Dollar Store Summer Photo Booth

Can I just start this post off with a HOLY CRAP?! This project started with one vision and ultimately ended up making a major u-turn and going in a completely different direction. I imagined hundreds of strands of flowing paper flowers perfectly laced through yarn or ribbon. After ten plus hours of paper cutting machines, folding, and lacing I had a whipping 15 strands finished and 70 to go. It was around that time that I threw in the towel and came up with this awesome dollar store photo booth for the summer edition of Merry Mag!

Adorable, right? This oh-so-easy backdrop is put together from strands of fake flower lei’s. I’m pretty sure the girl watching me clear the shelves into my cart thought I was either nuts or throwing a gigantic party but you just can’t beat the price. Two necklaces for $1 is right up my alley.

I went with a dark purple, white and light purple for the colors. I saw a lot of blues, greens, and yellows in the store too so I’m sure you could go in any direction. Making the backdrop was easy as pie. Follow these steps and in about 15 minutes you’ll have a beautiful display of Hawaiian themed florals.

1. Carefully snip the string from one strand of flowers. I found the knot keeping it together and used that to keep the flowers from falling off the end.

2. Tape the string (side without the knot) to a wooden dowel.

3. Finish the rest of your necklaces.

I also snagged a few more fun props from the summer collection at the store. If you need a little inspiration I found…

– Shovel and bucket
– Octopus sand toy
– Tiki cups
– Umbrella toothpicks
– Hat

A few things I already had on hand…

– Sweet shades
– Colorful chair
– Fashionable six year old in swim trunks

Once you’ve got all of your props together it’s time for some fun. Set up an area with everything for your guests to shift through. They’ll love standing in front of the beautiful flowers and getting a little crazy with props. If you want to go the extra mile you could use a polaroid camera and give them a true photo booth feel.