Step One

Cut the 60″ wide Oly-Fun™ panels to the desired length for drapes.  I measured from the tops of the windows to the floor for the right length. Cut 8″ tabs in the tops of the panels, 2 1/2″ apart.

Step Two

Interlace the tabs at the top of a rod or rope in the window opening.

 

Step Three

Tie the tabs around the rope into a knot to hold in place.  With Oly-Fun™ you don’t have to worry about fraying, and you don’t have to hem anything.

It’s literally a no-sew draping system!

Step Four

Alternate colors and tie together with a rope.  I already had burlap colored panels in the corners of the gazebo, so I integrated them into the color scheme.  The Oly-Fun™ panels added much-needed color to the party scheme.

Step Five

Continue adding Oly-Fun™ drapes around the gazebo and love the dramatic effect as it set the mood for wine tasting.  The next step for decorating was to set the tables for food, wine, and a water station.

 

Step Six

Not only can you make beautiful drapes with Oly-Fun™, it can also be used to create an original table runner. Layer the table with a panel of burlap down the center of the table first, then layer the Oly-Fun™, which I cut in incremental widths.

 

 

Step Seven

Cut 22″ panel of Sea Green Oly-Fun™.

 

Cut 19″ panel of Orange Crush Oly-Fun™.

Cut 16″ panel of Brick Oly-Fun™. And place on a table in layers.

Step Eight

Add an 11″ panel of gift wrapping paper with all the coordinating colors – the color and pattern of the gift paper is up to you.

Step Nine

I love how the gerbera daisies match the Oly-Fun™ Orange Crush. The floral centerpieces were placed on each end of the table, with a cheese platter in the center.

Step Ten

Here’s How-To Make an elevated Cheese Platter:

Place 4 clay pots upside down in the center of the table.   Place a slate tile on top of the pots.  Cover with waxed paper.

Step Eleven

Fill the platter with fresh fruit, cheeses, crackers and deli meats, placed on a bed of greens.  Guests will appreciate bites of dark chocolate and bruschetta to munch on between tasting wine.

Step Twelve

To make the hanging pallet table, we covered a wooden pallet with a panel of plywood.  Then we put metal braces on the corners of the table and eye-bolts to hang from the ceiling with a heavy rope.

Step Thirteen

I tied burlap to the eye bolts to hold the panels to the table in the wind, and to cover the plywood for a nice finish for the tasting table.

Step Fourteen

Now for some handy Wine Tasting Party Tips!

The first impression you make on your guest for any party is with the invitations!  And if you give them something to stick it to the refrigerator it will help them to remember and save the date.  I made 3-inch PattieWack Pompoms and glued them to the ends of corks and then glued a magnet to the back.  It was a perfect reminder and a fun way to let them know they were going to have a great time!

Here’s a great Wine Tasting Party Invitation, which you can feel free to copy:

You and Your Guest are invited to an evening of
Wine Tasting
Guests bring a secret bottle of ‘theme’ wine
along with a paired appetizer.
During the tasting, guests judge wine on a scale from 1 to 10
At the end of the evening, the secrets are revealed
and scores are announced for the top 3 choices.
This event’s theme wine:
(add your wine choice)
(date)
(time)

Please keep the cost of wine under $15

(Host’s Name)

(our address and phone)

Step Fifteen

The first impression when your guests arrive is at the Front Door!  You will probably be too busy to stand at the door and let guests in, and it’s great to tuck a sign in the entryway to let them know they’re at the right place and to come on in!

Step Sixteen

As soon as guests arrive, place their bottle of wine in a bag and tie a tag around the neck.  I made tags with the alphabet and a ribbon tie.  These identify each wine for the guests to taste and judge during the evening.

Step Seventeen

Have a blank scorecard and pencils for each guest.  As they taste wine throughout the evening, they write down the letter off the tag, and judge the wine from 1 to 10 and write their score beside the letter.  At the end of the wine tasting, all the scores are added up for each bottle of wine.  The top 3 winning wines are revealed for everyone to see!  It’s a great way to try new wines, and expand your taste in different types of wine.

We like to keep the cost of wine under $15 to keep it fair and less expensive for the guests.

Step Eighteen

Place comfy Fairfield Poly-Fil® pillows everywhere to add comfortable seating for your guests when they are enjoying their wine.

Step Nineteen

Decorative Tips:

Cover a hard plastic ball with wine corks for a conversation starter and a great centerpiece you can use over and over.

Step Twenty

Party Favors made with corks glued to ceramic tiles are super fun and easy to make!

Step Twenty-one

Be sure to keep the grounds well lit for your guests to feel safe and able to see where they’re walking with their hands full of wine, goodies, and their scorecards.  Plus, it sets the mood while adding a nice ambiance to the party.  You can even sew shades with the Oly-Fun™ material for an extra pop of color!

Step Twenty-two

We hope you now have a ton of tips for having your own… Wine Tasting Party!