DIY Tiki Glasses Using Removable Vinyl

We threw my sister Sarah a Tiki-Tiki Birthday Party this year, complete with DIY tiki glasses using removable vinyl. We were inspired by our trip last year to…Chicago. Ha, ha, I bet you thought I was going to say Hawaii, but no such luck. In Chicago, my sister heard about this must-see tiki bar. We were a little skeptical when our GPS told us to walk down a sketch ally, but as soon as we turned the corner, tiki torches were lighting the way to the bar entrance. After walking down a staircase with a wall made of skeleton heads, we stepped inside a Polynesian-lovers fantasy world.

The speakeasy, tiki bar is called Three Dots and a Dash (inspired by World War II and the morse code for ‘victory’). The bar truly is a must-see spot in Chicago. The decor is the perfect amount of over-the-top kitsch and the drinks are the perfect amount of over-the-top alcohol content—mixed with the best combination of fresh fruit juices. We ended up having the best time; hence, why we wanted to recreate it for a party.

Knowing my sister’s birthday was coming up, I researched ordering tiki mugs. I found some excellent ones on the website BarProducts.com; however, each mug was about $6-8, and we were going to need too many. Plus, where would we store them afterward? Of course, there are also plastic ones available at party stores, but frankly, I’m not a big fan of plastic. I also was hoping to create a ‘sophisticated’ or, dare I say, ‘up-scale’ tiki party. So plastic just wasn’t in the cards. Instead, I decided to make removable-vinyl decals we could attach to clear glasses.

DIY Tiki Glasses How-To

I designed four tiki heads. Then, using a Cricut Maker, I cut the four designs out of four colors of removable vinyl. I found a set of six, tall glasses at Ikea for only $5.99. We bought two sets and made three glasses of each design. We attached the removable-vinyl decals to the glasses and we were ready to party!

Note: we used removable vinyl so that we could remove the decals. Even if you use removable vinyl, you can still use the glasses multiple time. Just wash by hand and use again.

Materials

• Free Tiki Glasses PDF
• Removable Vinyl (I used teal, coral, yellow and pink)
• Transfer Tape
• Clear, Tall Glasses (I used the GODIS glasses from Ikea)
• Cricut Maker or another cutting machine

Instructions

Download the PDF (provided in the materials list) and upload it to your cutting machine’s design program (Note: you might have to convert the PDF to a jpeg). Cut the design following your cutting machine’s instructions.

Once you have your vinyl decals, use the transfer tape to attach your decals to the glasses. Your glasses are now ready to fill with a Mai Tai or other tiki-inspired cocktail. If you use removable vinyl, you’ll be able to remove the decals after you’re done using the glasses.

Bonus Pineapple Design

After making the tiki glasses we had a lot of scrap vinyl. I put the scraps to good use by making pineapple decals for our wine glasses. The pineapple design is included in the FREE Tiki Glasses PDF file.

And what’s a tiki glass without a rum cocktail? Be sure to get my recipe for the Aloha Felicia Rum Punch we served at the party. So scrumptious!