DIY Basketball Entertaining Ideas

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Last fall I taught you how to create a fantastic and festive DIY football party. Given that spring and March are all about the craze of basketball championships, I’m back with a few DIY Basketball Entertaining Ideas!

DIY Basketball Entertaining Ideas | Inspired by Charm
DIY Basketball Entertaining Ideas | Inspired by Charm

I’m so excited to be partnering with DIGIORNO pizza again to share these colorful and creative ideas for any basketball parties you may be hosting this year. I love serving DIGIORNO pizza when entertaining not only because it’s delicious, but also because it saves time in the kitchen. DIGIORNO pizza lets you get the most out of every moment with your family and friends. After about 20 minutes in your oven, your pizza is piping hot and crispy and ready to serve. What’s not to love?

DIY Basketball Entertaining Ideas | Inspired by Charm

In addition to having delicious pizza at my celebration, I decided to get a bit crafty with a few fun decorations.

“What are we making today?” you ask. To serve your pizza, we’re crafting some painted plates inspired by the black and white stripes of a referee’s shirt. Then, because dessert is essential to cap off any get-together, we’re going to make cupcake stands.

DIY Basketball Entertaining Ideas - basketball party decor | Inspired by Charm

And finally, a festive garland (with a free printable from yours truly) is a must to display during the tournament.

DIY Printable Basketball Banner - DIY Basketball Entertaining Ideas - basketball party decor | Inspired by Charm

Let’s get right into these fun projects! You know I have a thing for painted plates here on IBC, so this idea was one I was excited to create.

DIY Painted Plates - DIY Basketball Entertaining Ideas | Inspired by Charm

The bold black and white stripes add a fun graphic element to the table and are definitely a good call when hosting a basketball-loving crowd.

DIY Painted Plates - DIY Basketball Entertaining Ideas | Inspired by Charm

Plus, doesn’t the design make the pizza pop? For this party, I’m serving DIGIORNO Original RISING CRUST pizza. I chose the Original RISING CRUST Spinach, Mushroom & Garlic and the Original RISING CRUST Spicy Chicken Supreme.

DIY Painted Plates - DIY Basketball Entertaining Ideas | Inspired by Charm

What I especially like about this pizza is the crust. It has a fresh-baked taste that can only come straight from your oven, it’s crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Yum!

DIY Basketball Entertaining Ideas | Inspired by Charm

Okay, that’s enough talk for now. Let’s craft!

Black and White Striped Painted Plates

For this project, you will need:
White dinner plates (ideally, with a thick rim)
Black multi-purpose paint
Paintbrush
Painter’s tape
Craft knife

DIY Painted Party Dinner Plates - DIY Basketball Entertaining Ideas | Inspired by Charm

Begin by taping off your design. I made two designs. One has stripes across the entire plate. The other has stripes just on the edge of the plate.

Sidenote: Check local discount retailers for inexpensive white plates to recreate this project on a budget. For a lower-fills party, you could also add paint to the edge of a paper or plastic plate for disposable fun.

DIY Painted Party Dinner Plates - DIY Basketball Entertaining Ideas | Inspired by Charm

Paint the desired area of the plate using a multi-purpose non-toxic paint that you can cure in the oven. (This should be stated on the back of your paint.)

DIY Painted Party Dinner Plates - DIY Basketball Entertaining Ideas | Inspired by Charm

Add another coat of paint for full coverage.

Once the paint has dried, use a craft knife around the edges of the taped areas to prevent the tape from peeling up the paint when removed. Remove all tape.

DIY Painted Party Dinner Plates - DIY Basketball Entertaining Ideas | Inspired by Charm

As needed, touch up any areas of paint with a small paint brush or use the craft knife to scrape off any drips.

Allow the paint to dry for one hour. Then, cure the plates in an oven, making sure to follow the directions on the back of your paint container. (My particular paint instructed me to place the plates in a cool oven, heat the oven to 350 degrees F, and then bake them for 30 minutes. Allow plates to cool in the oven.)

DIY Painted Party Dinner Plates - DIY Basketball Entertaining Ideas | Inspired by Charm

It’s amazing how a little paint can take something from plain to pretty! The bold black and white patter really make the DIGIORNO pizza pop!

Speaking of pretty, can we talk about these adorable basketball cupcake stands? They were probably my favorite things to make.

DIY Cupcake Stand - DIY Basketball Entertaining Ideas | Inspired by Charm

A few wood plaques and some basketball foam balls came together to create this fun presentation. They are simple to make. Let me show you how.

