Ring In the New Year and Say Good Riddance to 2016 with Fun, Imaginative 3D Printable Designs for 2017

I have always enjoyed New Year’s Eve. I usually end up at a friend’s house wearing glittery nail polish and fun pajamas, playing Cards Against Humanity or Rock Band or Mario Kart, eating potato chips, and drinking champagne out of plastic flutes. To be honest, I’m one of those annoying people who love counting down and yelling “HAPPY NEW YEAR!” as loudly as possible at the stroke of midnight. Sometimes I wear those plastic “Happy New Year” headbands, and occasionally I will throw poppers outside and blow into those obnoxious sparkly paper horns. I am a sucker for a good New Year’s Eve party, and the accompanying party accessories. And with 3D printing, I have discovered a whole new way to ring in the new year, with 3D printable gadgets and gizmos. We have a few days left in 2016, which gives you just enough time to pick your projects and get 3D printing ahead of your New Year’s celebration. So let’s say good riddance to 2016 (and RIP to Carrie Fisher, Prince, John Glenn, Harper Lee, Elie Wiesel, Arnold Palmer, and so many others), and celebrate 2017 with some fun 3D printable designs!

As always, you can’t ring in the new year without a fun pair of glasses that splash giant numbers across your face…unless of course you’re me, and wear glasses instead of contacts, in which case you have to skip the 2017 glasses. Drat, foiled again by my astigmatism and nearsightedness! For those of you who don’t have to wear glasses all the time, these cool 2017 New Years Shutter Shades are available on Thingiverse from maker grajohnt.

If you’re hosting a big New Year’s Eve gathering, you’ll definitely want some decorations to liven up the atmosphere, and remind everyone what year you’re about to enter. Why not decorate with this festive “Happy New Year 2017” flat, found on YouMagine from designer gudo? While you’re on YouMagine, you could also take a look at these cute, sparkly 2017 decorations designed by Alen Kuhta. Once you’ve 3D printed them, you can decorate them with acrylic paint and glitter powder dust!

There is also the ever popular customizable gimbal table decoration, available on Thingiverse from DesignMakeTeach. Word to the wise: if the rings are too loose or too tight, try adjusting the extrusion multiplier. If you’d rather print smaller gimbals to hand out as fun, spinning party favors, you can find a 2017 Mini Gimbal Set on Thingiverse as well. The set comes with a standard, ornament, and strawtopper gimbal. You can also make this unique 2017 office decoration, which I’m pretty sure can do double duty as a table decoration. Its technical name from Medelis shop (warning: some designs are NSFW) is a ‘small stuff holder,’ so maybe you can have your friends leave their keys on, in, or around it, until you determine that they are safe to drive home.

If you know much about the Chinese zodiac signs, 2017 will be the Year of the Rooster. So why not peruse this stunning zodiac-inspired jewelry collection on 3D printing marketplace aoku3D and pick up a silver and red enamel rooster ring? If you’re not into rings, but still want to sport some Year of the Rooster bling, head over to Thingiverse and learn how to make your own 3D printed Year of the Rooster medallion from DesignMakeTeach.

If you’re like me, you’ll prefer buying cupcakes to making your own; I am not a whiz in the kitchen. But here’s a great tip: buy frosted cupcakes from a good bakery, and then make them fancier with these 2017 Swizzle Sticks! Everyone will be so busy marveling over them, they’ll forget to ask if you baked the treats yourself. A word of caution for this easy print from barb_3dprintny – don’t be too quick when you’re peeling it off the build platform, or you could bend the toothpick end. They can also be used as real swizzle sticks in your guests’ beverages, or even as cocktail garnishes; just be sure to print using food-safe PLA or PETG materials.

However you choose to incorporate 3D printing into your New Year’s Eve celebration (and there are so many ways to do so), please be sure to have a safe and fun evening! Discuss in the New Year’s Eve forum at 3DPB.com.