One of my favorite things at a party is when there’s a photo booth. People seem to love wearing silly things and taking pictures of themselves, no matter what the occasion. At my recent Halloween party, we decided to make our own photo booth corner. It was Harry Potter themed so I hit ARC for supplies.

We’ve got Harry himself:

ARC actually had a brand new-in-package Harry Potter set, including the glasses and wand.

Then we’ve got Dumbledore:

This one I put together myself with a jester hat that I cut the bottom off, reading glasses and a new-in-package beard from ARC. Grand total was under $5.

Next is Mad-Eye Moody:

I found the eye patch at ARC for 68 cents and glued on half of a plastic eyeball. (The flask belongs to a friend…) This one was my favorite because it was so simple to transform something thrifted into something new.

Last is Luna:

This was another super easy transformation; I added two pieces of vellum to these great glittery star glasses.

Other items included witches hats, brooms, graduation robes, and a sword(of Gryffindor!), as well as a homemade Wizard’s Most Wanted poster.

Finally, what Harry Potter party would be complete without a Sorting Hat?!

(Originally a “Buccaneer” hat from ARC.)

This was such a fun project to shop for and work on and people seemed to love it!

If you haven’t been to ARC lately, you are missing out. Halloween time is the most fun in the ARC thrift stores. There are costumes galore, wigs, accessories; everything you could possibly need for an amazing Halloween. Recently I went in not for costume purposes but for props. Some friends and I are throwing a Halloween party, which means we need decorations. One of the things we wanted to create was a set of potions bottles and jars to have around the house for a spooky atmosphere. I set out to ARC to find what we needed in the way of containers.

I found all kinds of great bottles and jars perfect for potions. I bought large and small to have a variety, visually, and to have different options when deciding what to put inside. My favorite is a beautiful, vintage decanter that came with a label already on it.

After purchasing and cleaning all of the jars and bottles, my friends and I set about making our “potions”. We used all kinds of things inside the jars and then designed some labels to go on the front. I think they turned out amazing!

Some of you may notice the Harry Potter theme. We’re slightly obsessed…..

I hope this project inspires you to hit your local ARC thrift store and come up with a spooky Halloween project of your own!

I moved into a new home last summer and am just now figuring out what to put on the walls (no judgment, please). ARC has been a major resource in this venture. Not only have I found pictures and frames, but I’ve also found craft items that I’ve used to make wall art. My most recent project was this Home Sweet Home cross stitch:

I found the special cross stitch fabric in a big roll at ARC for $1.99 and then I found the frame for $2.50. I started by stretching the fabric behind the frame and stapling it with a small staple gun to the edges of the frame.

After it was nice and tight I counted the squares the length and width of the frame and made a plan for my embroidery using a piece of graph paper. There’s probably an easier way to do this but I went old school. After I had the design mapped out I started stitching! I used mint green embroidery floss that I had left from a previous project.

When I was all done I put a wire through two of the staples so that I could hang it.

Voila! This was a super easy project on a very cheap budget. I love the way it turned out and I really like how it looks next to my vintage picture of Maroon Bells (also an ARC find, of course J).

Please enjoy this wonderful poem, written by our wonderfully talented arc Ambassador, Lorraine Espinoza, entitled, “Happy Things.”

Happy Things

Beautiful dreams, I dream of unicorns in my head, just before I go to bed. These unicorns are bright, just want to say, “little one, have a good night” “little one, I want to keep you warm.” I want to make sure your blanket is not worn, and I am so glad you are born. You are an unexpected blessing, I never knew I was getting.

I wouldn’t change a thing for all the joy you bring. It is all the little things you do, that make me love you. Your beautiful face, your wonderful ideas, of the way the world should be. Climbing trees is your favorite thing to do. Fixing your scraped up knees, with a Band-Aid and a little kiss.

Always being there to protect you, that is what I wish. I wish I could do, and nobody would hurt you. Dream deep my little one, and go to sleep, and you will learn your life is very unique. You are special, in your own way; that is what everybody has got to say.

