Party Decor Ideas for Kids and Adults

October 10, 2016

arcthrift . DIY, Halloween, Thrifty Tips . DIY, halloween decor

It’s that time of year again! We just LOVE Halloween at arc Thrift Stores!! It’s spooky, fun, a little silly, and super creative!

A lot of you are probably planning your kids’ school Halloween party, or having a party at home for the neighbor ghosts and goblins. Maybe you’re having your friends over to celebrate with a more adult-themed version of trick or treat!!

Well, at arc you will find everything you need to make the most ghoulishly delightful party ever!! And, the best part? You don’t have to drive all over town and you don’t have to spend a ton of money! It’s one-stop party décor shopping at arc!!

Here are some ideas:

Potion:

Little potion bottles can make a great Halloween decoration for your tablescapes. Mineral oil and food coloring mixed with a bit of water to create the potions in the bottles is inexpensive and easy. Buy your little potion bottles in all shapes and sizes from the Bric Brac department of your local arc Thrift Store. You can then fill them with little plastic spiders or plastic eyeballs or fingers to create a creepy décor piece. Bottles range from $0.49 to $1.99 each

Spooky Candles:

Votive candles (at arc for $2 – $5)
Black, orange, and green felt (at arc for .50 a sheet)
Glue

Wrap votive with black felt. Cut out pumpkins from orange felt and add green accents (leaves, top of pumpkin, etc.). Attach with glue.

Wrap votive in orange or green felt. Cut out bats with black felt. Attach with glue.

Candy Man:

Jeans ($8)
Flannel Shirt ($5)
Cowboy hat ($2)
Cowboy boots ($15)
Baskets ($1.50/each)
Candy
Pumpkin (carved with silly face)
Newspapers

On the table where your party food will be served, lay out the jeans and shirt, as if a person were about to wear them. Stuff the arms, chest, and legs with newspapers. Cut out sections in the jeans, and leave the buttons of the shirt open.

Fill baskets with candy. Slide the baskets into the cut out sections of the arms, the open (unbuttoned) area of the chest, and legs of “Candy Man.”

Place jack o’ lantern as the head, and top with the cowboy hat.

Adult version:

Candy Man isn’t just for kids!! Instead of the flannel shirt, boots, and cowboy hat, pick the jersey of your favorite rival football team (Patriots, anyone?!?) ($10 at arc). And, instead of candy, fill the baskets with chicken wings, chips, and dip!!

Treats:

Ghoulish Gummies

1 cup of cold water
1/2 cup of corn syrup
6oz packet of your favorite flavor Jell-O
4 envelopes of unflavored
Gelatin

Dissolve the corn syrup in cold water with a spoon. Dissolve the
Jell-O and gelatin in the corn syrup and water mixture. Transfer to
small pot and cook over medium heat until bubbly. Remove from heat and carefully pour into fun, Halloween-inspired ice molds or cake molds (available at arc for $4 – $8). Set on the counter for 5 hours (no need to refrigerate) and carefully remove from molds.

Adult version:

Change the amount of water to ¾ of a cup, and add ¼ cup of vodka.

Monster munch

4 cups popcorn
1/2 cup mini marshmallows
1/2 cup Reese’s prices
1/2 cup candy corn
1/2 cup melted white chocolate

Pour popcorn and candy onto a cookie tray (at arc for $3) and drizzle with chocolate.

Allow to harden and break up with fingers and either put into a large
bowl or separate into treat bags (box of 25 at arc for $5) and tie with orange and green ribbon (at arc for $2 a roll).

Adult version:

Instead of candy, use nuts and chocolate chips. Drizzle with caramel.

The Unique Halloween Costume Challenge

October 27, 2014

arcthrift . DIY, Halloween . DIY Halloween, Halloween Costumes, halloween decor

My friends and I challenged each other to create new and different Halloween costumes for our families this year. We had to come up with three and not the usual “on the rack” costumes. I knew just where to go – Arc Thrift Stores. I have been going to Arc for years to put together Halloween costumes. Not only can you create something unusual, you can do it at a fraction of the cost for costumes anywhere else. So we headed out to Arc and came up with these costumes: The Shady Lady, Graduation from School of Hard Knocks and The Duck Empire.

We started building the Shady Lady by finding the perfect lamp shade in the furniture department. Remember, brilliant ideas can be found anywhere at Arc Thrift Stores. Once we had the green lamp shade, the dress was waiting in the costume department along with the glamorous eyelashes, gloves and shoes. We went shopping for accessories in the jewelry department where we found a large bin of costume jewelry.

For the Graduation from the School of Hard Knocks, we started with the cap and gown that we found in the costume section, added a scary mask and scepter. Arc employees use their imagination to pull possible costumes from inventory all over the store. There were many caps and gowns in different colors and sizes – only $7.99 each.

The Duck Empire was the easiest and least expensive. Arc has a large selection of camo jackets – only $5.99, pants and hats. These items had been pulled from inventory and included in the costume section. Arc also has a large selection of wigs and costume accessories in the Halloween department.

We enjoyed our Halloween experience at Arc as we scanned the options in the costume department (as well as all over the store) for ideas – and we weren’t alone. It was fun listening to kids and their parents as they looked through the vast possibilities to build the perfect Arc Halloween costume.

Building your own unique Halloween costume on a budget

October 17, 2014

arcthrift . DIY, Halloween . DIY Halloween, Halloween Costumes, halloween decor, thrift

It is October, which means it’s time to find Halloween costumes. There is no better place to find a creative, DIY, costume than the arc. So last Saturday I paid a visit to the arc for some Halloween inspiration and affordable goodies. The spooky spirit was in the air and the arc was crowded! Everywhere I turned, someone was searching for the perfect costume. There were racks all around the store loaded with Halloween odds and ends.

One thing to keep in mind when searching for costumes in a thrift store is flexibility. I went in with the goal of finding a train conductor outfit for my son and a cute ladybug costume for my daughter. Well, that changed very quickly when I came across the perfect tiger hoodie and a fun, whimsical skirt that had obviously been handmade. All I had to do next was find the right accessories.

I decided that my son was getting a tiger costume. I needed a pair of tiger striped pants and shirt. I couldn’t find anything in his size, but no worries, I’m at the arc! I just went up and down the aisles and found a great tiger striped ladies shirt that I could cut up and re-sew to fit him. I also came across a toddler sized, tiger ear headband he could have fun with.

Now that my son’s costume was taken care of, I needed to finish my daughter’s. Next to the great skirt I found was an orange fairy tutu that I could add on top. I looked around and found a small hula skirt that would serve as the straw in a scarecrow outfit. I went to the baby section and found an adorable pair of skirted overalls that were her size and she could wear any time outside of Halloween. Now all I needed was a cute straw hat to complete the scarecrow look and, luckily, the arc had an amazing selection of straw hats. Right on top was a hat just her size.

I took my goods home and proceeded to cut up the tiger striped shirt. I used a pair of pants that fit my son for the pattern. I used the sleeves of the shirt to make his pants. The bodice of the shirt had enough fabric to sew tiger sleeves, but not a whole new tiger shirt. So I cut out the shape for the sleeves and then rummaged through my closet for an old black shirt that could use. I made a new bodice and sewed my tiger sleeves to it. My son was thrilled and he put the new outfit on right away.

Everything that I got at the arc totaled under $30. Similar costumes would have cost around $40 for the tiger outfit and upwards of $20 for the scarecrow costume. Oh and did I forget to mention that I also found some cute Halloween baskets at the arc, and I still came out under $30!

Written by Jessica D, Colorado Momma. http://coloradomomma.com/