Birthday Party Centerpieces: Under $5.15

There was a period of my life where I was going to tons of bridal showers and weddings.  Now it's baby showers, and more recently, 30th birthday parties.  Just like how we were one of the first of our friends to get married, Herb was  one of the first to turn 30.

As more and more friends got married, I got ideas of things I wish I would have done at our wedding.  This weekend we went to a 30th birthday party for our friend Ricky, and it was just like the wedding conundrum.  If I had gone to his birthday party before I threw one for Herb 10 months ago, I would have done things so differently! Let's just say my buddy, Sammy, knows how to throw a party!  She rented a room at the Works, which  is an all ages arcade attached to a restaurant.  Beer + burgers + skee ball = awesomeness.

Sam didn't have any centerpieces planned, so I grabbed the bull by the horns and whipped these up last week.  She came over to help me using the decoy, "Michelle and Herb have a meeting at church so I need to go babysit Levi."

Materials needed:

8 plastic (hard) straws - $1 @ Dollar Tree

4 rectangular floral foam cubes - $1/each @ Dollar Tree

Pictures

Black vinyl 

Wrapping paper 

Card stock

Pennies

Tape runner

Hot glue

Ribbon

1.  Cover the straws in black vinyl.  If you don't have black vinyl, use spray paint or wrap in yarn.

2.  Cut foam cubes in half, wrap in wrapping paper.

3.  Poke holes in foam with pencil, put hot glue in the hole, insert black straws.

4.  Mount pictures on colored and black card stock using tape runner.

5.  Mount card stock backed pictures on back straws using hot glue.

6.  Add ribbon for decoration.  Pose for a cute picture.

7.  Add four pennies to the bottom of each cube using foam cubes using hot glue for stability and weight.

8.  Admire the fact that you just made eight centerpieces for the price of a fancy coffee drink.

Ricky was definitely surprised by the party and we all had a lot of fun!  Sammy hit this one out of the ballpark!!