Score! How to Throw a DIY Soccer-Watching Party on a Budget
There’s soccer madness. And then there’s soccer madness — the kind that takes over every four years for four weeks straight, giving you all the soccer thrills you can handle (and some you can’t).
Throwing a game-watching party — or two or three — during this time is essential, even for the most casual of fans. Lucky for you, we can help with the party planning. From soccer ball snack skewers to easy soccer ball cookies, here are a few of our favorite ideas to help you score the honor of best DIY party host.
Soccer Ball Snack Skewers  To make these fun soccer ball ribbon skewers, you’ll need some soccer ball ribbon (available at most fabric and craft stores), scissors, skewers, and a little hot glue.  First, cut the ribbon in 2-inch pieces.  Now add a strip of hot glue along one side of the ribbon and place the skewer in the center of the ribbon.  Fold the ribbon over and press gently to secure. Let dry, then gather and place with your snacks. |
Custom Uniform Straws  To make your jersey straws, you’ll need a printout of your preferred player uniforms, scissors, paper straws, and a glue stick.  Print out the uniforms roughly 1 to 2 inches in height, and cut them out with scissors.  Using a glue stick, affix each jersey to a straw.  Once you're done, gather all your straws and place them next to your beverages. |
Paper Plate Soccer Ball Garland  This fun soccer ball garland is another easy way to win at party decor. To make the garland, you’ll need paper plates, black paper, a hexagon stencil, a pencil, a glue stick, a black Sharpie, scissors, string, and tape.  First, use your hexagon-shaped stencil (or a printout of a hexagon to use as a template) and a pencil to trace and cut hexagons from black paper. For each plate, you’ll need 7 hexagonal cutouts.  Next, glue one of the hexagons to the center of your plate. Using a Sharpie, trace adjacent hexagons around the first glued hexagon. Continue tracing the shapes until you’ve reached the edge of the plate.  Glue the 6 remaining hexagons into every other space around that outer ring of hexagons to create the appearance of a soccer ball.  Once you’ve made enough plates for your desired garland length, space out the plates face-side down, and cut a piece of string a few feet longer than your plates. Use tape to secure the string to the back of the plates, and hang your garland. |
Frosted Soccer Ball Cookies  With lemon extract, black food coloring, and a food-safe brush, you can turn any round frosted store-bought cookie into a delicious soccer ball.  To make them, simply mix a drop of black food coloring with 1 tablespoon of lemon extract. Use a food-safe brush to paint on the hexagonal soccer ball shapes. Let the painted cookies dry for an hour at room temperature before serving. |