5 Fantastic Super Bowl Party DIYs

Whether you’re a diehard football fan — like me — or an avid party thrower — also me — here are five fun and festive DIY projects to get your house ready for some football. Most of these projects take less than 10 minutes to make (not including drying time), are not terribly expensive, and are sure to boost the fun factor of your Super Bowl party.

1 //  FOOTBALL FIELD TABLE COVER

Supplies:  green needlebond rug or artificial turf • white acrylic paint • white electrical tape • ruler • number stencils • paint brush • scissors • tape measure

I used this green indoor/outdoor rug and cut it to size to cover my table.

I prefer the rug’s texture to artificial turf because it creates a smooth, even surface to build a football tablescape. You can put the leftovers to work as garland or coasters for the party or spruce up your outdoor living space.

Next, I measured the center point of my table and marked it with 3/4″ white electrical tape. This is the 50-yard line. I then marked the remaining yard lines evenly across the table. In my example, each yard line is 7″ apart. I used a ruler and tape measure for a straight line and folded the ends of the tape under the rug edges for a clean finish.

After the yard lines were marked, I painted numbers with white acrylic paint and stencils. I used 2″ Times New Roman stencils. The rug was very forgiving… at one point I marked the 40-yard line as 30, but was able to clean it up with a damp, soapy rag.

And when the party’s over, just roll it up and save the table cover for next season!

2 //  FOOTBALL TABLESCAPE IDEAS

Now that your field is properly prepped for the party, here are some ideas to build a beautifully delicious spread.

Galvanized metal buckets are great alternatives to bowls and dishes for serving and come in a variety of sizes. Line them with parchment or tissue paper in your team’s colors and fill with chips, pretzels and popcorn.

I like to fill a large bucket with ice and use it to serve cold beverages. Have some fun by offering brews from each team’s city: Sam Adams Boston Lager for the New England Patriots and SweetWater 420 Extra Pale Ale and IPA for the Atlanta Falcons.

This smaller bucket houses yellow “penalty flag” napkins along with red “challenge flag” napkins and black-and-white-striped “referee” napkins.

Chalkboard decor: Add a touch of locker room strategy with a chalkboard displaying a football play or attach this free printable to a clipboard and set the tone.

Grazing food:  At my house you’re on your own after opening kick-off, so I prepare a spread that’s self-servicing. My Super Bowl Chili is a great recipe to put out in a slow cooker for folks to enjoy hot. Sliders are also an easy make-ahead favorite. And for dessert, you can’t go wrong with these football ice cream sandwiches.

3 //  TEAM SPIRIT TILES

Supplies:  ceramic tiles • Sharpie markers • pencil • team logos, reflected

For this year’s Super Bowl, I wanted to add some art to my football tablescape and used 6×6″ white ceramic tiles that cost less than $0.50 each as my canvases. Bonus: they can also be used as trivets!

To make these team spirit tiles, I reflected each team’s logo and printed them out. Using a pencil, I then colored along all the lines. I flipped it onto the tile, colored-side down, and copied all the lines through the back — thereby leaving a lead impression. Lastly, I filled in the design with Sharpie markers.

If you make a mistake, just clean it off with rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer. To finish your tiles, give them a spray with sealer.

Art not your thing? Make generic football play tiles instead.

4 //  LOMBARDI TROPHY REPLICA

Supplies:  football • vase • glue • silver spray paint

For a mere $2 and a can of spray paint, you can make your very own Lombardi Trophy to use as a centerpiece or give away as a prize at your Super Bowl party.

To make this replica, I hot-glued a foam football to a glass vase (both Dollar Store finds), and then gave it a coat of primer to make sure it was opaque. I followed that up with a coat of metallic silver, and just for giggles, I gave it a final coat of silver glitter. Because, come on, it’s glitter!

So here’s the real deal…

and here’s the replica:

I admit, it’s not all Tiffany & Co., but it is pretty cute!

5 //  POM POMS ON A STICK

And lastly, what better way to get kids excited about the Big Game than with their own cheering pom poms?!

Supplies:  crepe paper streamers • scissors • packaging tape • binder clip • stapler • popsicle sticks

Inexpensive and so simple to make — two great combinations for DIY projects — these pom poms make fantastic favors for the kids at your party.

• Start with crepe paper streamers in your team’s colors.

• Fold them back and forth about 7-10 times per color and secure at the top with a binder clip.

• Cut each loop open at the bottom or save time by trimming about 1/4″ across the bottom. Then cut up the middle, stopping about an inch from the top.

• Cut each half in half again. Repeat for all colors.

• Remove clip and secure the top with staples.

• Place a popsicle stick in the middle of the secured portion and wrap tightly with packaging tape. I used contoured sticks with adhesive tape already on the end. If you’re using plain popsicle sticks, try adding some glue to make sure the stick stays put when you start shaking.

• Cover the taped area with a piece of card stock for a cleaner look. Feel free to decorate the stick, too!

• Wave and shake to your heart’s content, especially when your team scores a touchdown!

So there you have my handful of Super Bowl party DIYs. I hope you found something useful to help host a FAN-tastic party!

Which DIY will you try next Sunday? Enjoy the game!  — v.