No 80’s party is complete without a giant rubik’s cube, an 80’s themed cupcake stand with cassette tapes, and serving bowls made from records. What makes all of these so cool is that you can make them all yourself and for much cheaper than what you would pay in the store for 80’s party décor. Be sure to also check out more of Mark’s Totally Radical 80’s Themed Party Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 if you have not already.
We all can remember playing with rubik’s cubes as kids and most of us probably becoming frustrated when we couldn’t figure it out. Well this is one rubik’s cube that is easy to make and will bring much more pleasure and satisfaction when displayed at your party. Parties for Pennies really hit this idea spot on and I couldn’t wait to make it when I found her idea.
When planning Mark’s party, I also wanted some way to display the dessert instead of just using any old ordinary cake stand. I decided on doing cupcakes but actually didn’t have my own cupcake stand anyways. When I found a cupcake stand that I could make myself using cassette tapes from Parties for Pennies, again I couldn’t wait!
And as if a giant rubik’s cube and cupcake stand with cassette tapes wasn’t enough, I found serving bowls made from records. This was just the icing on the cake.
Let’s not waste any time. These are some pretty awesome décor items that are a blast to make as well. I will first start with the giant Rubik’s cube.
Supplies you will need:
- 1 large box or smaller boxes of the same size that will form a cube when taped together
- Package tape
- Black spray paint
- Black craft paint
- Paintbrush
- Neon colored paper- You will need 5 different colors.
- Ruler
- Paper cutter/trimmer
- Adhesive runner or Hot glue gun
First you will need a large box. If you do not have one large box, then you can use package tape to tape several small boxes together in order to make a large cube. I simply held the boxes tightly together while wrapping the package tape enough to keep them secure.
Spray paint your box black to coat completely. I decided to end up painting a 2nd coat on the box with craft paint. The craft paint seemed to make a thicker coat that covered the box completely and to cover up any writing on the box. The craft paint seemed easier to me personally than having to keep spray painting to cover the writing especially.
While your paint is drying, you can go ahead and cut out your neon colored paper for the squares of the cube. You are going to need 5 different colors in order to have one color for each side of the cube. You will not need a color for the bottom since it will be on the floor and no one will see it. You will end up with a total of 9 squares of each color for a grand total of 45 squares. I found a pack of paper at Wal-Mart that had neon green, blue, pink, yellow, and orange that worked perfectly.
The size of your individual squares that you need to cut out will depend on the size of your box. I measured the length of one side and also considered that I needed to leave a black border around the box and then between each colored square.
Once you have your squares measured and cut out and the box is completely dry, you are ready to attach your colored squares to the box. I choose to place one color on each side of the box. You could also mix it up like a rubik’s cube that has been played with all the colors mixed up.
I used an adhesive runner to apply the squares but would have used a hot glue gun if making again. The adhesive runner did not seem to want to adhere well to the paint on the box.
Your giant rubik’s cube is now complete and was not hard to make at all. Plus as I said earlier, it is definitely much cheaper to make than the typical store bought items. I used mine as a table to place Mark’s gifts on at the party.
I am very excited now to get to the cupcake stand. You cannot have an 80’s party without using cassette tapes and this just displays them perfectly.
Supplies:
- 2 different sized boxes that can be stacked in two tiers with space enough to stack the cupcakes on each layer- I used only 2 boxes but if you need more space for cupcakes, then use more boxes of course to have more tiers.
- Cassette tapes
- Black spray paint
- Neon colored spray paint- I used neon pink and green to alternate the colors.
- Hot glue gun and glue sticks
- Package tape
I layed out my boxes and cassette tapes for a display to have an idea of how many cassette tapes I would need and how many of each color I would need to paint. My dad happened to have some cassette tapes that he no longer wanted. I also found a book on tape at Goodwill that was very cheap and gave me the majority of the tapes I needed in that one set.
Spray paint your cassette tapes with the neon spray paint. I did have to paint 2 coats in order to cover the writing on the tapes completely.
While your tapes are drying, you can assemble your boxes. Always thinking of the most efficient way to make the most of my time. I first taped the boxes shut with packages tape and then stacked in two tiers. Using a hot glue gun, glue your boxes together. I added extra hot glue around the edges of one box where it sits on the next almost like caulking something added extra support.
Paint your boxes black with spray paint until covered completely.
Once your tapes are completely dry, hot glue them to the boxes on the sides in the pattern you choose.
Your cupcake stand is now complete and ready to show off those neon cassette tapes that you thought you would never ever use again. What a neat way to show off the dessert.
Now that you have something to display your cupcakes, you need something extra special for a serving bowl than just using that huge chip bowl you always pull out at parties. You know the one I’m talking about. We all do it. But this time, an 80’s party deserves something extra special to serve those cheddar cheese Doritos in. Why yes, a record bowl is the perfect solution to add another extra 80’s flair.
Supplies:
- Records- I found mine for really cheap at Goodwill. Pick records that have colorful labels that will show through once the bowl starts becoming empty.
- Oven safe bowl
- Baking sheet
- Oven
- Pot holders
Preheat your oven to 200 degrees F.
Place the oven safe bowl on a baking sheet upside down.
Place your record directly on top of the bowl being sure to center it so when it begins to melt, it will fall evenly around the bowl.
Once the oven is preheated, place the baking sheet in the oven with the bowl and record for about 8-10 minutes.
You will start to see the record “melt” as it gets hotter. The record will begin to fall down around the ball and conform to it. Using a pot holder or mitten, press on the record to check that it has softened enough in order to mold it the way you want.
Once the record has conformed to the bowl, take the baking sheet out of the oven with a pot holder and immediately take the record of the bowl. Quickly turn your bowl over and place the record inside. Mold your record using the bowl as a guide being careful to not burn yourself during this part.
You do have to work quickly once taking the record out of the oven because as it begins to cool down, the record will harden once again. You can place the record back in the oven as previously done if it hardens too quickly and you would like to reshape some.
I also melted the smaller size records around a small bowl which basically only curled the edges of the record. It still turned out really cute, and I ended up using it as a cake plate for a small cake I made for the cake topper.
The record bowls were perfect for serving Doritos and any other snacks but also great for the candy bar. I did clean the records with a wet paper towel before placing food in them but if you do not feel comfortable with putting food in them then just line with a napkin or towel first.
These three projects were by far my most favorite of all of Mark’s party décor. They were different than anything I had ever made before and really embraced the 80’s theme showing it off even more. Everyone loved them at the party and kept talking about them. You will not regret these projects one bit. Don’t even think about having a party without incorporating rubik’s cubes, cassette tapes, and records. There simply just isn’t any other way.
Enjoy yourself and have a blast but don’t forget to enjoy the little things in life.
Continue to check back every week for more 80’s décor you can make yourself. Next week I will wrap up the 80’s party series with games, scavenger hunts, and gift ideas. You will not want to miss so please join me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter to stay updated. I would love to hear from you with any comments, suggestions, or ideas you may have.
Bethany…everything turned out awesome! Great job! Thanks for using Parties for Pennies as your inspiration!
Thank you! Most of the inspiration for the party came from your post. I loved being able to make all of the decor for very little money but still looking so much better than all the store bought stuff.