DIY Dancefloor Instructions

Today's post comes after checking into the cost of a dancefloor for my venue.  Unfortunately my venue is carpeted and I need to put something down for my guests to dance on.  I was expecting a cost of maybe $150 to rent one, but I was quite surprised to find out that the cost is closer to $600+.  Yikes!

Being as crafty as I am, I considered how I would do it myself and devised a fantastic plan.  There are several ways you can customize your floor to exactly what you're looking for.  I'm going to give two options.

Option 1.  Permanent Floor.
This option is great if you are having a party in your backyard or someplace where there is no need to transport your large floor. (unless of course you have the means to transport a fully assembled floor)
How-to:
1. figure out how many guests are coming to your venue.  The standard calculation is 3sq. feet / guest.  If I'm having 130 guests, I can say that that will equal 390sq. feet.  Not everyone dances.  You can expect 50 -70% out on the dance floor at peak times.  So this calculation could be a little high.
2. Get some plywood.  I looked online and a standard size was 4'x8' in plywood.  For ease of setup I calculated what I would need for a dancefloor size w/o or with minimal cuts.  I came up with 16'x20' which equals 320sq. feet.  That should be good for  my guest count, assuming the 50-70% of people dancing. and it requires no cuts!
3. Lay out your dance floor as shown in fig. A.
4. You will need supports for your floor.  This is so you have something to screw the boards into and so your boards don't wobble or warp under the weight of people dancing.  See fig. B.  I did 4' intervals of supports.  I have no idea what size boards you will want for supports.  In my diagram I've given exact measurements, however you probably can't find boards in exactly this sizing.  You'll probably have to cut or piece things together.
5. After you put down your supports in the pattern you need, nail or screw them together.
6. Lay your boards over the top of the support frame and screw them down.  Do not nail these down.  They will lift as people get their groove on if you do!
7. Coverage options.
- You can purchase peel and stick laminate tiles to cover the top of your board.  Depending on what style you like the tile costs will vary.
- You can fill in your screw holes in the boards and any gaps you may see with a nail filler.  Sand down your boards after to a smooth finish and clean off the top of any dust.  Paint with whatever designs you want.  Get creative!  Seal with a couple of coats of polyurethane and let dry before using.  You should have a finish that lasts at least a couple of parties.  Add trim or edging if desired.


Option 2.  Non-Permanent floor (transport-friendly)

This option is great if you are having a party where you need to bring your floor on-location to set it up or if you don't have the means to travel with a permanent floor.

How-to:
1. figure out how many guests are coming to your venue.  The standard calculation is 3sq. feet / guest.  If I'm having 130 guests, I can say that that will equal 390sq. feet.  Not everyone dances.  You can expect 50 -70% out on the dance floor at peak times.  So this calculation could be a little high.
2. Get some tongue and groove plywood.  I looked online and a standard size was 4'x8' in plywood. (they also make it in other sizes like 2x2 etc. if 4'x8' is still too big to travel with)  For ease of setup I calculated what I would need for a dancefloor size w/o or with minimal cuts.  I came up with 16'x20' which equals 320sq. feet.  That should be good for  my guest count, assuming the 50-70% of people dancing. and it requires no cuts!
3. Lay out your dance floor as shown in fig. A.  Hammer with a rubber mallet and block of wood(wood is buffer).

4. Trim off any tongue and groove that is hanging off the outside edge.
5. Flip your floor over to the backside and mark the top and bottom (right and left if you need to as well!) of each piece (so you know what direction to set them up in again when you put it together).
6. Flip your floor over to the frontside.  Sand the top and clean if desired.  Paint the top in whatever design you want.  Polyurethane the top with a couple of coats.  (WARNING: make sure your boards are tightly held together before you start.  If paint and polyurethane seep in the cracks they will be hard to separate and your design will be 'off' when you put it back together)
7. Let dry and pull your boards apart.  You will still need a truck bed or vehicle that can store the load of carrying that many boards to your location.

Figure 1

Figure 2

8. Assemble your boards at the location by following the backside marks you made earlier and hammering the boards together with a rubber mallet and wood block.  Add trim or edging  to the sides if desired.

DIY Signature drink menu

Are you on a really tight budget for your next Event or Wedding? Have you considered a signature cocktail instead of a full bar? Signature drinks are a trendy option that allows you to offer your guests a fun cocktail on a limited budget. Most guests won't even notice the difference. Instead of offering them everything anyone could ever want, limit your selection, or simply offer the signature drinks, beer and wine.

Have fun making your menu. One of the best parts of offering your signature drinks is making your menu. You can name your drinks based on your theme and even invent entirely new themes. For today's DIY How-to I'm showing you how to make a cute Signature Drink Menu for almost nothing. So for those that are on a budget, this project is fantastic and cheap!

What you'll need:
- Heavy Cardstock
- Fonts you like (download free fonts at places like Dafont.com)
- My template (It's simply an letter sized piece of paper cut in two and then backers placed on them)
- Scissors or a paper cutter
- Tape or glue

Instructions:

1. Download my template or create your own.
2. If using my template, cover up whatever drinks/designs you don't want and put in your own.  I recommend using a program like Adobe Illustrator, but if you don't have it any other editing program will do.  Even Microsoft Word is a good candidate.
3. Print your Document out on heavy cardstock.
4. Cut out your template with a paper cutter or scissors.
5. Fold on the dashed lines.
6. Place a piece of tape on the folded strip of paper or glue down to the back of your menu.  Do not place the bottom part of the "stand" directly on the bottom of your menu.  Raise it up about a half inch or so.  It won't stand up nicely otherwise.
7. Viola! you have a cheap or free Drink menu.

