It feels like no party is complete without some sort of garland. Since we’re celebrating all things Bali at this party we wanted something reminiscent of lush, green, tropical foliage. We made a vine-like garland, from fabric strips of various lengths cut from outgrown knit shirts, tied together end-to-end.
We sent our guests home with this adorable Bali-inspired flower hair clip. We made the pom flower using the same method as we did for the leis.
We knotted a green strip of knit fabric around the hinge of an alligator hair clip. Add an additional small strip of fabric between the top and bottom clamps. Run a generous bead of glue across the top of the clip to secure the pom flower. Let dry.
Before distributing, be sure to attach the flower hair clips to our Hair Clip Party Favor Cards Freebie which features the Balinese phrase Terima Kasih, which means Thank You.
Z Gallerie Items Shown: Pradesh day bed | Geo bedding and throw pillows in green | Fahri throw pillows in clove and aubergine | Sula yellow throw pillow | Casablanca lanterns | Kiev lanterns | Largo round orange tray | Concentric coffee table
We wanted a fun and unique hanging decoration for our Bali birthday party, and these Chopstick Twists fit the bill quite nicely. Speaking of bills can you believe we made these for less than $5 a piece?!
We used the inexpensive takeout chopsticks found at a local Asian market to make these fabulous and inexpensive Chopstick Twist hanging bali party decorations. A pack of 75 chopstick sets cost just a few dollars. We wanted our twists to be different lengths, but we bought enough to use 60 sticks (or 30 sets of chopsticks) in each twist and then varied it from there. Our chopsticks came bound together so after breaking each set apart we used a 1/16th bit to drill a hole in the center of each chopstick.
We followed the instructions on this fiber-reactive dye for tub dyeing (you can also use this same dye to tie dye!) We used a mixture of the Bright Green and Avocado colors. Be sure to wear gloves when dyeing since this is powerful stuff. You’ll want a fairly large tub to contain any splashing, and you’ll need enough dye to fully submerge your sticks. The dyeing process took about an hour and a half, but the hands on time was only about 20 minutes. We promise it’s not as scary as it sounds, and the result is SO worth the effort!
The sticks need to soak in the dye bath for about an hour. Then remove them and let dry in a safe place — we placed our wet sticks in a throwaway foil pan lined with paper towels. Remember the dye is active and will stain anything porous so take care when moving the wet sticks. Allow the sticks to dry for 6-8 hours then rinse in warm water to remove the excess dye. Let dry completely before stringing onto wire.
Begin assembling your twists by threading wire through the hole in a stick then loop it around and back through the hole. Twist the end back onto the wire to hold this stick securely as shown in the photo above right. This creates the bottom stick in your twist. Now string onto the wire as many chopsticks as desired, just like you would to make a necklace. Once your twist is the desired length cut your wire and create a hanging loop as shown above left.
I certainly hope the photos are doing these Chopstick Twists justice — they really are so fabulous in person but were a bit tricky to photograph. I think it’s a total bonus too that they fold flat so you can easily store them away to use later.
Z Gallerie Items Shown: Pradesh day bed | Geo bedding and throw pillows in green | Fahri throw pillows in clove and aubergine | Sula yellow throw pillow
We used more fabric from our recycled t-shirts to create two wearable crafts for our Bali Party.
The girls loved creating their own Bali sandals. Simply cut a long strip of stretchy knit fabric, tuck it under a toe then twist above the foot 3-4 times. Wrap behind the ankle, bring to front and secure with a knot. How fun would these be for the girls to put on after painting each other’s toes?
We also strung wooden beads onto strands of purple knit to create bracelets.
Z Gallerie Items Shown: Pradesh day bed | Geo bedding and throw pillows in green | Fahri throw pillows in clove and aubergine | Sula yellow throw pillow | Casablanca lanterns | Kiev lanterns | Largo round orange tray | Chiang Mai foot stool, large
Known for their numerous varieties of tropical fruits bursting with flavor, a Bali Party is begging to expand your little guests’ taste horizons. Serve tropical favorites like baby bananas, kiwi and pineapple alongside more unusual offerings like lychee, quince, mangosteen, rambutan and star fruit at an exotic fruit tasting.
Gather a collection of tropical fruits and slice into bite-size pieces. Serve fruit samples to guests in coordinating Purple Grape Polka Dot Nut Cups. Make your taste-testing activity official with our printable Fruit Tasting Cards Freebie.
Serve guests at a low table like this rattan coffee table from Z Gallerie. The girls knelt on colorful pillows, remincent of traditional Balinese customs. For a centerpiece we displayed extra uncut fruit atop a fun white ceramic Elephant.
In addition to the fruit, serve our Sand Bars — a deliciously gooey cake-like goody topped with toasted coconut.
To make our yummy Sand Bars treat: Mix yellow cake mix, 1 egg, and melted butter to form a dough, and press into a 9×13 pan. In a separate bowl combine cream cheese, 2 eggs, vanilla and powdered sugar. Mix in half a cup of coconut and half a cup of chopped pecans or walnuts. Pour over dough in pan. Sprinkle remaining half cup of coconut over the top. Bake uncovered for 40-50 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cool before cutting into rectangles.
This week’s party destination: Bali! It’s rapidly becoming one of the most popular vacation spots and we couldn’t help but be influenced by the vibrant colors, prints and textures of this tropical island for our Bali inspired party.
To truly transport our guests to Bali, we welcomed the girls with handcrafted leis made of pom flowers strung onto yarn. To make the pom flowers, cut the bodice of old knit shirts and tanks into thin strips; wrap 2 strips around your fingers to form a ring of fabric; use a small strip to tie around the ring, as shown; snip the looped ends then fluff. Thread a wide needle with yarn and string through the middle of the pom flowers.
Our gorgeous Bali party photos were shot on location! Okay so it wasn’t Bali (we WISH!), but we were totally in awe of the excellent collection of Bali-inspired pieces at our local Z Gallerie store. I seriously walked into the store on a totally unrelated shopping trip and stopped dead when I saw this carved day bed. I knew I’d found the perfect spot for our Bali photo shoot — we want to give a huge thank you to the Z Gallerie in Scottsdale, AZ for being such gracious hosts!
Z Gallerie Items Shown:Pradesh day bed | Geo bedding and throw pillows in green | Fahri throw pillows in clove and aubergine | Sula yellow throw pillow | Casablanca lanterns | Kiev lanterns
