Craft Pic of the Week: Davie Street Stores

Craft Pick of the Week is a weekly Beyond Robson column that focuses on arts and craft events, projects and people. This week it's all about celebrating Halloween-last night I had a party and test drove a number of halloween decorations made from items purchased from local dollar stores. If you still haven't decorated for Hallow's Eve-there's still time to make a few spooky things without breaking the bank. All you need to do is visit the West End.

The Super 99 Center on Davie and Bute is my absolute favorite dollar store in the world. All for a dollar a piece, I purchased white pillar candles which were decorated with a package of black plastic ants, white tissue paper that came flying paper ghosts, fake cob webs, and black construction paper to cut into rats to hang around my apartment.

Further down the street, Amy's Loonie Twoonie store offered life-like skull tealight containers ($1.99 a piece), black and orange party plates ($1 for 20), and plastic bats for $1.00. I also got some creepy translucent fingers to stick into the food we served.

My boyfriend made a bloodbath in our washroom. A bottle of corn syrup ($4.99), water with red and blue food colouring ($1.99) from Supervalu. Some gruesome blood splashed around the bathroom and the medicine cabinet bare except for a bloody carving knife, and well, it was pretty gross. There are tons of online recipies like this one. At Supervalu we also picked up some rubber gloves in which we froze cranberry juice for a hand in the punch and a salsa hand to go in a bowl of guacamole (gruesome looking, but not very edible-I tried it so you don't have to.)

If blood's not your thing, or you're decorating for those who appreciate the cuddlier side in life, you can always purchase felt and googly eyes and make soft, huggable ghosties which is what one of my party guests did as a party gift for me. Get thee to Davie street and you have no excuse not to have a freaky halloween lair.