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Dear Cruisin' Susan,
I searched around the house and the only material I have on hand is plain, white computer paper. I'm on my way out the door to pick up some decoration supplies. Any suggestions?
– Shoppin' Sharon
Dear Shoppin' Sharon,
Before you get in the car, read through my suggestions below and take another look around the house. You may be surprised to find items tucked away that can be "repurposed" for door decorations! If not, you'll also find plenty of decoration shopping ideas.
– Cruisin' Susan
Regular computer paper. Don't write off plain ol' computer paper. You'd be surprised how easily it spruces up with stickers, photos, pictures from magazines, or computer graphics. Try putting it in a page protector and attaching with magnetic or removable-adhesive clips. (See Step 5 – Hang It, for more information.)
Photo Paper. If you're anything like me, then I know that you have plenty of photo paper sitting in a desk drawer. Thick enough to glue or tape a magnet on the back, or hang with removable adhesive putty, (see Step 5), yet still thin enough to go through your printer! Add your hand lettering or illustrations with permanent markers, such as Sharpies.
Card stock. Easy to find online or in your local office supply or craft store, card stock has all the advantages of photo paper with the added bonus that its surface is agreeable to most pencils, pens, and markers.
Wrapping Paper. Not just for presents! Try finding wrapping paper that matches the theme, or themes, that you have chosen. For a colorful background, cover the door with wrapping paper before you put up any other signs or decorations.
Scrapbooking Paper and Supplies. If scrapbooking is a hobby, make some decorations with your scrapbooking supplies. Added bonus: it's all ready for your scrapbook when you return!
Personal Photos. Take some goofy shots of your family or dig through your archives and see if you can find anything to use from previous vacations.
Then and now. Signs or decorations with pictures of you or your family years ago next to your current photos. An obvious theme for birthdays or anniversaries, I also like this theme for retirement celebrations, graduations, and weddings (a wedding photo next to a picture taken when you first met). Those of you celebrating a milestone cruise, for example your 5th, 10th, 20th, might also consider then and now photographs.
Pets. For those of us who will miss our “fur children” we have to leave at home.
Picture of the Day. I’ve even heard of resourceful cruisers bringing a small photo printer with them and printing out a “Picture of the Day” to hang on their stateroom door!
Regular Stickers. If you don't have any lying around they are easy to find at dollar stores, party stores, craft stores, scrapbooking stores, or online. My very favorite resource for stickers is Dover Publications. They have a huge variety of inexpensive, little, themed sticker books.
Stencils. Dover Publications also has quite a variety of inexpensive, little, themed stencil books.
Bumper Stickers. As long as you hang it with a magnet or putty, or “stick” it to paper before you “stick” it on the door!
Foam Stickers. These come in themed packages of either fairly simple, yet useful one-color foam cutouts with sticky stuff on the back or in elaborate 3-D, multicolor foam creations. Available at your local craft store and at my favorite online party decoration source: Oriental Trading Company.
Peel & Stick Wall Art and Window Decals. These are like large stickers, except they just cling to the surface and come right off with no mess. Also good for adding a little flair to your porthole or veranda doors.
Magazines. Do you subscribe to any travel, hobby, craft, or entertainment magazines? Try looking through your last few issues for interesting pictures, illustrations, and logos.
Mail. It's hard to get more “on theme” than the brochures and documents that you receive in the mail from your cruise line or travel agent. If you aren't saving them for another purpose, they are usually chock-full of pictures, illustrations, and logos.
Holiday Decorations. Stockings, wreaths, cardboard menorahs, hearts, bunnies, shamrocks, pilgrims, turkeys, cornucopias, etc.
Party Supplies. Streamers, ribbons, bows, cut outs, Halloween masks, leis, grass skirts, balloons, Mardis gras necklaces and masks. In addition to your local dollar stores and craft stores, you may also want to check out Oriental Trading Company. They are inexpensive and have a “boatload” of supplies on just about any theme you can think of.
Artwork. Your own, or your kids’. I’ll confess, I’m a sucker for anything drawn by by anyone age 10 and under.
Flags. Small American flags for Independence Day, Veterans Day, President's Day, or Memorial Day. Show your heritage with flags from various country. Use a flag to tell us what State or University you hail from or what sports team you support. Garden flags or "Welcome" flags are ready made decorations that pack a lot of punch.
Front Door Signs. Such as wooden welcome signs that are made to hang from a hook on your front door. You can hang them on your cruise door with a magnetic hook or removable adhesive hook (see Step 5 – Hang It).
Paper or Magnet Dolls. Kids and fellow cruisers love to dress them up each day.
Message Centers. For communicating with your family or getting fun messages from fellow cruisers, try dry erase boards, magnetic alphabets, and note pads.
Unconventional Objects. T-shirts, hats, nets, inflatable flamingos or palm trees. If the item isn't bulky, just about anything is fair game!
From CruiseCritic.Com. Tons of ideas about the creative "repurposing" of materials, in the previously mentioned Cabin Door Decor thread.
Go On to Step 3 – Find Graphics
Jump to Step 4 – Put It Together
