Zombie Cupcake Stand for under $5

So the zombie party is lurching forward and we have accomplished another cheap crafty item.  We needed a cupcake stand for 100 cupcakes.  Have you ever seen how much they are?!  So I knew I would be making one but the ones we saw were soooooo  BORING.  They may work great for the cultured, refined and proper parties but we are talking teen zombie here.  So it's gotta be big and over the top and most of all CHEAP!

I came across these items in my garage.  They are the end rolls from the local newspaper.  They love to give these things away and they are so solid and sturdy, I have many ideas on how to use them.  So I found one I already strip the paper off and then using my miter saw I cut slits half way through.  I then painted it black and pillaged my supply of cardboard.  You know the cardboard that comes from the packaging.  I had quite the few all the same size and strong enough to support weight.  I then thought how can I re-enforce these to make sure they don't fold over from the weight.  So I looked to my chopsticks and duct tape.  I covered the top with scrapbook paper and the bottom with chopsticks and duct tape.  I then covered the scrapbook paper with packing tape to be able to wipe it clean when necessary.

Then we headed to the Dollar Store to find embellishments.  The glitter skull, mini skulls and beware tape for a total of 3 dollars plus tax

This is it completed, think I might add glow sticks around the column for the party.  It's almost 3 feet high

Soooo couldn't resist!!

I was wondering around Walmart looking for last minute items for school.  I stumbled upon this.  I love the color and the price tag said 3 dollars, it was in my arms before my brain could protest with "do you really need it?".  Even my son said "Why?" and I said because it's 3 dollars.

 So I like the color but it's kinda boring and not girly enough.  So I found an Ikea lampshade at the ReStore for FREE and crocheted around it with bright pink and white (? hairy, fuzzy?) yarn.  Put it together and what do you got?

It cast such a nice glow :)

Alas my daughter is older and no longer in the pink stage but I do have great nieces who love pink :)

So for 3 dollars I have a very fun and fuzzy pinkalicious lamp.  Soon to be someone else's pinkalicious lamp.

Zombie Dip Heads revisited

So the time is approaching to finish up the needed props and decorations for my son's 18th birthday.  It is "Thriller" slash retro zombie.  So as to combine the 80's with zombies.......yeah.  Thanks to Michael Jackson it can be done.  So I finished the zombie dip heads.  Or are for the zombies?  It was relatively simple, find some mannequin (Styrofoam) and scoop out hole for bowl and paint ghoulishly.  I then found these platters at the Dollar Store that fit perfectly.  Hot glue them on and then I added some embellishments to make them more real.  Like glasses, earrings, hair clips and even skull candies (hahhaahha, I crack myself up).

I stacked them up just to be able to see them all at once.

     Ok on to the centerpieces, Dollar Store vases, covered in cut out scrapbook paper.  When the night comes I will put dead roses in them and a light up coaster or glowstick (depending on the remaining budget) on the bottom.
The next project I have to work on, at least when the rain stops, is the cemetery benches.

Random Crochet Hats

I've made a few more hats.....I call them crochet but can I really crochet?  The truth is no, I don't think I can.  I don't understand the lingo and I can't read a pattern.  What I can do is make circles.  Not even sure how I accomplish that.  But I got it down to an art. :)  I have even gotten tricky with what kind of circles and different yarn and larger hooks.  But make no mistake I still have no idea what exactly I am doing.  I make circles plan and simple.  I hope you like my circles turned hats.  They are fun to make, and I don't keep track of what I'm doing so they are done rather quickly.

 So without further ado I introduce my new hats.
  The mouse cap, the funky skully and the fuzzy beret.

Part 2: Decorating Cheap the Saga Continues

Really late pics of "The Retro Baby Shower"

So where to begin......back in the beginning of my blogging was a post about my niece's baby shower.  I came up with a Retro theme shower with pink and blue.  I also had a onesie station which everyone loved! The onesie station was so people could create a unique one of a kind onesie for little Jacob.  I had a variety of fabric markers and other embellishment.  A few of them I had already drawn characters on them to be colored in by people who didn't feel creative.  The end of the shower the mom to be got to take home all the personalized onesies.The drinks were mock tails of pink and blue and a variety of vintage finger foods.

I had these glass vintage baby bottles I used for vases through out the rooms and these hand drawn images of the mother and the father at the base.  I used small frames I found at the Dollar Store.

The food was excellent and everyone had a great time.  I had more decorations up but didn't photograph them.  I'm still learning and I forget way tooo much.  My ideas are always larger and more grand than my budget.

Freecycle!!! Cooooooool style Daddio

So my husband plays drums, has for almost his whole life.  Needless to say he has equipment and more equipment.  A high-hat stand broke and was no longer functioning even after much time messing with it.  He told me to throw it out and I said "can I use it?"   I myself can not play drums and have been the source of amusement when I have tried.

I then stared at it for a day and thought it would be a totally awesome lamp for my son.  I had previously bought a lamp from a thrift store for it's parts.  I tore apart the old lamp and now had a perfectly usable wire with switch.  I pulled out all the stuff inside the high hat stand which left me with this shiny chrome stand.  Ran the wire up through and added the top.  Found a drum shade in need of repair and used shiny silver duck tape.

I know it's cool because now my husband wants to put it back with his drum set and is now keeping his eyes open for more castaway stands to turn into lamps.