Given my love of color it’s no surprise that I love any excuse to dive head first into a holiday or celebration that, well, embraces color! St. Patrick’s Day is about as green as you can get so I was excited when IZZE asked me to style a bar cart inspired by their Sparkling Apple Juice. Click through after the jump to see how I transformed a beige and boring microwave stand into a St. Patrick’s Day party perfect bar cart!
This DIY St. Patrick’s Day bar cart project took me an afternoon to complete and is super straight forward. To be honest, most of the time is taken up by paint drying so it’s easy to get on with other party preparations to help maximize time. Look out for the recipe for a delicious Sparkling Apple Jell-o Parfait Dessert later in this post – they are ideal to make in one of the painting gaps!
DIY ST. PATRICK’S DAY BAR CART
WHAT YOU NEED
– Wooden bar cart. (I went for this wooden microwave stand as it’s easy to paint.)
– Paint brush
– White primer
– White semi-gloss paint
– Green semi-gloss paint
– Drop sheet
– Masking/painters tape
– Sanding block
– Wipe cloth
– Wheels
– Glassware hanging hardware
– Hammer
– Screwdriver
WHAT TO DO
1. SAND: Start by sanding the whole bar cart before wiping it clean with a lightly damp cloth.
2. PRIME: Cover the whole bar cart in a coat of white primer – this will give a cleaner and more uniform finish when you come to paint it properly.
3. WHITE PAINT: Once the primer is dry, paint the bar cart with the white semi-gloss paint. Two coats should suffice.
4. TAPE: With the white paint dry, use masking tape to seal around the edges of each shelf.
5. GREEN PAINT: Paint the green in between the masking tape.
6. PEEL TAPE: Peel the masking tape away from the bar cart to reveal the neat green edges around each shelf.
7. ADD WHEELS: Turn the bar cart over and hammer in wheel casters to each of the four legs.
8. ADD HOLDERS: Screw in wine glass holders to the underside of the middle shelf.
Alright, we did it – yeah! With the boring microwave stand transformed into a modern and colorful bar cart it’s time to prep it for the party. Check out the gif below to follow my steps to styling a stylish and fun St. Patrick’s Day bar cart.
The key to a successful bar cart is a balance of style and practicality. Make sure that you have your essentials to hand: ice bucket, bottle opener, napkins, glassware and mixers. With everything in place, then you can layer in incidental, decorative pieces that personalize the set up so it reflects your personality and the party!
As well as drinks, in my mind no party is a PARTY without something sweet and delicious to enjoy on the side! So, if you are throwing a St. Patrick’s Day party this year I have just the sweet treat for you to make. I mentioned these desserts earlier in the post and they are perfect to make in between paint coats if you are making the DIY bar cart.
SPARKLING APPLE JELL-O PARFAIT DESSERT
WHAT YOU NEED
1 pack (3oz) lime Jell-o
1 cup of IZZE Sparkling Apple Juice
1 cup whipped heavy cream
Green sugar sprinkles
Three to five small tumbler glasses
Muffin tray
WHAT TO DO
1. Make Jell-o according to your package directions, swapping the cold water for IZZE Sparkling Apple Juice.
2. Pour the jell-o into three to five small tumbler glasses.
3. Chill the glasses at an angle (I used a muffin tray) until the jell-o is set. This takes at least four hours.
4. Whip the heavy cream until it’s thick but still light enough to shape.
5. Spoon the whipped thick cream on top of the jell-o.
6. Top with green sugar sprinkles and chill.
IZZE Sparkling Apple is perfect for this St. Patrick’s Day inspired party and recipe but you could use any one the eight fruit flavors in the IZZE Sparkling Juice range. IZZE is made with 70% fruit juice and a splash of sparkling water, so they are a better-for-you refreshment. As well as enjoying them as a beverage, I love thinking of playful ways to work IZZE into recipes!
When I’m styling a bar cart I always look to zone the various areas and shelves – using trays helps to group glassware, bar utensils, condiments and so on into relevant groups. Remember: use repetition to help give a graphic touch and wow factor to your styled bar cart!
Alongside IZZE Sparkling Apple and Clementine beverages, I decorated the bar cart with personal pieces to give it my quintessential #MakeYouSmileStyle touch! These pieces included one of my own watercolor paintings, handmade Photo Booth props (green mustaches on sticks!), clover leaf coasters and polka dot cups full of candy for guests to enjoy and take home. How are you planning to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this year, friends?
// Photography by Will Taylor | Posted in partnership with IZZE; all views my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that help keep Bright.Bazaar going!
14 Comments
Such a transformation! I love how you made the shape of the cart that bit more interesting by just painting the edges of the shelves….clever idea! 🙂
@Jenna – Right? It just helps elevate the standard shape into something more interesting. Thanks!
My family loves jell-o so I’m going to bookmark this recipe for our celebrations. Thanks Will!
@Sarabeth – Great, enjoy!
Neat idea!
@Tim – Cheers!
I’m officially calling you king of color match!!! I don’t know how you manage to keep coming up with these cute and colorful projects! Bravo! xoxo
@Kate – Haha! That’s a title I would be honored to accept!
I didn’t know Izze did an apple flavor. As you say it would Be perfect for St. Patrick’s Day! Thanks for another fun post.
@Patty – Thanks so much for stopping by and happy celebrating!
Amazing what a little bit of paint and TLC can do! Looks great, Will.
@Josh – The joy of color! Thank you!
That’s a fantastic before & after post! Love the balloons as well!
@S&PD – Thank you!