Is there a tropical themed party coming up or is your child going to a carnival? A bodice made of coconut halves, a spectacular “savage” skirt made of yarn or ribbons, large rings in the ears – it’s all clear. But not a single “sunny” image will sparkle if there is not a sea of flowers in it. And preferably, it should be a flower garland around the neck - the famous Hawaiian lei.
To make such an accessory, it is not at all necessary to destroy living plants - you will need a lot of flowers, and they will retain their attractive appearance for just a couple of hours. In blooming and fragrant Hawaii, of course, there is no such problem, but for us, inhabitants of harsher latitudes, the option of fresh flowers is not very convenient.
Therefore, we will try to make Hawaiian beads with our own hands, and so that they look like real ones, but not a single living flower is harmed.
Corrugated paper lei
The easiest way to make a Hawaiian decoration is to use paper and ribbon.
To make Hawaiian beads you will need:
- corrugated paper of different colors;
- scissors;
- thin satin ribbon.
How to do:
1. On a regular A4 sheet, draw sketches of flowers, which you will then transfer to corrugated paper. These should be regular five-petal contours (others can be used if desired).
2. Place the cut out flower on the colored paper, trace it and start cutting out. To simplify the work, fold corrugated paper in 3-4 layers. This way the process will go much faster.
3. In the middle of each flower you need to cut a small hole for the ribbon. Then string all the pieces onto it one by one and tie the ends. Fluff the ends of the flowers to make the leis more voluminous. Fun Hawaiian paper beads are ready!
Games
The most popular Hawaiian game is Limbo. For it you will need a pole or rope decorated with ribbons and flowers. Children walk under this rope to the music. When all children pass once, the bar is lowered. The main condition is that you must pass under the rope, bending only backwards and not forwards. The most flexible participant wins!
“Pineapple Ball” Everyone knows the game where a ball is passed around in a circle accompanied by music. When the music stops, the one who has the ball in his hands dances, or recites a poem, or sings a song, etc. In our game we will replace the ball with a small pineapple, because this is Hawaii. And for older children, we will complicate the task and throw not one pineapple in a circle, but two in different directions. When the music ends, those who still have pineapples in their hands will have to dance together.
Hawaiian dances “Aloha, Hula”
You can learn the elements of hula dance, but this is not important for the holiday. In Hawaiian hello is “Aloha”. Music plays and the first participant says to someone in the circle: “Aloha, Sveta!” and shows a dance move. Everyone on the left hand of the presenter, in turn, begins to say “Aloha, Sveta!” and repeat the movement until this movement reaches Sveta. Then Sveta says: “Aloha, Misha!” and shows another movement. Everyone also repeats the new movement until it reaches Misha. Everyone has to greet someone. And if you like it more than once.
You can also prepare hoops for games. Wrap them in bright shiny paper and come up with various team tasks. For example, go through obstacles by spinning a hoop around your waist or on both wrists at the same time. You can place the hoops on the floor and jump into the middle, or you can place the hoops so that players climb over them. Also invite everyone to stand in a circle and hold hands. Then pass the hoop through the first participant, and then the hoop should go all the way to the end. You can throw not one hoop, but two or more, as many as you have in the house.
The second version of beads made of corrugated paper
You can make another version of lei from the same paper. But in this case we will not cut out flowers using a stencil. How to make Hawaiian beads using method number two:
1. Cut out many multi-colored strips from corrugated paper. Choose the length and width based on the size of flowers you want. For medium-sized flowers, a width of 8 cm and a length of 15 cm are suitable. Please note that the strip will be folded in half.
2. Fold the strip in half, you will get a width of 4 cm. Next, all you need to do is start twisting it into a flower, holding the tip from the bottom.
3. For these Hawaiian beads, a thin but strong thread is more suitable than a ribbon. As you apply each new flower, secure it to it with several knots.
4. Tie the ends of the thread with a knot. You've got some fancy Hawaiian beads!
The choice of lei color is individual, as a rule, it contains the colors in which the party is decorated. Leis can be either two or three colors, or completely multi-colored. Experiment!
