Friday, August 30, 2013

Slot Machine Gift Card Money Boxes for weddings, sweet 16 or mitzvahs

SLOT MACHINE GIFT CARD BOX

Perfect for any age or Vegas/gambling themed party.
This one was for an 86th birthday but it works just as well for a Sweet 16.
There is a slot in the top to drop those money envelopes into.
Each one can be fully customized with your words and colors.

Or a WEDDING.

We did it in Vegas!
Love it!
What a cute saying for a slot machine 
GIFT CARD MONEY BOX.

This colorful red gift card box was
for a reception held after the bride & groom
came home from Vegas.

I'm sure it set the mood for the party.
I heard the red 7's had special meaning for 
the groom.

Just like these "16"'s have special
meaning at this Sweet Sixteen party.


Just like these wedding bells have
special meaning on this wedding
gift card slot machine.

Or the "Bar" on this Bar Mitzvah slot machine.


There are so many ways to 
customize these foamcore slot machines.
Here's one we customized with the
Caesar's Palace font style and the Soy Money
logo and the logo on the front of the box that were
 used in the party.



How can we customize one for you?

Visit our two websites for more ideas!


Saturday, August 24, 2013

Birthday Party Decorations...Every year should be the best one.

Start with Birthday #1.
That's pretty important even though
you might not remember it, you should
have some good photos to look back on and
say:  "Ahhhh....wasn't I so cute and look
at the fun stuff at my party."  

Actually...you should be able to say 
that very same thing EVERY YEAR.

So...Happy Birthday #1.
Ahhhh.....Carolena is so cute.

And...look at the fun stuff at her party.

At another one year old party we did baby animals.





 Maybe a King or Queen of the Jungle theme?



Baby animals are fun for a few early years.
Then into maybe music and guitars?
Or maybe the Rock theme can start the
first year.






Happy Birthday guitars work for any age
and there are other accents that can
go along with it like a Placecard
Board or a big sign.



Maybe there is no "theme"...just "birthday" is 
the theme. That's a theme for sure.


Or.....hobbies and things that say who
you are and what you like make for fun
birthday centerpieces.


Probably the years we get the most
requests to make something special are
13 and 16.

Bar/Bat Mitzvahs at 13 and
Sweet Sixteens.




I have many more pictures from
 Mitzvah Parties and
Sweet 16's on the website at

Come and visit us there to see more.















Sunday, August 18, 2013

Before and After: What it takes to create a party food station sign.

Fun and cool looking food station 
PARTY SIGNS
all start with a mess.

Lots of cut-pieces, paint and glitter.
Also, supplies all over the place.

Supplies like the TV remote there in the middle.
And the hot glue gun.
There is also coffee and snack bars.

The vacuum is our friend at the end of 
making a bunch of signs like these.

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Dragonfly Beauty


 l love dragonflies.

 I have this really large metal sculpture on 
my wall. I bought it at the Ann Arbor Art Fair a 
few years ago. I think the artist was 
Steve Anderson.

Today I found this real creature on 
my floor. It was no longer alive.

I had to take pictures of it's stunning beauty.
I took this photo with my iPhone.

It looks like a piece of jewelry that
an artist created, doesn't it?


Even the details in their wings are stunning.


I used a closeup lens on my iphone and saw details on
their little legs that I wasn't even aware of.

Nature is so beautiful.



Sunday, July 7, 2013

"Ghost Flower" outdoor YARD ART candle lights....cheap and easy DIY how-to instructions.

I saw some similar Ghost Flowers on Pinterest but they had
no instructions on how to make them. So I had to go 
on a learning mission because I had to have some of these
fun candle lighting yard art flowers.

I wanted to be able to make a bunch so they had to be 
simple to make and not cost too much in supplies.

The best features of these silvery Ghost Flowers is
that they are fast & easy to make and inexpensive.
And no painting or hot glue is required.

I'll show you how.

