May the 4th: Star Wars Day decorating ideas

Star Wars parties are a perfect opportunity to put on your inner Martha Stewart and go all out.

For those not on the crafty side of the force, there is a rather impressive line of Star Wars party supplies available in many stores. You can get matching plates and party favors and even picture backdrops. Throw in some coordinated streamers and you will look pretty impressive.

But if you do enjoy an afternoon of crafting, there are tons of decorating ideas out there; especially if you explore the wonders of Pinterest.

Basically, Star Wars themes are pretty easy to pull off with lots of stars, metallics, Star Wars blue and the Star Wars font. Most fabric stores have some sort of starfield fabric that can be used as a backdrop. (There’s also a large line of Star Wars fabrics from Camelot Fabrics/Eugene Textiles that could work, but they tend to be a bit more expensive per yard.) And you can find metallic doo-dads at many crafting stores to punch up your table.

Some ideas I found just surfing through Pinterest:

• Amanda’s Parties to Go came up with a cute Star Wars theme for her son’s birthday using images and lots of glitter.
• Wants and Wishes created banners and lots of cute signs for food labeling to create the atmosphere. (You’ll see that cute names are what makes your Star Wars-themed food. But we’ll get into that in another post.) They even created a cheap Death Star using a silver balloon and a marker.
• On Pinterest, Nicole Nelson Ritts used felt and markers for her party decorations.

And while you’re crafting, be sure to make some lightsabers out of pool noodles. I’ve made these, before, and they take no time at all.

Don’t want to go the expected all-Star Wars route? Decorate around your favorite character and use their usual costume colors as a theme. Make your party area look like the inside of your favorite ship or the Jedi Temple. Decorate like you’re in the Mos Eisley Cantina. Or do a mash-up of some sort. (I hear Disney is becoming increasingly intertwined with Star Wars, these days.)

Whatever you do, the point is to have fun with it and enjoy the day!