Place your folded "stand" about 1/2" up from the bottom of the back of your menu

You can also enhance your menu with feathers, gems, ribbon or other embellishments.  I will be placing a rhinestone in the center of my compass.

AC Moore Deal Alert!

Every weekend that I went into AC Moore I would stare longingly at this gorgeous tall vase they had.  Only problem was that it cost $45.

I really wanted to use this vase as a beautiful centerpiece on my escort card table, but didn't love the pricetag.  The other problem was that my inspiration photo (above) not only had the giant vase, it also had lots of tealight holders and those tall candleholders that have a pedestal.

Armed with several AC Moore 40% off coupons I was determined to march inside and get my Tall vase (and possibly other vases in several trips to different cashiers...shhhhhh)  But I didn't have to.

Just about every single piece of glassware was marked to 50% off!!!! I couldn't believe my luck.  So I grabbed my giant vase for $22.49!  I also grabbed two tall pedestal candle holders that were originally marked $12/piece for $4 per piece!  I got one mini version of the pedestal candle holders for .50 and 1 grabbed 10 tealight holders for .50 cents a piece.  Originally $1.00 each.  I also grabbed some "wine glass candles"  They look like mini wine glasses filled with poured wax.  $2.99, originally $4.99.  The only thing I had to use my 40% off coupon for was floating candles for tall vases I planned on buying at the dollar store, since those vases were not 50% off at AC Moore.  I spent a total of $40 in AC Moore and couldn't believe all the fantastic stuff I got! woohoo.

Check it out Event Planners, Coordinators and brides;  before it's all gone!

DIY Pomander Centerpieces

Love floral centerpieces, but hate the pricetag?  My florist quoted my $145 per table for this.  I made what you see here for $12.  These are fake flowers.  However, if you're brave you can order flowers and make them a couple of days before your wedding.

For Faux flowers:
- Syrofoam ball
- glue gun
- glue sticks
- faux flowers
- a base to hold the flowers (i used a candlestick holder)
- greens

For Real Flowers
- a tall bucket
-floral foam ball
- floral tape and wire sticks
- greens
- a base holder
- a base to hold the flowers (i used a candlestick holder)


Faux Flower Instructions:

1. Start to glue your flowers in a circle around your ball, but stop before the base.
2. Start gluing flowers in the other direction around your ball, stopping before the base.
3. Fill in flowers in the rest of the areas that are empty
4. Add greens or filler if desired
5. Place glue around your base/vase the pomander will be sitting on.  Place the bottom of your pomander on top of the glued base.

Real Flower Instructions:

1. Soak your floral foam ball in water in your bucket until soaked through.  The ball will float at first and sink when soaked through.
2. Snip the stems off your flowers to the desired length and stick into your ball, starting at the top and moving around the sides.  If your stems are not strong, use floral sticks and wire to strengthen the stems and then insert them into the ball.  Stop before the base.
3. Add your greens by attaching them to the stems of the flowers and wrapping with floral tape.  You can also alternatively attach them to the floral picks/sticks, but this may add more bulk than you want.
4. Place your base holder into your vase/base.  If it is noticeable, you may want to fill your vase/base with gel, beads, rocks, etc. to hide your base.  Stick your pomander on top of the base holder.  The holder should penetrate the bottom of your pomander to keep it steady.  You can alternatively make your own for your centerpiece.

Watch the Video How-To Instructions below on how I made my DIY Pomander Ball

Card Box Eye Candy

Today I have a special DIY for you.  It's how I made my card box for my wedding.  It took me two days and about $15 to make.  This is a super bargain considering that if you bought a similar card box from a website I shall not name, it would cost you around $150 for this beauty.

What you'll need:
- glue gun
- glue sticks
- scissors
- fabric or nice wrapping paper (I got mine at Jo-Ann Fabric)
- ribbon (the larger ribbon was $3.99 at Michael's)
- embelishments
- 3 sheets of foam board (I got mine at AC Moore for .99cents a sheet)

How to Construct:
1. Draw out your squares for the boxes.  My bottom box consisted of 6 sides and the dimensions are 11x11" for each square.
2. So this is what I mean by using the extra space.  I just created squares for the other two boxes out of the "empty space" on the foam board.  The purple represents the second box and the green represents the top box.  You will need 5 squares of the second box and 6 squares of the top box.
3. Cut a square hole in one of the 11x11" foam pieces that is about .5" smaller than the center box.  Discard this piece of foam.
4. Cut a 3 sided square in another 11x11" foam piece.  For the 4th cut you make to complete the square DO NOT cut completely through.  This will create a flap that swings open at the bottom of your box so you can retrieve your cards easily.
5. On one of your middle box foam pieces cut a slit in the middle about 3/4" tall and about 4 1/2 - 5 1/2" long.  This will be the hole that people can put their cards into.
6. Start with your top box (the smallest).  glue all 6 sides together.
7. For your middle box, glue on all the sides and the top.  There will not be a bottom.
8. For the bottom box glue all your sides, your bottom with the flap swinging out towards you, and your top with the hole slightly smaller than the middle box.
9. Start wrapping.  Either using wrapping paper or fabric, wrap each box just like a present, however you will have to criss-cross the fabric on the sides in order to flap over the fabric straight down.
10. Cut a center line through the hole where the cards will be inserted and small slits for the corners.  Place some glue on each piece now created (4) and wrap inwards into the box hole.
11. Glue the top box to the middle box and the middle box to the bottom box.  There should be a nice lip for the middle box to sit on.
12. Cut your ribbon or place whatever embelishments you want on your box.
Viola! you have a beautiful card box!

For another explanation, please see my video below.