The beauty of Hawaii at home
Want to try? So allow yourself this, because a hot Hawaiian party can be organized at almost any occasion: a birthday, a wedding, a meeting of old friends or a youth get-together. Yes, in fact, any entertainment can be carried out in the Hawaiian style, even at home with a narrow circle of friends. Such a colorful and reckless celebration will definitely not be dull and boring; it will lift everyone’s spirits, remaining vivid memories in the memory of your guests for a long time.
To organize an enchanting holiday:
- prepare and send colorfully designed invitations to friends or relatives indicating the theme of the party;
- indicate to the invited guests the dress code for the holiday: brightly colored skirts, colorful blouses, wreaths, headbands in the hair and multi-colored garlands of long beads around the neck;
- decorate the venue with picturesque Hawaiian posters and Hawaiian party photos;
- Make a Hawaiian kitchen corner by decorating it with flowers and lit candles. Place fresh exotic fruits there in baskets or vases. What is a holiday in Hawaii without oranges, bananas and coconuts;
- prepare a treat for guests, imitate Hawaiian dishes: fried fish or meat, baked sweet potatoes, bread and, of course, diversify the menu with fruit and vegetable salads;
- think over entertainment and a dance program, certainly with Hawaiian hula, it will seriously captivate and amuse those present.
A mandatory attribute of a fantastic holiday should be luxurious Hawaiian beads, exotic cocktails, Hawaiian melodies sounding in a light background and, as a result, your guests are guaranteed a great mood!
Fabric leis
Here's another way to make Hawaiian beads, but from fabric. This option is perfect for those women who are interested in sewing. Because it is the needlewomen who, as a rule, have a huge amount of scraps. Follow our instructions to make beautiful beads for your party:
1. Select many colorful scraps of fabric and cut them into elongated rectangles.
2. Take a needle and thread and begin to thread each flap in the center onto the needle, while gathering each piece.
3. String the finished flowers one by one on a thread or thin ribbon.
Tradition of giving wreaths
The Hawaiian lei is a symbol of Hawaiian warmth and generosity. The plumeria flower is the most important and popular flower in Hawaii, from which wreaths are most often made. These flowers are also used to make hairpins and various hair decorations.
In Hawaii, there is a tradition of giving leis to guests. The selection of flowers and the method of weaving the wreath depends on the status of the guest. Taking off a wreath in the presence of the person who gave it to you is considered bad form. There is such a sign: if a leaving guest throws his lei into the ocean and it swims back, then this person will someday return here. Each wreath is special because... they are made by hand, often combining different flowers into a single unique composition.
Traditional lei made from artificial flowers
The easiest way to prepare for a Hawaiian party is to make themed necklaces from artificial flowers. Today, artificial plants are sold not only near cemeteries and markets, but also in all large hypermarkets. Therefore, there should be no problems with the acquisition.
1. Take your artificial flowers. Choose medium-sized ones that are not too hard for easier work. And also multi-layered.
2. Disassemble each flower by taking out the middle.
3. Having done this work with each of the plants, you can begin to string them on a rope or strong thread.
4. After every 10 cm of strung petals, make knots on the thread. This will make your beads stronger.
5. Tie a rope or ribbon in a knot around your neck, after pre-treating the edges from sprinkling with fire.
Cocktails
Fruit cocktails are perfect for a Hawaiian children's party. For example, take 3 ripe bananas, 2 ripe mangoes, a spoonful of honey, and 50 grams of apple juice. Mix everything in a blender and serve in tall glasses.
Or you can make it from strawberries and low-fat milk/yogurt. It will turn out not tasty, but very tasty. Moreover, you can take not only fresh strawberries, but also mix directly frozen ones. If you wish, you can also make a vegetable smoothie with tomatoes, carrots, young beets, avocado, cucumbers, and spinach.
Have fun at your Hawaiian party!
