Are you looking for the best ideas for senior car decorating? Here are 13 insanely cool ways to decorate your car for a parade or graduation.
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Decorating your car for senior graduation is a fun tradition that has been around for years. But sometimes it can be hard to think of what to write or what decorations to use!
That’s why we put together this guide to senior car decorating. We’ll give you our best car decorating tips, tell you what materials you need, and show you 13 cool real-life examples of decorated cars.
How Can You Decorate Your Car Without Damaging It?
When you’re decorating your car for graduation or a senior parade, you want to make sure you’re not causing any damage to the exterior paint. Here are the best methods to use for decorating your car without causing damage:
- Use special car markers for writing on the body and windows of your car. Chalk window markers can be used if you only plan on decorating glass surfaces.
- Hang signs and decorations from the windows with masking tape.
- Secure garland or other decorations to your car with wire twist-ties or masking tape.
- Use magnetic tape to attach decorations directly to your car’s body without causing damage.
What Do You Need For Senior Car Decorating?
Depending on how you plan on decorating your car, you’ll need different supplies. Here are some of the best items we could find for senior car decorating.
Car Marker
These car markers were specifically designed for writing on your car windows and body. They won’t cause any damage and wipe off easily with a damp cloth.
They come in a ton of different colors so they’re perfect for any design you choose.
These are our top pick for decorating your car because they are water resistant, so they will withstand light rain showers. They’re also non-toxic and water based.
Window Markers
If you’re just planning on writing on your windows and windshield, you can just use regular window markers!
They’re cheaper than car paint markers and the neon colors look really nice against dark car windows.
Garland
Garland is another popular decoration to use for senior car decorating. It’s cheap, easy to hang, and won’t damage your car.
You can either tie your garland to your car’s grill with twist ties, or use damage-free masking tape to stick it to your car windows.
Magnetic Tape
Magnetic tape is the perfect solution for hanging decorations on your car without causing any damage.
One side will stick to your decorations, while the other side will attach to your car with magnets.
Senior Car Decorating Ideas
1. Add Flowers With Your School Colors
One cute way to show off your school spirit is to add flower decals in your school colors.
The flowers in the picture above look like they were made with colored paper cups, but you could also just use car markers.
2. Senior Szn Car Decor
One of the most popular phrases to write on your car is “senior szn” or “senior season”. It’s short and simple but still looks super cute on your car window.
Use some window markers to add colorful patterns or shapes around the border of your window.
3. Go All Out With Your Decor
Can’t decide on one thing to write? Go crazy and decorate your entire car!
Use window markers or car marker pens to decorate your whole car with patterns and fun phrases. Then add some fun garland under the back window for extra decoration.
4. Add Tassels
How adorable is this senior car decorating idea? Hang some fun tassel garland under your back window for a cute and girly aesthetic.
Just make sure that the garland doesn’t cover your license plate while you’re driving or you may get pulled over!
[RELATED: 23 Cute Painted Senior Parking Spot Ideas]
5. Make A Car Topper
Want your senior car design to really stand out? Decorate it vertically!
Spray paint a cardboard box and attach it to the top of your car with string or bungee cords. Then add graduation year balloons, a sign, garland, or any other decorations you want.
6. More Tassels!
I know we’ve already shown you one car with tassel garland, but how could we not include this cute senior car decorating idea again?
If you don’t want to go for the girly aesthetic, you can attach tassels in your school’s colors to show off your school spirit.
7. Make Your Letters Interesting
One way to make your car stand out from the crowd is by adding some interesting patterns or designs to your lettering.
Make your letters look like they’re dripping off your car by adding some contrasting squiggly lines to each one. You can easily recreate this look with car paint markers.
[RELATED: 18 Funny Student Section Poster Ideas To Hold Up At High School Games]
8. Use A Pop Culture Reference
This senior car decorating idea worked perfectly for 2022, but there’s definitely pop culture references for every graduating year!
Here are some ideas for upcoming years:
- 2024 – “It’s ’24/7 baby!”
- 2025 – “’25 to life”
9. Keep It Simple
You don’t need to go overboard on your design to make a statement!
Just write “senior” with your graduation year in a pretty font and you’re good to go.
10. Or Go For Something Sassy
This is one of the funnier senior car decorating ideas I’ve seen. Let the underclassmen know that they need to stay in their lane.
11. Recreate A Cool Logo
One creative idea is to recreate a cool logo from your favorite brands.
The Patagonia label looks really cool as a senior car decoration and it’s pretty easy to recreate.
[RELATED: 17 Best Senior Crown Ideas We’re Obsessing Over]
12. Friends Themed Senior Car Decor
How fun is this Friends themed decoration for a senior car parade? It’s cute and also super easy to recreate.
Don’t forget to add a colorful tassel garland to make your car really stand out!
13. Senior Car Decoration For Guys
We’ve seen a TON of senior car decorations for girls, but not too many for guys yet. Here is a good example of a guy who decorated his car really well for the senior parade.
I love the idea of making a graduation hat car topper. You can get the full instructions for how to make this on the Little Blue Egg blog.
Pre-Made Senior Car Decorations
If you’re not into DIY, you can also buy pre-made car decorations on Amazon. Here are some of our top picks for senior car decor:
This post was all about the best senior car decorating ideas that you’ll want to copy.
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