Adding a little swizzle to our summer fun is a great way to serve up drinks with a festive vibe. Summer crafting should always be about bright details and easy projects. This is one you can quickly whip out while sitting in the shade, sipping on a sparkling glass of whatever is chilled.

The DIY swizzle sticks are an obvious choice for stirring cocktails, but also look cute topping treats or mixing sugar into the ice tea. Whatever fun bar service the summer calls for will be better with a few chosen & glittered words sticking out.

Summer Fun DIY Swizzle Sticks

To make the DIY swizzle sticks you will need:

• Floral wire
• Needle-nose pliers
• Small wooden dowel
• Thumb tack (not pictured)
• Scissors
• White spray paint
• Acrylic paint, various colors
• Paint brush
• Clear Elmer’s glue
• Glitter (not pictured)

1. Alternating between using your hands and the needle-nose pliers, spell out in cursive your summer-themed words. NOTE: Think of words that are short, for the ease of spelling it out in wire. ;) Here are some ideas to get you started – sand, surf, BBQ, fun, sun, beach, swim, tan, etc.

2. Head outside or somewhere well-ventilated, and prime one side of the wire words. Let it dry, then spray paint the other side. Let it dry.

3. Now paint the words with various colors of acrylic paint. Let the paint dry in between coats. Paint both sides of the words. (OPTIONAL: Use a paintbrush to apply clear Elmer’s glue to the front of the words. Sprinkle on glitter, and let the glue dry).

4. Cut your small wooden dowel into equal lengths – this is going to be the swizzle stick part! Use the thumb tack, and stab a hole into one end of the swizzle stick (this is where you’ll be inserting the wire word).

5. Carefully insert the tail of the wire word into the hole you just created using the thumb tack.

Beach. Sun. And all the summer fun!

PS. Here’s a great summer cocktail idea to serve with these and wouldn’t they look amazing coming out of a watermelon!?!

(Photo concept, design and photography ©A Subtle Revelry by Amy Larkin).