DIY Cupcake Stand - DIY Basketball Entertaining Ideas | Inspired by Charm

Basketball Cupcake Stands

For this project, you will need:
Round wood plaques
Dowel rod
Mini foam basketballs
Drill and drill bit
Black paint
Paintbrush
Wood glue

DIY Cupcake Stand - DIY Basketball Entertaining Ideas | Inspired by Charm

Begin by using your drill to make holes in the center of the wood plaques. (To ensure a snug fit, the size of the drill bit should match the size of your dowel rod.) Drill 1/4-inch into each wood plaque. Do not go through to the other side.

DIY Cupcake Stand - DIY Basketball Entertaining Ideas | Inspired by Charm

Paint both sides of the plaques and allow the paint to thoroughly dry.

DIY Cupcake Stand - DIY Basketball Entertaining Ideas | Inspired by Charm

Use the drill to make a hole through the center of your foam basketballs.

DIY Cupcake Stand - DIY Basketball Entertaining Ideas | Inspired by Charm

Cut the dowel rod to size. It should be the diameter of your foam basketball, plus 1/2 inch.

Insert the cut dowel rod through the basketball. Add a dab of wood glue to each drilled hole in the painted wood plaques. Insert one end of the dowel into the base and the other end into the top. Allow the glue to dry completely.

DIY Cupcake Stand - DIY Basketball Entertaining Ideas | Inspired by Charm

How clever are these?! They are perfect for presenting a cupcake, but you could use them for general decor around your table should you decide not to serve cupcakes.

DIY Cupcake Stand - DIY Basketball Entertaining Ideas | Inspired by Charm
DIY Cupcake Stand - DIY Basketball Entertaining Ideas | Inspired by Charm

And finally, let’s finish off this celebration with a garland!

Printable Basketball Garland - DIY Basketball Entertaining Ideas | Inspired by Charm

This garland might look familiar. I designed it to look similar to the football garland I created last fall. I like the idea of having coordinating garlands. That way, if you’re throwing a party with a general “sports” theme, you can easily combine the two if you wish.

Printable Basketball Garland - DIY Basketball Entertaining Ideas | Inspired by Charm

Let me show you how to put the garland together. Again, it’s super simple.

Basketball Garland

For this project, you will need:
Basketball and referee pendant printable (It’s free! Download it here.)
Scissors
Twine
Mini clothespins

Printable Basketball Garland - DIY Basketball Entertaining Ideas | Inspired by Charm

Begin by downloading the free printables. Print out the basketballs and referee pendants and use scissors to cut them out.

Printable Basketball Garland - DIY Basketball Entertaining Ideas | Inspired by Charm

Then, using the mini clothespins, attach the cutouts to your twine. Once you hang your garland around your space or drape it across your table, you’re done!

Slam dunk! It’s that fast.

DIY Basketball Entertaining Ideas | Inspired by Charm

Sidenote: You might have noticed that I used smaller basketball cutouts to garnish my cupcakes. To make those, I used the basketball printable, but when I printed it, I reduced the size by 50%. Then I cut out the small basketballs and glued each onto a toothpick. How easy is that?

DIY Cupcake Stand - DIY Basketball Entertaining Ideas | Inspired by Charm

Simple touches like this truly help to tie things together at a party and having DIGIORNO pizza as the centerpiece will certainly help you rise to the occasion. Speaking of party, it’s time for our hoops celebration. Enjoy!

DIY Basketball Entertaining Ideas | Inspired by Charm
DIY Basketball Entertaining Ideas | Inspired by Charm

I hope you like this these DIY Basketball Entertaining Ideas.

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16 Comments

  1. Thank you so much for the idea! I made the basketball cupcake stands for my sons 16th birthday and they turned out great! I wish I could send you a picture. Thanks again

  2. Are you sure it is safe to bake plastic plates in the oven? Seems like this would release toxic chemicals from the plastic into the oven and the air. Also the paint, I didn’t know there are paints that can be used in the oven. Are these 2 oz crafters paints you find in the craft stores? Please let me know because I really want to try this.

    1. No. No. Don’t bake the plastic ones. Just paint and you’re good to go. For the paint for the ceramic plates, just read the back of the bottle. There are certain ones you can use to bake and seal. The instructions will clarify so you know you’re buying the right one. Hope that helps!

      xo Michael

  3. This is so great! March Madness takes over and its so fun to see it captured in Blogland! Thank you for the printable banner, I’m going to make a garland and hang it up. My husband is a huge college basketball fan, I call this his Downton Abbey. : )