guide. You need a photo for each straw.

  2. Measure the diameter of the heads you have cut out, draw small matching triangles on the construction paper and cut them out too. They will serve as party hats.

  3. Finally, simply stick the hats onto the birthday person’s head and attach them to the straw to complete your funny party straws!

You can customise the straws to suit the theme of the party. For example, if you're having a chic cocktail party, you could attach gold stars or thin bunting with the birthday person’s initials to the straw. Mini flower wreaths are a great design idea for a boho theme party.

Table decorations for an 18th birthday: DIY disco -style lantern

Are you still looking for stylish 18th birthday decoration ideas to adorn your birthday table? Then you'll love our homemade disco-style lanterns. They are a real highlight and create a cosy atmosphere. It is easy to make them at home:

Materials:

  • Small lanterns or jars

  • (Mini) disco balls in various sizes

  • A hot glue gun

  • Fairy lights with batteries

How to make these 18th birthday decorations

  1. Take a lantern of your choice and attach the largest disco balls around the bottom edge of the glass with hot glue.

  2. Place the smaller balls in the centre of two larger balls and glue them on as well. This will create a cool and glamorous 3D effect.

  3. Now all you have to do is place a string of fairy lights with batteries inside the glass, and in no time at all, you have created your own sparkling disco lantern!

Tip: As an alternative to disco balls, you can also use other decorations, such as beads or flowers. There are no limits to your creativity.

Unique 18th birthday table decorations: DIY party garland

Another great decoration idea for an 18th birthday party is a DIY party garland. Instead of using normal bunting, you can use photos of the birthday person to make it extra special. The garland will add a personal touch to any party location and take you on a trip back in time. We explain step by step how to make the DIY party garland:

Materials:

  • Several black and white childhood photos of the celebrant

  • Paper with patterns and glitter, cardstock

  • Colourful washi tape

  • String for the garland

  • A glue stick and adhesive tape

  • A ruler, a pair of scissors, a pencil

How to make a party garland for an 18th birthday

  1. Choose a few beautiful black and white headshots of the celebrant (preferably from different phases of life) and carefully cut out the heads.

  2. Measure the diameter of the heads, draw matching triangles on coloured construction paper and cut them out. These will be the party hats.

  3. Glue the party hats onto the cut-out heads. Now you can get creative and decorate each hat to your heart's content, for example with glitter paper, stickers or small drawings.

  4. In the final step, place a string on the table in front of you and attach the bunting using washi tape. Your homemade 18th birthday photo garland with creative bunting is ready to be hung.

Time-saving tip: if you don’t have much time to design bunting, you can also attach the photos directly to the string with washi tape or small clothes pegs without cutting them out first.

18th birthday décor ideas: design your own glitter glasses

If you are looking for a stylish decoration idea for your 18th birthday that is also a cool party activity, DIY glitter glasses are just the thing. Most party guests love creative activities like this and are sure to have a lot of fun designing their own glittering glasses.

Materials for the glitter glasses

  • Sunglasses (in various shapes and sizes)

  • Self-adhesive rhinestones

  • Glass markers (acrylic pens)

This design activity will be particularly fun if you set up a separate table or corner for the crafting and decorate it with the glasses and crafting utensils. It's best to create a few pairs of glitter glasses in advance to give the guests a little inspiration. You can also use a photo box or instant camera to motivate guests to take photos of their own glitter glasses.

Tip: You can find more great ideas for fun activities for your 18th birthday in our article ‘18th birthday: ideas and tips for planning your 18th birthday’.

More 18th birthday décor ideas

Still haven't found the right 18th birthday decorations for your party? Here are even more ideas for beautiful and stylish decorations:

  • A balloon arch for the entrance area

  • A beautiful welcome sign on an easel which can also be used as a guest book

  • Large foil balloons to make the number 18 or LED numbers that light-up. These are perfect for photos and as an eye-catcher to decorate the room.

  • A stylish photo backdrop made of balloons or a tinsel curtain to capture beautiful moments at the party

  • Place cards or table signs with little sayings or childhood pictures

  • A beautifully arranged candy bar designed to suit the theme of your 18th birthday party

Conclusion: 18th birthday décor ideas

Stylish party decorations are a must to ensure that your 18th birthday party is a hit. You can easily make great decorations for your 18th birthday at home to give the party location a personal touch. Whether you choose sparkling lanterns, cool party glasses or a DIY photo garland, there is sure to be something for everyone. Furthermore, you can easily adapt homemade decorations to suit your party theme. So let your creativity run wild and start making your decorations right away!

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