This is something I hope for you, this is something I hope you can do. Be wise and help open people’s eyes, to all the challenges in your life. Help them understand what your life is, and what your life could be. We are all the same, you and me.

Lorraine Espinoza

If you have been to our JCRS store, you will recognize our very talented arc ambassador, Lorraine Espinoza, who has brought beauty to our lives since she began working as a store greeter in 2007. Lorraine continues to spread beauty in our lives with her poetry and whether it be through her poems, or at work, this woman will warm your heart, and bring a smile to your face. Lorraine’s poem “I Love Being a Kid” brings about summer memories with gentle fathers and the memories they create.

I Love Being a Kid!

I love pie a-la-mode, but I am not very old. I am only a year; I can’t even crawl near, where the pie is.

It looks yummy to me, I want a big piece and I really don’t know what to do, because I can’t chew.

So, I am going to try to smash it, on my face.

Hopefully someone will bring a fork, because they notice I might need help.

No matter what I do, people think I am cute, especially when my dad is in his gray sports suit.

He wants to pick me up, all the time, but he never wants to get dirty. When you have babies, you are bound to get dirty.

My dad is my favorite man. He loves everything I do, and my name is Ruby Blue.

I was named after my dad’s two favorite aunts. Never got to meet them, but they are both inside you. The things you do remind me of them.

You will grow to be a wise woman, with a very busy future. I will be there, to help you, because I am your dad, and you are my little girl.

You are the apple of dad’s eye, so I never want to see you cry.

I have been looking for a way to add more storage in my bathroom, but in a unique way. Bathroom shelving options are often boring and I definitely didn’t want that. I also didn’t want open shelves that need frequent dusting. My solution was found at arc! I was trolling the aisles a couple months ago and found this adorable vintage suitcase. It’s so small and it’s made of sturdy cardboard (versus fabric or vinyl) so I assumed it was a child’s play suitcase. But I loved the light blue/aqua color and saw a lot of potential. It was also only $5.99, which added to its appeal.

I’d seen bathroom shelves made from vintage suitcases on etsy before and figured I’d try my hand. I knew it would be easy enough to mount it to the wall, but I also wanted to add an additional shelf. That way I could store more inside. The first thing I had to do, though, was figure out how to cover up the peeling interior. After a lifetime of being played with, the inside was looking rough. I decided to use some pages from a vintage dictionary I bought a while ago (also from arc) and mod podged the insides. I think it turned out great!

After that, I used a scrap of wood and sawed it down to the correct length. It was a tight fit but I was able to wedge it inside the suitcase horizontally, and then hammered a few nails through the sides of the case and into the shelf for insurance. I thought about painting or staining the wood, but I liked the look of it as it was.

The final step was hanging it up on the wall. I had some good, strong anchors from a past project and used these to make sure that no matter how much I ended up storing inside, the suitcase would stay up on the wall. I love how it turned out! It’s been great having extra storage and I definitely like how it looks up on the wall.

My most recent project sprung out of thriftiness. I love the look of those old, vintage roll down maps and prints, but I can’t afford the ones I’ve seen online and in antique stores.

These were both listed on ebay for around $250, each! Wayyyy out of my price range.

I found an old poster I had laying around and decided to head to arc to see what I could find to hang it up with. I started out looking at all of the great picture frames, trying to figure out how I could get the vintage look that I wanted. I didn’t see a frame that I liked, but I did score a picture hanging kit-brand new! Not only did it have the nail and hook for the wall, it also had the wire I’d need the poster to hang from and a great bracket that I could use to mimic a pull down tab on the bottom of the poster.

Then I moved over to the tool area and struck gold.  I found some thin dowels that I think used to be part of a piece of furniture, I’m not sure. They were exactly what I was looking for–already stained and everything.

At home, I used strong tape that I already had to tape the dowels to the back of my poster on the top and bottom, and to secure the wire.

Then I used a tack to attach the bracket.

Voila! This was so easy and thrifty, and I love how it turned out! I may need to make a few more…