Make Life Lovely

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DIY Party Serving Dishes

By 12 Comments

Ever throw a party, only to realize you don’t have enough serving dishes, and don’t want to spend mega bucks buying all new dishes just for one party?

Last year I planned an awesome surprise ice cream sundae birthday party for my husband, using the colors turquoise and red.  I wanted to have tons of cute serving bowls for the ice cream sundae bar, with a different topping inside each bowl.  I wanted the bowls to be turquoise with a little height, and look kind of old fashioned.

However, I didn’t have 18 dishes (for the 18 ice cream toppings) even close to looking like this, so I had to get creative!

I bought some of those cheap plastic bowls at the Dollar Tree that come in a pack of four (so 25 cents each), along with some cheap plastic champagne and margarita cups that came in a pack of six (so about 17 cents each).

Armed with my cheapo plastic ware and some spray paint and adhesive that I already had, I made some pretty cute turquoise party bowls, perfect for serving ice cream toppings at the party!

The most satisfying part is that during the party everyone was complementing me on the cute dishes, asking me where I found them 😉  They couldn’t believe they were made out of dollar store plastic goods, and that I had made them myself…

Supplies:
  • Plastic bowls (Dollar Tree)
  • Plastic champagne and/or margarita cups (Dollar Tree)
  • Spray paint (any color)
  • E6000 adhesive (or other comparable strong glue)
Directions:
1.  The cups will come in two separate pieces- the top and the base.  Push the tops into the bases.  Turn a plastic bowl upside down, and place a plastic cup down on top of the bowl, upside down.  Apply some glue to the rim of the cup, and place firmly on the bowl.  Let dry according to the directions on the glue.
2.  Once the glue has dried, spray paint the piece upside down in multiple, light coats. Do not spray on thick coats, or the paint will drip and it won’t look good.  Multiple light coats are much better!  Because you are spraying the bowls upside down, there will not be any spray paint inside of your dishes, and your dishes will be food safe.
Once the paint is completely dry, flip the serving dish right side up, and marvel at how pretty and easy your new serving bowls are!
I love that these can be customized to any colors so they match your party, and that they cost practically nothing to make!  I spent around $8 to make 18 of these pretty dishes! They end up costing about 42 cents each (before the paint and glue, which I already had), which is a total steal.
And just for fun, here are a couple of pictures from the party last year.  FYI., the photos are horrible!  It was dark, this was before my blog was born, and I was running around like a mad woman trying to run the party, so the photos are not the greatest- but, I wanted you to see my little serving bowls in action, filled with delectable ice cream toppings.
So what do you think?!  Do you like these dishes?  Would you ever try making these? What colors would you like to try?

Another inexpensive way to serve dessert is by baking cake inside of baby food jars for individual party servings.

One of my favorite ways to decorate inexpensively for a party is with Duck Tape!  Check out the zebra print Minnie Mouse birthday party I planned for my daughter, and how I incorporated zebra Duck Tape into the theme of the party!

You could also make this easy DIY cake pop and sucker stand for your next party!

xo, Laura

About Laura

Hi! I'm Laura, owner and creator of Make Life Lovely, a creative blog filled with creative craft tutorials, DIY projects, party tips, holiday ideas, home decor, and so much more! Make Life Lovely is dedicated to making everyday life more lovely, and I hope to inspire you and show you how.

Comments

  2. Essentials Chic says

    What a great idea especially with summer parties coming up! I am pinning so I don’t forget 🙂

    Ashley – essentialschic.com

    Reply

  4. carolh says

    I think they look fantastic and I will definately be trying this myself. Good for you for thinking of this yourself. What is the saying…..necessity is the mother of ivention.

    Reply

  6. Sara says

    This is a great idea, however I don’t think its a good idea to eat or drink out of something that has been spray painted. Especially ice cream or beverage drinks.

    Reply

    • Laura says

      Thanks Sara. I totally agree with you if the food were touching the paint. However, the outside of the dish is what is painted. There is no paint that is on the inside of the bowl, or that will touch the food inside the dish. Hope that makes you feel better!

      Reply

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