
Ready for a serious hack on hosting? All you need is a few packages of paper plates to turn your home into a colorful party palace. From a gorgeous backdrop to a festive dessert stand, here are 10 ways we repurposed paper plates into party decorations and serveware.
<br/>
– colorful paper plates
– washi tape
– toothpicks
– LED tea lights
– Tools: hot glue gun, sewing machine, scissors, xacto knife, double stick tape, decorative hole punch,
1. Dessert Stand: For cupcakes, oreos, and whatever else strikes your sweet tooth.
For this one, you’ll need three plates. One white one to act as the cone that holds everything together, and two other decorative ones. Roll your white plate into a cone. Trace the bottom on one plate and cut that circle out. Cut a small circle out of the middle of your second plate, and arrange the plates on the cone.
These go pretty perfectly with our
Freestyle a flower shape that you like (or use our template). Make 4 flowers, each one smaller than the next. Cut off a strip of plate to act as the ring. Curl the petals of each flower around a pencil to add more dimension, glue from biggest to smallest, and attach to your napkin ring. Repeat!
3. Charger Plates: Just because you’re using paper plates doesn’t mean you have to toss your table manners to the wind.
Create charger plates by stringing ribbon through the edges of a large paper plate.
4. Party Picks: Make your party toothpicks a little more festive by adding flowers.
Cut out, glue one, add an accent hole punch from one of your colorful plates, and you’re done.
5. Candle Holders: Since we’re using paper, we’ll stick to LED candles at this soiree.
Cut a paper plate in half, cut off the ridged part, and use a decorative hole punch for your design. Tape around an LED tea light and you’re good to go.
6. Serving Bowls: You’ve probably seen this one before as far as paper plate hacks go.
Draw a square in the middle of your plate, cut at each of the four corners. Fold the cut pieces up, paper clip ’em, and use colorful washi tape to seal the deal. Remove paper clips and fill with snacks!
7. Platter of Roses: For a little romance and whimsy, make paper roses and add them to a plate or two as a platter.
To create roses, draw a spiral on your plate, cut out along your line, roll the long strip you’ve just cut, and glue. For a more in-depth tutorial on the art of the paper rose, head here.
8. Photo Props: Gotta coordinate your photo props!
Use our glasses and mustache templates to create a whole bunch of fun props for impromptu photo shoots.
9. Paper Plate Garland: Turn scraps from all your projects into a beautiful garland.
Like our paper garland from last week, this one’s all about using scraps and your sewing machine to create a gorgeous decoration. Cut a bunch of strips out of your plates, sew (leaving about a quarter inch between each strip), and hang!
10. Backdrop: Whether you’re creating a backdrop for your snack table, for photos, or just a piece of colorful wall art, a bunch of plates together can actually add a lot of pop!
We used painter’s tape and striped square plates to create our backdrop. To add a bit more dimension, we used smaller plates of the same pattern but turned in the opposite direction.
And there you have it! An entire party decorated with paper plates.
How else might you hack it up with paper plates when you’re hosting? Talk to us in the comments below.
It can be intimidating to step out on your own and build a business from the ground up. As part of our collaboration with Office Depot, we're talking with Selfmade alum and solopreneur Colette Lawrence, the faith-based motivator and relationship builder behind The M.E.E. Movement, about ways in which women in business can find success.
B + C: How did you know M.E.E. Movement was your business to start?
The M.E.E Movement represents motivation, empowerment, and encouragement for women. It is what represents me. I did not know at first that it was my business to start, but then the thought of monetizing what I loved came to me. It scared me, however. I registered the business in July 2020 and have been slowly building my wings since.
B + C: What's one strategy that's helped you start your business?
Thinking through and researching what the requirements are to start my business, and then asking questions of people who are in the business. Not all advice worked; however, it helped me to figure out what I needed to do and not to do.
B + C: Did you always know life coaching would be your entrepreneurial path?
(Smiles) No, I did not. I 'stumbled" on it. I knew that people were always coming to me for advice and I found that I loved having conversations with them, especially with women, young and old.
B + C: What was your most valuable takeaway from Selfmade?
My most valuable takeaway was the first day of training: Get out of your own way. There were a lot of great moments and important takeaways from every presenter. However, getting out of my own way, pushing past doubts, was for me my most valuable takeaway. Doing something that I had never done before took courage. If I do not focus on what is happening with me mentally then I cannot deliver to my clients successfully.
B + C: What's one piece of advice you would give to female entrepreneurs on the brink of starting?
Get out of your head. You have something to offer. You have what you need to succeed so go ahead and do it.
B + C: How do you stay motivated?
I stay motivated by listening to music and listening to motivational speakers, and sometimes someone will just reach out and talk about the impact that I made in their life. That adds the extra juice or sauce I need to pummel through the day.
B + C: What's your best organizational tip?
Keep a diary and journal. It's the best way for me to keep organized and it also provides a source motivation as I record not only my "losses" but my wins as well.
B + C: Who inspires you in the entrepreneurial space?
Shirley Toliver – She motivates and empowers and makes me always want to show up.
B + C: What has receiving the Office Depot scholarship to Selfmade done to help you start or grow your business?
The scholarship was a blessing in that all the areas that were covered offered valuable information that I needed, from social media to HR. As a new business owner, I needed to know this to increase my own personal awareness in what it takes to run a successful business. The candidness of the presenters made it easy to see myself in their shoes and helped me to realize that I can also get there.
Thanks Colette! You can follow The M.E.E. Movement on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Want to feel motivated to take the next step for your business? Let Office Depot OfficeMax give you the confidence you need with a suite of business services & solutions to help you put your best foot forward. Make a good first impression with business cards & build the business pitch of your dreams with custom presentations. With Office Depot OfficeMax you'll find the tools to reach new customers with confidence.
Head to Office Depot's Selfmade page to check out even more amazing business resources (and discounts!) to help you accomplish more on your entrepreneurial journey. These offers are available for a limited time only, so be sure to take advantage of all this goodness while supplies last. Want to join the next Selfmade cohort this summer? Check out all of the scholarship details right here.