Custom Drink Tumblers – The Perfect DIY Party Favors for Summer

As the saying goes, “April showers bring May flowers”. It’s finally then end of April. The snow is thawing, and if you’re in a warm climate like me, summer weather is right around the corner.

I, for one, am a summer lover! I have been chomping at the bit to get back to the pool since October (probably even earlier for you, if you live in a colder climate than California). How can you not love Summer? The sun in constantly shining, school is out, days get longer, and people in general seem to be in a better mood because they can actually go and enjoy outdoor activities. Fresh air can do wonders for mental health, I tell ya!

Summer is the season of fun pool games, endless margaritas, and parties that go from daytime long into the night. It’s also the time when we get 3 long weekends away from work (Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day) as well as the start of wedding mania (bridal showers, bachelorette parties, etc). When the weather is warm, people want to celebrate.

I am absolutely no exception to this rule. And last year was one of my biggest summers yet. I celebrated my bridal shower, bachelorette party, wedding, and 4th of July all between the end of April and the beginning of September. SO.MUCH.FUN!

My Original DIY Party Favors

Specifically, for my bachelorette party, I decided to go to Las Vegas with my girlfriends. As I mentioned the other week, I am not a huge Vegas person. Plus, I hate asking people to spend a bunch of money on flights, hotels, etc, just to celebrate my last days of singledom. It felt selfish. But I absolutely could not pass up the chance to see Britney Spears in concert. I was going to go to Vegas no matter what, and if my friends wanted to join me, I wanted to extend the invitation.

14 girls ended up sharing in my love for Britney and joining me for my Las Vegas bachelorette party. I was overwhelmed by the love, and wanted to make sure each and every one of them knew how much I appreciated them making the trip.

I brainstormed what would be great DIY party favors for me to give the girls (because, you know, I can’t get away from a good DIY). And then the thought of custom tumblers crossed my mind.

DIY party favors

I’d buy a bunch of drinks for our hotel rooms, and leave each girl her own, customized tumbler that she could bring to the pool and around the Vegas strip. Because everyone knows, if you buy your drinks poolside, you pay a premium. This would save each girl a bunch of money, as well as give them a keepsake to bring home from the weekend. Absolutely perfect 🙂

The trip ended up being one of my favorite to the city yet! One of my best memories from all the fun we had was sitting by the lazy river with all my girls, drinking endless margaritas out of our custom tumblers. I still have mine to this day, a year later.

diy party favors

Overall, these tumblers cost about $3 each to make. So much more inexpensive than buying them custom from a retail site. And they’re so versatile. The perfect party favor not just for bachelorette parties, but for any summer get together.

Imagine your guests walking into your party, with a personalized tumbler waiting for them to enjoy their favorite summer cocktail. Not only does it add a bit of fun to the party, but all guests appreciate the sweet gesture. An extremely inexpensive way to wow your guests and personalize any party.

Below, I give you the materials needed and the step by step instructions to make personalized tumbler, DIY party favors.

Steps to Create DIY Party Favors for your Summer Party

The Necessary Supplies:

Step 1:

party favors

  • Take a look on 1001freefonts.com. Pick a font you like and download it (or pick one that’s already loaded on your computer).
  • Type out each of your guests name in word – with the font as large as you want it to appear on your tumblers – and then print the list out.
    • I used Antrokas_demo font in 150pt. And I’m using a fun saying instead of a name for this demo.

Step 2:

custom DIY party favors DIY party favors DIY  party favors

  • Cut the names into strips so that the each piece with each name will easily fit inside the tumblers.
  • Position the name inside the tumbler where you want it to appear on the outside, and then tape the paper down.

Step 3:

DIY party favors

  • Take one of your paint pens (whichever color you want) and trace over the name on the outside of the tumbler (the name will show through because the tumblers are clear).

Step 4:

DIY party favors

  • Once you’ve filled in the name with paint pen, take the paper out from inside of the tumbler.
  • Repeat Steps 1-4 for the rest of your guests.

Ta da! SO, so easy, right? It such a small task, but it makes the biggest impact – trust me!

Using Vinyl Instead of Paint Pens

The Necessary Supplies:

You can also do these with VINYL letters instead of paint pens. If you have a Silhouette cutting machine (or any die cutting machine).

  • Design the letters how you’d want them to appear on your tumbler in your Silhouette Design Studio.
  • Cut the letters out in any font, color and size you want (no need to reverse the image) and stick them onto your tumblers. Below, I used white vinyl to create a custom monogram:

DIY party favors

  • Beware, sometimes the letters are VERY flimsy (I did mine without a transfer sheet, and it was extremely tedious).
    • If you want more stability, stick the front side of your vinyl sheet onto the sticky back side of a “vinyl transfer sheet“. Then, remove the excess vinyl, leaving only the cut letters.
    • Then, press the vinyl transfer sheet against your tumbler. The vinyl will stick to the tumbler, and you can then remove the transfer sheet for a perfect placement!

Rounding Out Your DIY Party Favors

Now for my bachelorette party, my bridesmaid Kendra was sweet enough to also make “Vegas” bags for each girl, to go with the alcohol and tumblers. These bags included:

They were AMAZING for Las Vegas, and I know everything in each bag was used by the end of the weekend.

Now, if you’re making these tumblers for a summer party, the tumblers themselves are more than enough of a favor to give your guests. But if you’re also looking for an extra kicker (like I had with the “Vegas” bags), try pairing each tumbler with a mini alcohol and mixer that is near and dear to each person’s heart. Or a pair of cheap sunglasses and sunscreen as a “summer party survival kit”.

As always, if you don’t have time, feel free to pick these tumblers up in my shop. But regardless of what you choose for your DIY party favors, if you’re putting this much thought into your summer bash, it’s sure to be a hit!

Again, here’s a recap of all the supplies you’ll need to DIY:

Custom Tumblers:

Bachelorette Party Kits:

Summer Bash Kits:

Comments

    • says

      Hey Breana- It depends. I usually try to hand wash all my tumblers and the sharpie lasts forever (in a sense). It’s been 2 years since my bachelorette party and although a little chipped, my name is still on mine. If you use the dishwasher – it dramatically decreases the life of the tumbler. Hope this helps! XO

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