Decorating on a small budget

[JessicaTanner]

Hi all,

This is my fourth summer directing the VBS program at my church, but this is the first year that I'm COMPLETELY on my own, as our children's pastor has just recently resigned. I chose SonWorld, and am now looking at decorating. I have several ideas, but most of them require a lot of paint (I'll be using a lot of cardboard), which can get expensive. Generally we have an average of about 50 kids (we're a smaller church), and I'm operating on a fairly strict budget. I'm wondering if any of you have any ideas for decorations that could cut down on the cost of things?

Thanks

[JoleenTX]

Hi Jessica ~

One thing I do is go to Sams and grab the card board separaters between the paper towel displays. They are clean and undented and it releives the floor staff from having to clean them up. We also use a lot of carpet roll centers. You can get these from any carpet store and they are up to 8 feet high! I also look for anything eye catching and colorful even in my plastic recycling, dollar tree and garage sales. This year I am searching out a big umbrella for my carosel. Happy hunting!

[houseparent]

You can get tons of free cardboard at almost any appliance store or places like Lowes or Home Depot.

Great sources for inexpensive decorations are Thrift Stores, Yard Sales, Flea Markets, Dollar Stores and Close-out Stores. I can't go shopping for anything without keeping my eyes open for that VBS bargain.

You could also find another church that is doing the same theme and check with them about some kind of co-op for decorations. There are many times on this board people have decorations to share.

You may also want to look at some "scene setters" They can sometimes be cheaper than making your own backdrops.

[flutist14_99]

I'm at a smaller church, as well. we generally avoid the whole backdrop thing and just try decorating the room in the theme. For example, for the game plank we are going to request some donations for stuffed monkeys and parrots, find a cargo net. I found some pirate decorations and some flag banners (those string of triangle type things...hope that makes since) and spent like $6 total. We too are doing the carpet roll thing. Usually carpet stores are either getting rid of them or selling them relatively cheap. We then cover them in kraft paper (call you local teacher supply stores for the cheapest price but also see if you can get prints that might help but be a little more expensive.) Then we stick things inside the top. Like this year for the pirate one we are doing the tissue paper flames and hanging some ivy and vine greenery the church just happens to have from the door and some of the walls.
We are fortunate enough to have many people in the church who are willing to donate tons of decorations. If you get some, make sure you can mark then in some way with the person's name or keep good records of what goes in each room.
Also, (I know this is getting long, but it's helping me in the process for some reason) for our celebration square we aren't able to do that big backdrop. Instead our stage is going to consist of a couple of tables with the umbrella stand that is in the reproducible resources minus stuffed animals adding blinking Christmas lights and using this store front that we just have from a long time ago and adding some stuff to it so that it becomes a gift shop front and using a poster with a sign that says welcome to Sonworld. These base decorations can be slightly altered, added to, and moved around each day to make it seem like we went to a different area of the park. The rest of the room will have lots of red and white stripes to give it an amusement park/carnival feel. We're hoping to find this stuff cheap after the 4th of July. We also are not doing the teacups. We're doing a sign that says "Teacup ride (insert arrow off-stage)" and then just making the costume.
It's not that we can't do all of the decorations. We just don't have the people to help pull them off.
My biggest suggestion would be to go looking around the church and seeing what you already have that you might be able to alter in some way to give an effect. Even if it's just covering it in paper.
Hope some of this helps!

[MissElle]

My husband happens to be a great artist, so he is doing the decorations - backdrops, large cartoon characters, the works. The local newspaper office donated a roll of newsprint, so we have used that to make everything. Crayola paints have really finished it off, to make it really colorful and fun.

My advice - find someone in your church (or several someones) who is a good artist to draw the characters and backgrounds freehand. They can adapt the drawings to their own personal style, simplify them as much as needed.

Using this technique, we are able to go all out on decorations without breaking the bank.

[MissElle]

Hey all, I have a decorating idea for the Celebration Square, if you are on a budget.

We bought a 20 dollar helium balloon tank from WalMart. Then we tied red balloons onto ends of the front row, yellow on the second row, green on the third, blue on the fourth, and purple on the fifth.

Each color of balloon represents an age group - they get a sticker on the back of their name tag when they register for the first time. Then, they know where they're expected to sit for opening/closing assemblies.

This is a cheap and easy way to add some decoration to your auditorium, and have it double-function as a color-code for seating.

[Judy N.]

