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Looking for some creative and unique ways to share a Cinco de Mayo spread at your next party? Add a bit of cold cerveza, a DIY Cacti Tablecloth, and some tasty treats, and your guests will remember this fiesta forever! I love the carefree spirit of getting together with friends over good beer, good food, and cute decor - to me, that’s the basis of any successful party.
Cinco de Mayo is the perfect time to celebrate warmer weather and enjoy good times with friends over a few cervezas, so when I was asked to create a post to honor some of my all-time favorite summer beers, Corona Extra and Modelo Especial, I was elated! Modelo Especial in particular was one of the first beers I had as my go-to drink when I turned 21 and the years following, and still love it, and love serving it at my parties. Corona will help facilitate and enhance the carefree spirit wherever we are in clever, creative, and unexpected ways - which you can see throughout this whole post, because I love adding those special, little details that will be fun and easy for you to replicate, making your Cinco de Mayo Fiesta one to surely remember forever.
To DIY your very own tablecloth, you are going to need a few items:
Canvas or thicker weight cotton (tip – measure your table or surface before going out to get your fabric).
1 sheet of sticky back craft foam (measures roughly the size of a piece of paper)
Scissors that will cut the foam sheet
1 piece of wood (I used a scrap of wood that was 5.5” x 4.25” and sanded the edges), or use a wooden plaque from a craft store
1-2 colors of green paint for the cacti. I used a mint color, but you could use lime and mint together, or use a whole fiesta of colors. I used acrylic paint, but fabric paint would work well if you want to use the tablecloth multiple times after washing.
Print out of the cactus, or draw your own
Paper plate to put paint onto
Foam brush
TO MAKE THE CACTUS STAMP:
1.) Print out the design, or draw your own onto a piece of paper. Cut out the cactus shape.
2.) Trace the cactus onto your foam sheet, mine fit three times. It’s important to have three cactus shapes.
3.) Prepare your piece of wood or wooden plaque. If using a plaque, the edges will already be finished. If you’re using scrap wood, cut it a little bit bigger than the cactus shape, but still small enough to fit into your hand like a stamp.
4.) Peel off the sticky backing from the foam, and stick your first cactus shape to the center if the wooden piece. Next, peel the sticky backing off of the other two cactus shapes, and align then on top of the first cactus shape to create a three-layer foam cactus stamp.
5.) Now, iron your fabric if it’s wrinkled, and lay it onto a flat surface – a folding table works great, and make sure your surface is covered or can get paint on it.
6.) Add some paint to your paper plate, grab your foam brush, and get a medium amount of paint onto the tip of your foam brush. Paint off any gloppy, excessive paint from your brush, and you will notice brush strokes appearing if you used a new foam brush.
7.) Apply the paint to the foam part of the cactus stamp with the brush, and you will see brushstrokes – they actually resemble the texture on a real saguaro cactus!
8.) Put the paint-side of the stamp evenly down onto the fabric and press firmly. If someone can help for a second, have them use their two hands to hold down the fabric as you pull up the stamp to reveal the amazing cactus you just stamped onto the fabric! Repeat all over the visible portion of your tablecloth in either all green(s) or a fiesta of colors.
CONNECT WITH CORONA AND MODELO ONLINE:
And, visit The Modelo Brand Website.
MORE ABOUT MODELO ESPECIAL
If you like Pilsner beers with a bit more taste than the average “light beer”, then you will absolutely love this one! Well-balanced taste and light hop character with a crisp, clean finish. Modelo Especial is characterized by an orange blossom honey aroma with a hint of herb. I believe it makes a perfect pairing for Mexican food, and it’s perfect for a warm day with friends. When the weather starts to warm up, I always go for Modelo! Modelo Especial is a beer born with the Fighting Spirit. It’s brewed with time, effort, and determination to create the model Mexican lager. Everyone knows that hard work deserves a fitting reward – a Pilsner-style Lager with a clean, crisp taste. If you like a bit more of a dunkel style lager, which is a bit darker with a medium body, then try the Modelo Negra. While I only featured the lighter version, the Especial in this post, my boyfriend and lots of our friends always order the Negra Modelo at a Mexican restaurant and go for that taste.
To DIY The Bunting
I love the elegant look of this adorable, cost effective party décor. Inspired by Picado Banners, which are traditionally vibrant colors, I used the cut-out look of paper doilies and some pink embroidery floss to make some incredibly elegant decorations. Any color doilies will do, I just liked the look of the all white ones with the terra cotta platters and other items on the party table. Simply fold the doilies in half, making sure to match up the patterns. Cut a long piece of embroidery floss, and inside each folded doily, add double stick tape, and basically tape the string inside of the doilies, leaving a few inches between each doily. These could even be used for a wedding, they’re just so adorable!
