Category Archives: Football Party Decor

Wooden Goalposts

How to make wooden goalposts for your mantel:

What you will need: Mini flower pots, floral foam, eight wooden rods / thin craft sticks, yellow duct tape, yellow and brown acrylic paint, paint brushes, roll of astroturf (optional)

Wooden goalposts make the perfect Super Bowl decor for your mantel or snack table. Cover the mantel with astroturf to complete the football field look, and use any leftovers – astroturf comes in giant rolls – to make table runners, a mat for your cooler, or even  koozies (thanks, Ross!) To make the goalposts, I first taped four cylindrical rods together with yellow duct tape. In hindsight, it would have been easier to work with flat surfaces that could be glued together, such as thin craft sticks, but you live and you learn!

Once the goalposts were secure, I painted them with yellow acrylic paint, letting them sit for a half hour or so between coats and using two coats on each side. While the goalposts dried, I got to work on the bases. 

I painted the mini flower pots brown with acrylic paint, and cut pieces out of the floral foam that fit snugly in each pot. Floral foam is fairly malleable, so make the pieces slightly bigger than needed and press them into the pots to make your goalposts more secure.   

Once the pots were ready and goalposts were dry, I pushed the goalposts into the center of the floral foam, adjusting them until they stood up straight. The more compact your goalposts, the easier it is to manage and adjust them in the pots (another note for next time).

To complete the look, I painted the top of the foam brown, placed the goalposts on my mini football field mantel, and got ready for kickoff!

Giant Chalkboard

How to make a giant chalkboard for football squares:

What you will need: 4′ x 4′ piece of plywood, primer, chalkboard paint, foam paint roller, chalkboard paint pen, chalk

I have always wanted to make a chalkboard, and I figured that making a life-sized football square grid was the perfect opportunity! Luckily my dad talked me off the ledge of actually making a 6′ x 6′ board… To start, I used the primer recommended on my can of chalkboard paint to cover the entire front side of the board with a foam paint roller. One coat may have been enough, but I used two to smooth out the surface. I also didn’t sand the board before painting, which I may do if I decide to make another one, but it was still really easy to write on.

After letting the primer dry overnight (a little excessive – a few hours probably would have done the trick), I painted the board with a coat of chalkboard paint, let it dry for a few hours, and added two more coats for full coverage. I let the board dry overnight so that the paint set fully, and then went to work on the grid!

To make the football square grid, I measured increments of 4″ to make a 10 x 10 grid measuring 40″ x 40″, aligned 1″ from the edge in the bottom right-hand corner. I used a chalkboard paint pen to outline the grid and  write the names of each team, and I also wrote the logistics of the game in the top left-hand corner to quell any uncertainty. Don’t forget to leave space for the randomly drawn numbers under the team names – 3″ is plenty! Once all of the boxes were filled (using standard Crayola chalk), we picked numbers out of a hat to complete the grid and crossed our fingers for a big win.

Spice Up Your Super Bowl!

Super Bowl Sunday is one of my favorite days of the year. It’s a day where we can push our Sunday Scaries aside to enjoy great company, eat copious amounts of snacks, and maybe even watch some football, or at least make bets on impending halftime show mishaps. When my roommate and I decided to host a Super Bowl party last year, I also realized that this glorious day would be a GREAT opportunity to craft. The first things I needed to know were, “Where do I buy astroturf?” and “How do I make a giant chalkboard?” Priorities. If you too find yourselves with these questions as we approach the big day, look no further than to this post (and Home Depot) for all of the answers. You’re welcome 🙂 Read on to learn how to make everything you need to host a successful(ly decorated) Super Bowl party!

GIANT CHALKBOARD

What better way to get everyone in the Super Bowl spirit than with a giant football square grid? I had to leave my comfort zone of Jo-Ann’s to acquire the materials at Home Depot, but it was well worth it. I guarantee your guests will be on board – everyone knows that diversification across grids is the key to success!

PAINTED FOOTBALL VASES

You could use the embossed lines on mason jars to measure ingredients, but they also make great guides for painting football laces. Use acrylic paint to make festive vases for your flower arrangements – hydrangeas are perfect for wide mouth mason jars. If you’re feeling really artsy, paint wooden oval cutouts as footballs for extra decoration!

GOALPOST MANTEL


Mantels are the focal point of any party… okay, maybe TVs are the focal point of Super Bowl parties. Regardless, they deserve to be decorated! Mini goalposts make great decorations that won’t block your TV, and they can be used for a game of paper football at halftime too!

It’s Game Time!

My favorite season of the year has arrived!… especially since summers no longer correlate to vacation. With the advent of fall comes brisk weather and colorful trees (for most states, anyway), the comeback of pumpkin spice lattes and all things pumpkin, and of course, the sound of football announcers and whistles emanating from televisions across the nation. Whether you are a football fanatic who spends fall weekends optimizing the number of games watched OR a friend of these individuals who enjoys getting together for  barbecues and brews, football season offers something for everyone. I personally fall into the latter of these categories. After all, who doesn’t love an excuse for a party?

For those of you who know me well, or have read any of my blog posts, you know that with any party or event comes an opportunity for crafting… even a football party. Check out the crafts below to add some extra team spirit to your next game day get together!

BADGER BLANKET

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A spirited throw blanket can be the perfect addition to your living area accent decor either during game day or year-round (and a great extra layer as the weather starts to turn!). You will need two separate pieces of fabric to make this no-sew throw, so you can even make it a dual-team blanket if you just can’t decide on one team to root for, or have both NFL and college team allegiances. It can also make a great host gift for any of your football fanatic friends or Christmas present if you are looking to get an early start on holiday gifts. If you really want to get into the game day spirit, use this technique to make accent pillows as well!

HANDSOME DAN PUMPKIN

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Pumpkin carving has been one of my favorite fall activities since I can remember. Right before Halloween, I would sit in the garage for hours on end with my Crammily, striving to master the most complicated design in my pumpkin carving kit. Last year, I carved pumpkins just before heading back to New Haven for a volleyball game, and it inspired me to make a Yale Bulldog pumpkin. I carefully drew the logo on a piece of paper, taped it to the flattest side of the pumpkin, poked holes to create an outline, and used the tools found in any pumpkin carving kit to carve out my design.

Before you get too excited and start carving, I highly recommend drawing out your respective school or NFL team logo. You will need to strategize and make sure there are enough connecting points to keep the pumpkin in tact. This pumpkin wouldn’t have looked quite the same if I had carved out the entire bulldog! Don’t fret if you get a little too ambitious and cut out a full piece of your design; a toothpick can be a pumpkin carver’s most helpful tool in holding any rogue pieces in place. Add some fall flair to your next game day party by carving a festive pumpkin for your entry way!