There are a number of ways to decorate on a budget. The main thing is to get your congregation excited about loaning or donating items.
Place 6 to 10 folding chairs or similar chairs in a circle, seat facing out. Ask you church members to donate or loan large stuffed animals. Place a stuffed animal on each chair. Create a "merry-go-round" effect by hanging 6 t0 10 multicolored ribbons and streamers (also can be donated) from the ceiling above and then taping the streamers unto the back of folding chairs. This could be placed on a stage or at an entryway.
Also, think about what seasonal things your congregation might have on hand that you could borrow... multi-colored Christmas lights and tinsel, hang them canopy style or in scallops around the ceiling.
Use 4th of July decorations, red, white, and blue flags to decorate Celebration Square.
Bring in picnic tables or park style benches (on loan from church members) and set up artificial Christmas trees next to them to create an outdoor snack area.
Ask for fabric lengths (or tablecloths) in bold primary colors or stripes. Use the fabric for table covers or to create canopies. This could be used in a game area like a boardwalk.
Use gauzy tulle (often available on $1 yd. Walmart table) to create a castlelike canopy for the Storybook Kingdom. Just drape from ceiling. Put small Christmas lights behind.
Make big stuffed clowns to hang from the ceiling...use large white garbage bags, stuff full with newspaper. Tie off top. Using bright colored scrapbook or construction paper, cutout clown features and tape on. Can also tape on yarn hair or other accessories. Could make one as an example and then have a contest for church members to make their own clowns, display all from ceiling for added effect. Hang with colorful ribbon.
My favorite is painting scenes on flattened refrigerator cartons, may not be as large as a big wall mural, but free, and many communities have recycled paint very cheap at the landfill or at a Habitat for Humanity resale store. You can make backdrops or create ticket booths, popcorn machine etc.

[JessicaTanner]

There are a number of ways to decorate on a budget. The main thing is to get your congregation excited about loaning or donating items.
Place 6 to 10 folding chairs or similar chairs in a circle, seat facing out. Ask you church members to donate or loan large stuffed animals. Place a stuffed animal on each chair. Create a "merry-go-round" effect by hanging 6 t0 10 multicolored ribbons and streamers (also can be donated) from the ceiling above and then taping the streamers unto the back of folding chairs. This could be placed on a stage or at an entryway.
Also, think about what seasonal things your congregation might have on hand that you could borrow... multi-colored Christmas lights and tinsel, hang them canopy style or in scallops around the ceiling.
Use 4th of July decorations, red, white, and blue flags to decorate Celebration Square.
Bring in picnic tables or park style benches (on loan from church members) and set up artificial Christmas trees next to them to create an outdoor snack area.
Ask for fabric lengths (or tablecloths) in bold primary colors or stripes. Use the fabric for table covers or to create canopies. This could be used in a game area like a boardwalk.
Use gauzy tulle (often available on $1 yd. Walmart table) to create a castlelike canopy for the Storybook Kingdom. Just drape from ceiling. Put small Christmas lights behind.
Make big stuffed clowns to hang from the ceiling...use large white garbage bags, stuff full with newspaper. Tie off top. Using bright colored scrapbook or construction paper, cutout clown features and tape on. Can also tape on yarn hair or other accessories. Could make one as an example and then have a contest for church members to make their own clowns, display all from ceiling for added effect. Hang with colorful ribbon.
My favorite is painting scenes on flattened refrigerator cartons, may not be as large as a big wall mural, but free, and many communities have recycled paint very cheap at the landfill or at a Habitat for Humanity resale store. You can make backdrops or create ticket booths, popcorn machine etc.
Thanks Judy! That tip about buying paint from Habitat for Humanity will be extremely helpful.

[Alison from Australia]

We go to some paint shops and get our paint for free. They always have sample pots of discontinued colours or colours that were mixed incorrectly that they save for people from community groups.

[janethenley]

You can buy a roll of white bulliten board paper and paint large items on it... trace the pictures with black marker,cut out an hang on the walls and halls of your church.. we decorate all of our halls and rooms used...

[risha]

These are excellent ideas that are not too overwhelmingly complicated to do (like some of the other decorating ideas on the forum) for the inexperienced with little support.

Thanks all. I hope more people will post decorating ideas like these!!

God Bless
Risha

[brutgers]

oops paint from lowe's or home depot...show up on a monday after the weekend rush...and you can purchase gallons of house paint for less than $5. Also, oriental trading company offers the super cheap washable tempera (qty 10) 16oz bottles for just under $13 ...you cant beat that price anywhere. The paint is stinky...but it works just the same!