Cinco de Mayo Snack Ideas:
LIME FIESTA CUPCAKES:
"A Cupcake Gets Its Lime"
Either make some lime margarita cupcakes of your own, or embellish store bought ones! I found some fiesta-inspired vanilla cupcakes with colorful sprinkles and knew they would be perfect for this party. I sliced up limes in little wedges, and added them to the tops of the cupcakes, inspired by the limes that are traditionally served in Corona and Modelo. Although the limes are removed before eating the cupcakes, they add a ton of citrus flavor to the cupcakes and they really enhance an already tasty treat.
GUAC N ROLL
I absolutely LOVE Guacamole, and no party would be complete without it! Either use store bought guac, or make your own is the avocados are in season! My favorite guacamole recipe is: 2 avocados, 1 medium tomato, lots of lime juice, 1/3 of a bunch of cilantro, 1/3 of a chopped red onion, and a touch of salt. Why not add a splash of beer for a unique taste! What a healthy and delicious snack, with some crispy cantina style chips. Add your favorite salsa to round out the appetizers for your Cinco de Mayo party!
I provided a free printable for the Guac N Roll and the Cerveza signs. Simply print them on regular paper or cardstock, cut them out by hand or with a paper cutter, and tape toothpicks to the back. Stick the signs into the food or ice, and enjoy!
Below is a page you can print for your signage.
Now, if you’re familiar with any warm, tropical setting, or enjoy going out to eat, then you’ve likely seen or been able to enjoy Corona Extra or Corona Light! In addition to the bottles I featured in this post, they have several can options, like their new 12 oz. slim cans, which feel good in your hand, and are perfect for places where glass isn’t allowed, like beaches, campgrounds, and on the river! In addition to being a vacation beer, I like keeping my fridge stocked with Corona, making it perfect for just about every day enjoyment.
With a refreshing, smooth taste balanced between heavier European imports and lighter domestic beer, Corona is an even-keeled cerveza with fruity-honey aromas and a touch of malt. The flavor is crisp, clean and well balanced between hops and malt, a superior taste profile from superior ingredients—the finest-quality blend of filtered water, malted barley, hops, corn and yeast.
Using small cacti on my party table also reiterated the Southwest, Cinco de Mayo look for my fiesta.
I was fortunate enough to be able to pick up these ceramic, hand-painted decorations at a souvenir shop in Cave Creek, AZ. Many, similar items can be found online, or while shopping in stores throughout the southwest. They add such an authentic look to your gathering.
I am thrilled with how cute these lime-topped cupcakes looked! And, the lime taste really added an authentic touch!
AND ONE LAST RECIPE:
I would have loved to have had the chance to provide my famous baked chicken drumsticks to guests for this party. Basically get your raw chicken drumsticks, and a few hours ahead of baking, marinate them in a mixture of lime juice, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, seasonings (in this case, taco seasoning, a touch of salt, and any other Mexican-inspired seasonings would be wonderful), and a dash of Corona or Modelo. If you like spice, add sliced jalapenos to the marinade, and let sit in a covered dish or a zip top bag for at least one hour. Bake in the oven for around 45 minutes, until chicken is not pink in the middle. If you don’t like the bones in chicken drumsticks, simply use chicken breast fillets or slice up full chicken breasts.
ADDITIONAL DETAILS:
I also provided a pitcher of lemon water for guests to enjoy (lime water would also have been cute)
I was fortunate enough to be able to shop at a cute souvenir shop in Cave Creek, AZ for some of the hand painted tiles, sugar skulls, and a beautiful little dish that held one cupcake just perfectly.
One of my favorite ways to creatively display and serve food and the Corona was in terra cotta platters that I got at a hardware store. They are normally used underneath a terra cotta pot, but were perfect for serving up cupcakes! In a larger platter, I added a 6 pack of cold Coronas, and then put ice all around to keep them chilled.
I also used a light blue, metal serving tray with handles to hold the Modelo Especial. This worked SO well, I was rather impressed. I would recommend putting the chilled beers into the tray, and then adding ice, because the beers stay upright much better this way.
Since Corona and Modelo taste perfect with a lime wedge in them, I displayed limes that can be cut into slices in a cactus stem margarita glass. This really added a Cinco de Mayo flair, and was super cute!
