5 St. Patrick's Day DIYs to try this weekend

Love holiday decorating? Have a touch o' the Irish in ya? Welcome St. Patrick's Day, the March 17 feast day for the patron saint of Ireland, St. Patrick, with some fun, green-themed art and crafts. 

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The very easiest? A few  drops of green food colouring in the family's pancakes or scrambled eggs will start off everyone's Friday with a smile! 

1. Rag wreath

This is one of my favourite crafts for any occasion, because I have a large fabric collection and I like repurposing leftover scraps.

You'll need a coat hanger and between a 100 and 200 scraps of fabric approximately one inch wide and five inches long. Cut some of them with pinking shears for added interest. 

Shape the coat hanger or any sturdy wire into a circle. Tie on the fabric scraps, knotting in the middle. Really cram them on if you want a full, fluffy look, or leave it more open so the fabric strips can "flop" a little. 

This is also a great craft for Easter and Christmas fabrics. Find a tutorial on the blog The Magic of Ordinary Things. 

2. End-of-the rainbow cupcakes

These end-of-the-rainbow cucpakes on the blog L'il Luna look easy enough to tackle with your little ones. There's even an adorable pot of gold stuck in the green icing! Find directions here — all you need is some cupcakes made from a mix or scratch, green icing you've purchased or made, the curved end of multi-coloured candy canes for the "rainbow" and Rolos in gold foil or foil "money" from the dollar store.

If you're feeling like a little bit more of a challenge, try these pot of gold cake pops.

3. Felt shamrocks

Felt shamrocks can be glued to hair pins, pinned onto a lapel or glued onto a framed piece of burlap or other fabric to create unique art. 

Easy instructions for this inexpensive craft can be found over on Creatsie. You will have to know how to thread a needle and use it just a little!

4. 'Shamrock shake' fake

Green beer? You can do better than that — try this fake shamrock shake to shake up a date or fun with friends Friday night. 

Instructions over at the blog Number-2 Pencil, where author Melissa does a beautiful job dressing up hers sprinkle-covered drink rims.

All you really need to do is make your favourite plain vanilla shake, adding green food colouring and peppermint extract.

5. Shamrock banner

This is another one from L'il Luna  — an irresistible paper shamrock banner you could use year after year, if you store it carefully. Find the easy directions here. For a more vibrant, colourful banner, try this "lucky" design at DIY Inspired.

If you're in a hurry or like your Irish holiday decor understated, wrap candles with green ribbon and group vintage green books with a succulent house plant in a green planter for a pretty arrangement.

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