If you know how to decorate for a St. Patrick's Day party, then the actual decorating can be almost as much fun as the party itself. Shamrocks, Leprechauns, and Pots-O'-Gold are the typical St. Patrick's Day decorations, but it is how you use them that will set the tone for your party. But if you are not sure just how you want your decorations to look, then these tips and ideas will get you started. With all the St. Patrick's Day decorations and party supplies available online, your decorating choices are almost unlimited. And with just a little creativity, you can create a St. Patrick's Day party that everyone will enjoy.

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Your St. Patrick's Day party decorations should start at your front door or the entrance to your party room. Everybody is a little Irish on St. Patrick's Day, and this is where you can start to 'show your Irish'. Nothing says 'party' like balloons, so that is the place to start:

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Balloons

- Using the traditional St. Patrick's Day colors of green and white, (gold too), put a bouquet of 3 - 5 balloons at your party entrance. Or tie them to a porch railing or walkway lamp post.

- Balloons can also be used as attention-getters, so you can use them on your snack or beverage tables to draw your guest's attention to them.

- If you have a sit-down party table you can use a grouping of balloons as your table centerpiece.

- Room corners, and bare spots that don't really fit for other decorating pieces can be filled with balloons too! For corners, just make a balloon bouquet anchored to a floor weight, with ribbons that let the balloons float at eye-level. Use the same technique for other bare spots in the room, just adjust the balloon height to match the space you want to fill.

*Note: Small party-size helium tanks are available at most party supply stores, and stores with party supply departments.

Next you should consider where you might use St. Patrick's Day banners, flags, and streamers. Just like balloons, using a sign or banner at the entrance is a good way to announce the party.

Banners, Flags, and Streamers

- There are a lot of St, Patrick's Day flags you can use outside your home to announce "your party spot", they can also be used as wall-hanging decor' at the party room entrance, or on the walls of the party room.

- Banners can be used to 'anchor' a St. Patrick's Day decorations grouping on a wall. Use them over or under a grouping of decorations cut-outs of shamrocks or other St. Patrick's Day theme items.

- Streamers can be used as 'swags' on a wall or across the header of an entrance, around the edges of a snack or beverage table, or even from corner to corner of a wall in the room.

- Garland-type streamers can even be used on your table tops. Weave them around large items on the table, or down the center-line of a sit-down table.

Shamrock, Leprechaun, and Pot-O'-Gold flat cut-outs are a standard part of almost all St. Patrick's Day decorations and party supplies packages. You can use these to accent a party theme, or to create groupings of decoration pieces.

St. Patrick's Day Cut-outs

- Shamrock cut-outs can be used on your walls, individually, or as part of a group of cut-outs to create a collage' of different St. Patrick's Day theme items.

- Large flat cut-outs can be used like placemats under service pieces on the party side-tables, or main table centerpiece.

- Smaller cut-outs can be put on larger service pieces, (like ice bowls and beverage coolers), to add a touch of St. Patrick's Day color.

Decorating Tips:

- Try to use your St. Patrick's Day decorations and party supplies to maintain a design theme, not just a conglomeration of St. Patrick's Day symbols plastered everywhere.

- Don't let your tables become flat and one-dimensional. Use elevations and vertical decoration items to give your tables some depth. For instance: a small shamrock or pot-o'-gold cut-out can be attached to a tissue box or basket to give a vertical look instead of just lying flat on the table.

- Expanding accordion-type decoration items can be set on up-side down baskets to give them some elevation.

These are just some basic ideas to get you started. When you check out some of the St. Patrick's Day decorations and party supplies available online, with these ideas in mind, you will discover many more items to use to decorate for your St. Patrick's Day party.

How to Decorate For Your St Patrick's Day Party

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