Creating a Tropical, Hawaiian, or Luau-themed Table

The photos accompanying this article show the tropical table I recently set for my daughter's luau-themed 12th birthday party. I began with a light blue table cloth to represent island waters. I added woven plastic place mats in shades of blue, turquoise and green. The placemats were purchased several years ago from Wal-Mart on clearance at $.50 each. The dishes I used for the place settings were my Fiesta dishes (by Homer Laughlin) in light blue, turquoise, light green and peacock. Fiestaware is available at Herberger's and Macy's Department Stores.

If you don't have suitable stoneware, it is very easy to find plastic or paper plates in blues or greens, and you will also find plates with tropical prints on them. There are many paper napkins available which would fit nicely with this theme if you don't have suitable cloth napkins in the appropriate colors.

I find themed party supplies which are sensibly priced at www.orientaltrading.com. Another party supplier is www.shindigz.com. Your local dollar store is also a good source for these items.

The glasses I used on the table are green plastic and look like bamboo. I ordered the drinking glasses from Oriental Trading several years ago. I placed an umbrella straw into each glass. I found the straws at Wal-Mart.

I bought the coconut glasses, also available at Wal-Mart, to give to the party guests as table favors.

The table featured a long centerpiece consisting of three mirror tiles. The mirror tiles served to anchor the centerpiece and reflected the objects put on them, doubling each item's impact. On the tiles I placed glass replicas of various types of seashells. Real seashells would suit the purpose just as well. If you don't have seashells you've collected from your travels, you will find seashells at craft and discount stores.

I also placed two realistic-looking plastic starfish on the tiles and two glass seashell votive holders. I sprinkled sand from our backyard sandbox on the mirror tiles, as well.

On the center mirror tile were three glass cylinders. I put water into the cylinders, filling each to a different level, and added a couple of drops of blue food coloring to the water in each vase. On top of the water I placed a colorful flip-flop floating candle. (A fish bowl with goldfish would also make an interesting centerpiece for your tropical-themed table.)

I often decorate the chair backs when I create a theme table. For this luau table, I simply took our beach towels from the closet, folded and laid them over the chair backs. I added a bright colored lei to each chair back as well as a pair of plastic sunglasses. Both the leis and sunglasses were purchased from Oriental Trading eight years ago when I hosted a Hawaiian-themed 70th birthday party for my mother-in-law.

A luau banner hung near the table completed the tropical décor for my daughter's celebration. She and her preteen friends went "coconutty" at the luau birthday party.

Sources: www.orientaltrading.com
fwww.shindigz.com