How to make a Hawaiian skirt from trash bags
- You will need a regular large trash bag. It must have a tie. It would be best to buy a package that is yellowish or light green in color, so that the resulting product is difficult to distinguish from the original.
- Calculate the desired length of the skirt and cut off the excess part of the garbage bag. To calculate the length, simply attach the bag to your waist. A real Hawaiian skirt is usually a little below the knee length, so keep that in mind.
- Cut the bag to create many strips, but do not cut the string.
- To make the skirt fuller, make several more products in the same way, and then connect them all together, for example, with a stapler. All that's left is to put on the skirt and check it out at the party.
Materials for production
Hawaiian skirts are easy to make. When creating this wardrobe item, you can use almost any available materials.
Many fashionistas, when preparing for the carnival, use maximum imagination, creating a skirt from the most unusual items. The basis for the skirt was a product made from palm leaves, from which girls in ancient times made clothes. Modern island residents use light, flowing fabrics that actively allow air to pass through and quickly absorb excess moisture.
The most popular are three creation options: from Christmas tree rain, tulle and satin ribbons.
Materials and tools:
- Christmas tree rain;
- tulle;
- atlas;
- rubber;
- needle;
- threads;
- scissors;
- sewing meter;
- artificial flowers.
After preparing the necessary materials, you can begin the process of creating a skirt.
Reference . Many needlewomen also use garbage bags or palm fiber - raffia - as material for the product.
Step-by-step instruction
The process for working with these options is identical.
From Christmas tree rain
First, let's make a skirt from a Christmas tree decoration.
New Year's rain consists of thin bright threads that are attached to a wide strip. Cut off this strip, leaving only shiny threads . Measure your waist and cut off the required amount of elastic. We sew the ends together using thread and needle. This elastic band will act as a fixation of the finished product at the waist.
The Hawaiian national skirt can have different lengths. They can be knee-length or floor-length. Using a sewing meter, measure the required length. It is recommended to trim the rain after assembling the skirt.
Let's start the creation process.
Fold one ribbon and tie it into a tight knot on the wrong side of the elastic. We fasten all the threads in the same way. It is recommended to choose rain in bright colors with a shiny texture: green, blue, yellow, silver.
Tip : to add fluffiness to the skirt, the rain can be secured in several layers.
From fabric
Working with tulle or satin is completely identical. We cut long strips of the material, the width of which is about 10 centimeters . Using an elastic band, measure your waist circumference and cut it off. We sew the ends by hand. We fold the strips in half and tie a strong knot on the wrong side of the elastic.
Advice! For more comfortable work when tying, it is recommended to place an elastic band on the back of the chair.
You can leave one layer of ribbons. Then the skirt will allow you to slightly open your legs during fiery dances. For more volume, add several layers of ribbons, tying them in the same way.
With floral belt
A bright decoration in the national style will be a belt of flowers at the waist. To do this you will need lush bright flowers and glue. The strap can be made as an additional decoration. To do this, buds are glued to an elastic band, the finished wreath is placed on the belt, at the base of the skirt. The buds themselves can also be glued to the skirt itself.
How to make a skirt with your own hands
The first is materials. They can be different:
You will also need scissors, an elastic band and a little time.
We offer two options for making skirts: from garbage bags and from paper.
Hawaiian skirt made from trash bags
The most budget option, which is perfect for one-time use. So take:
The advantages of homemade skirts from bags are the availability of materials (everyone has them at home), the variety of colors and lengths of the products, as well as the cool rustling sound that the skirt makes while moving and dancing!
Hawaiian paper skirt
A little advice: to prevent anything from showing through, you can protect yourself with light shorts.
Women's images
For women, in addition to swimsuits and their favorite summer sundresses, we recommend wearing a Hawaiian costume - hula. This is a short top and a full skirt made of palm fibers. If with the “top” everything is transparent, then with the “bottom” it’s not entirely clear. Where to get palm trees, how to glue them and will it be convenient?
Don't worry, the skirt can be made from different materials at home. We'll tell you how!
