DIY French Themed Party Decorations with Free Printables!

Celebrate someone special with these DIY French Themed Party Decorations with free printables!

Everything you need to throw a festive and fun fête, including invites, decor, and food ideas ... this is the perfect way to add a little French flair to your next get together!

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It's my Birthday week, and I'm having so much fun celebrating! On Monday, I shared an easy Croquembouche recipe, plus French themed food ideas. And yesterday, I shared my birthday wishlist.

Today, I'm sharing easy homemade French party decorations, along with free printables that you can use for your next get together!

DIY French Themed Party Decorations

These festive French decorations to make are an easy and affordable way to add some flair to your next bash. All you need to do is print and assemble!

The colors can be customized, too. So before you get started decorating, think about what color scheme you'd like to use. My colors were inspired by those pretty blue and yellow floral lanterns. I can't find those exact lanterns anymore, but any paper lantern would work.

Next I bought coordinating paper straws and tissue paper, which I used to make tissue poms. It was my first time making these poms, and they were so fun! I have a feeling it won't be my last time using them.

If you can't hang poms for your party, my DIY Tissue Paper Pom Poms would be a great option. You can stick them right to the wall, no hanging necessary.

Printable French Themed Decorations

My DIY French themed party decorations were off to a great start! To pull everything together, I  designed decorative bottle labels, a Joyeux Anniversaire banner (which means "happy birthday" in French), and a cute passport invitation.

I love how everything coordinates, and I'm excited to share the free printables with you (scroll to the end of the post for those)!

Just follow my easy step-by-step directions below for assembling the bottle labels, Joyeux Anniversaire Banner, and DIY passport invitation, and your party decor will be ready in no time.

And make sure to let me know if you use the free printables. I'd love to see how your party turns out!

Using the Printable Bottle Labels

These labels can be printed on any color paper and are perfect for labeling bottles or for using  as cupcake toppers or food labels.

You'll need:

• labels printable (scroll to end of post)
• card stock
• scissors
• circle punch, optional
• burlap
• wide washi tape
• double sided tape

To make these rustic bottle labels, simply print the labels on the card stock. Cut out the labels by hand or with a circle punch.

Next, cut strips of burlap to fit your bottles and secure with tape. Cover the burlap with a layer of washi tape, then attach the label using double sided tape.

Tip: if you can't find wide washi tape in a color that you like, use multiple rows of thinner tape to get the same effect.

Assembling the DIY Joyeux Anniversaire Banner

This DIY Joyeux Anniversaire Banner is the perfect touch for any French themed party. Plus, it couldn't be easier to make!

You'll need:

• Joyeux Anniversaire Banner printable (scroll to end of post)
• card stock
• scissors
• burlap
• hot glue gun
• string

Print the Joyeux Anniversaire printable on card stock. Cut out the letters, following the lines surrounding each letter.

Grab your burlap and cut out enough rectangles for each letter. The burlap should be about ¼-inch wider than the letters on each side, plus about ½-inch longer on one end.

Fold over the end about ¼-inch, then iron the fold in place.

Apply hot glue to the back of each letter and attach it to the burlap.

Cut a long piece of craft string, then apply a thin strip of glue under the flap of the burlap. Insert the string and carefully press down the flap to seal. Repeat with the remaining letters.

Learn from my mistakes!

You need to attach the letters to the string in reverse order (XUEYOJ not JOYEUX), otherwise they'll be backward when you turn your banner around.

Assembling the DIY Passport Invitation

This DIY Passport Invitation is such a fun way to invite guests to your French themed party or any travel themed party! The free printable is available in an editable Microsoft Word version or a write-in version, and it only takes a few steps to make!

You'll need:

• DIY Passport Invitation printable (scroll to end of post)
• card stock
• scissors
• long arm stapler, optional
• awl, optional
• long needle, optional (I use a bookbinding one.)
• waxed linen thread, optional
• corner rounder

Start by printing the invitations on card stock. I used blue for the cover and cream for the inside page, but you can use any colors you'd like.

Cut the pages in half following the printed lines. Stack the invitation inside the cover, then carefully fold the pages in half.

If you have a long arm stapler, use it to staple the invitations together and you're done. Otherwise, use an easy pamphlet stitch (directions follow), like I did.

Start by marking three dots on the inside of each invitation. The dots should be 2-inches apart.

Use the awl to poke holes through the cover and inside page on the marked dots.

Next, thread a long piece of waxed linen thread on your needle. For the purposes of the pamphlet stitch, I will refer to the three holes as A, B, and C (see diagram below).

1. Starting on the inside of the invitation, pull your needle through hole B, leaving a 2-inch tail. Hold this tail in place as you make the next stitches.
2. Your needle should be on the cover-side of the invitation now. Stitch through hole A.
3. Your needle will be in the inside of the invitation now. Stitch through hole B.
4. Your needle will be on the cover-side of the invitation now. Stitch through hole C.
5. Your needle will be on the inside of the invitation now. Stitch through hole A.
6. Your needle will be on cover-side of the invitation now. Stitch through hole B.

Remove the needle and make a double knot in the center of the invitation with the loose threads. Trim the threads close to the knot.

Tip for a perfect pamphlet stitch:

• Slip the thread under your last stitch (the long one that went from C to A) before tying your knot. This will hold the long thread in place.
• Pull all your stitches tight before tying your knot.
• Make sure to use waxed thread. It will keep your stitches neat and hold your knot in place.

Finish the invitation by using a corner rounder to round the edges.

How cute is that?

I love how these DIY French themed party decorations turned out!

They're such an easy way to make your next get together a hit!

Want more party ideas like these DIY French Themed Party Decorations?

Make sure to check out ALL of my party ideas here!

My DIY Vintage French Map Coasters would be perfect for this party. They're so easy to make, too!

Download the Free Party Printables

Click on the images below to access the free printables.

For best results, print the PDFs on letter-size card stock at "Full" or "Actual" size (do not “shrink oversized pages” or “fit to page”). That way your printer won’t shrink the image size.

For the Word version of the invitation, you need to download the file to your computer before you can edit it.

What is your favorite way to decorate for parties?