Ashley’s Door Decorating Tips

As I previously mentioned, my first guest blogger is my friend Ashley- a Howie fan from NJ. She’s been competing with me in the Lose It all Challenge and has been totally kicking my butt. She also has her own awesome blog, Confessions of a Giggler, that I recommend you check out. Her blog covers everything from stories about friends and dancing to her favorite movies and of course the Backstreet Boys! She has a great BSB cruise review as well that is a must read:

Day One
Day Two
Day Three
Day Four

And without further ado, Ashley!

Door Decorating Tips

Hi everyone! I’m Ashley and I am so excited to be a guest blogger here on Laura’s awesome BSB Cruise blog. This is def the best blog out there for all things related to the hottest party on the seven seas!!!

We are approaching the 5 month mark and December will be here before we know it! Something to start thinking about is door decorations. We may not know the themes for the parties or what the events will be but we do know that there will be a door decorating contest. So why not start brainstorming? Last year the prize was front row seats for the concert! That is something definitely worth playing for if you ask me!!

Last year I went all out. I started working on my door in October and didn’t finish until the weekend before the cruise. I obsessed over every teeny tiny detail and even had a few freak outs along the way when something didn’t come out perfect. It was a very stressful time for me… haha! I approached this contest just like I did when I participated in Hall Decorating in high school. There were lots of rules and if you didn’t follow those rules you got points off. It was something that came natural to me to worry about all the little things (like neatness and none of the door could be showing and other things like that). That was my first mistake. Sure my door was AMAZING and I was super proud of it but it didn’t get me the win.

My Movie-Themed Door

What I learned from last year is that door dec is completely opposite from “the perfect fan”. The lyrics say “it’s not the big things but the little things”. When in comes to this competition it is definitely not the little things but the BIG things that will get you noticed. Unfortunately the boys don’t have time to go to every deck and look at every door to find a winner. I’m pretty sure they rely on pictures. So it is very important to have a door that photographs well. Every door that they mentioned had some sort of big piece on it. That’s what grabbed their attention. A lot of really cool small piece isn’t going to do anything to help your cause. The winning door had a home made locker in the middle and the rest of the door was covered in old magazine covers.

Tough to tell from this picture, but its all 3D

So now that you know to go BIG you may be wondering what supplies would be good to use. I suggest using anything that’s sturdy. Regular paper isn’t going to cut it. So if you have the urge to pick up some computer paper and start crafting, DON’T!!! Instead take a ride down to your local craft store (Michael’s is my favorite) and pick up some card stock. It is much thicker than regular paper and comes in lots of colors. While at the craft store don’t be afraid to look around and get whatever else you may need to create an awesome door. Last year I used everything from acrylic paint to curling ribbon to glitter to sharpie markers to tacky glue to special edge scissors to rhinestones to packaging peanuts to everything else in between. Cardboard is also really great to work with. It is pretty sturdy so it will travel better and the natural light color of it makes it easy to paint any color you want. Sometimes it’s a little difficult to cut. So I recommend using an exacto knife. You will be able to get the shape you need with this easier than with scissors.

My final piece of advice for you is to HAVE FUN with it!!! Last year I took it way too seriously and was devastated when I didn’t win. That’s not going to happen again this year. What ever happens, happens. I’m just going to have fun!

If anyone one has any questions don’t be afraid to ask!