Welcome to 31 Days of Halloween - DAY 9

 

Here's my second Dollar Store DIY using plastic partyware and a little creativity. Today I used a leftover ghost from last year. He stands atop one of two plastic trays whose bottoms I painted black. Between the tiers is a glass lined with lace. The top tray is lined with gold jewels. Simple but plenty of spirit for a Halloween class party, party or to entertain friends over an afternoon snack.

My only regret is that I had to use E6000 glue in addition to hot glue so that my trays wouldn't fall apart, which makes them difficult to store. But can you just see the finger sandwiches I can serve to my friends...

Welcome to 31 Days of Halloween - DAY 3

 

This summer I had bought several plastic serving trays and glasses with which to make tiered dessert trays for an event. Before I had made them all, I discovered that the pastries being plated were going to be too heavy for my platters to hold up. Instead of returning all the pieces, I reinforced the trays and created Halloween hospitality cookie trays.

This first tray uses two thick clear plastic trays held together with a sturdy plastic champagne glass in the middle. Before attaching the two, I spray-painted the bottom of the trays orange. The tops of the trays are paint-free and safe to place cookies or candy on them. For decoration, I simply added a ceramic pumpkin using hot glue and E6000. Isn't he a cutie?! I can see this being used during a school class party.  My days of hosting Halloween parties is over, but I have plenty of neighbors whose kids are in grade school...

Have you ever made Halloween-themed foods or drinks? For the kids, I've made hotdogs wrapped with Pillsbury biscuit slices to look like mummies, a cake that was decorated to look like a graveyard and pumpkin juice, which is just orange soda poured over a scoop of vanilla ice cream. For adults, I've made a few cocktails and Jello shots. The RV park where I have my trailer hosts a Halloween weekend and the treats for both kids and adults is crazy out of this world! My nephew went out with his wife and came back completely snockered!

Beach - Dollar Store DIY/Upcycle #3

Since I bought a bag of 15 Dollar Store signs at a thrift store for $5, I decided to create a post each time I finish one. Today's project uses designer paper, stickers and buttons. All my upcycled boxes have a 3D element on them. I pulled everything from my leftovers stash. The letters spelling BEACH were part of a scrapbooking goodie from a crop weekend and the flip flops are buttons. 

My favorite type of vacation features a beach. Cozumel is one of my favorite destinations. Later this year, my sisters and I are going on a cruise in the Caribbean, and I plan on spending plenty of time on the beaches, soaking up the sun (properly covered with sunscreen), splashing in the waves and searching for shells.
 On the first anniversary of my hubby's passing, my daughter and I went to Cozumel and spread his ashes into the Caribbean Sea. It was sad and yet he loved it there. I don't think we'll go back any time soon.  The hotel we used to stay at changed owners and is not as well-maintained as it was previously. Add in the fact that we had always traveled with my girlfriend and her family, it was a lonely trip (she had passed away three months before my husband). But we'll always have the memories, all put together in a scrapbook.