First, these are the supplies I bought at Lowe's:

• silver aluminum screening 
36" x 84" ($8)

• 36" metal rods 1/8" diameter
(with or without threads...each will
be around $2-$3)

• alligator clips (about 50¢ each)




• tea lights (I had some leftovers that I had
purchased at the Dollar Store)
 They are lightweight
and come in a little silver cup and last about 2 hours.
We're going for light-weight here so heavier candles
or candles in glass holders won't work here.


You also have to find some plastic 
pop or water bottles...cheaper and
lightweight is best and as close to
flat on the bottom and inside as you
can find. Usually there is a small bump but
I have a fix for that.
Use some gummy floral tack or candle holder
adhesive in the bottom of the cut off bottle. 
Then set the candle on top of it.

Cut a square of the aluminum mesh about
18" square and round the corners so 
you have a loose circle shape. You don't have
to be exact here. Grab the middle and pinch it
together and clip the alligator clip on it. 
Then insert the clip over the rod.
You could super glue the clip to the rod or
twist it onto the rod if it has threads.

Put the plastic bottle bottom in the
middle and scrunch up the wire mesh around
the bottle bottom.

Now the fun begins.

Maybe you want to wear gloves for this part 
because now you are going to bend and shape
the flower. You can fold down the edges or
roll them over...either over or under. It doesn't 
matter. Free form is what you're going for.
Something graceful and nestling around
the plastic candle cup.

You'll find that each one develops into it's own
look and some you'll like better than others. 
Just like real flowers!


And they glow so beautifully at night!




I want a yard full of them!


Monday, June 24, 2013

Diamond mesh blings up party decorations

Silver has ALWAYS been the single most
popular party accent color.

One time we did an all silver party 
with lots of silver mylar. 
It was beautiful but almost impossible to
take a picture of what it really looked like.
There was so much reflection.

But "Diamond Mesh" is a bit different than
shiny silver mylar with big areas of reflection.

There are no stones in the diamond mesh but
it looks like there are stones in the 
concave round circles.
They really shine.

The tiny silver circles add bling and glitz yet 
blend so well with other items and 
let's them showcase as well.

It cuts with scissors and bends and curves.
We get it in 10 yard rolls that are 4.5" wide.
That's a very versatile thickness and works great
on our octagon bases that are 3 1/2" high. We always
have uses for the extra leftovers.

 It's fun stuff.

Ask us about using some on a design for you.
Or maybe just order some bases. 
The diamond mesh bases make even the simplest
items placed on top look very special. Think about using
model cars, stuffed animals or even flowers.


marlyss@mac.com

Saturday, June 22, 2013

Hollywood Movie Centerpieces for that red carpet party.

Hollywood parties are fun with a
variety of ways to present the idea.

You can do oscars, cameras, film strips,
popcorn, clapboards and even the
Hollywood sign itself makes a 
cute centerpiece.

We make a real klieg light out of
foam core that lights up. It can
be a centerpiece by itself or 
part of a larger one like this one
with a large directors chair.
We can make big centerpieces for spots like
the placecard table or sweet/candy table.
marlyss@mac.com

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Las Vegas/Gambling or Casino themed parties


VEGAS/CASINO/GAMBLING
What a theme 'LOADED' with possibilities!


You can go the LasVegas hotel route for 
centerpieces and sign in boards.




You can go the gambling route and use
casino games as table centerpieces.
(click to view larger)



You can go with the slot machine route.
Slot machines make cute table centerpieces,
welcome signs or even hold gift cards.
We've made gift card box slot machines with bling for a Sweet 16.
We've also made them for a Monte Carlo casino theme 
and even a wedding.

And...oh yeah....that big iconic sign.
That always works for any variation on
the Vegas theme.

Even 'what happens at ....(wherever)....
stays at ......'


We'll make whatever you would like to make your
party fun and maybe even crazy.

email us at: marlyss@mac.com

Or VISIT OUR TWO WEBSITES for more ideas!