DIY Project Photo Booth

I'm in Harrisburg, PA hanging out with my mom until June 30th. My mom LOVES HGTV (and I mean really, who doesn't?) and so we often spend the time between dinner and bed time watching it and chatting/commenting on the crazy/cleaver/awesome things they do on these shows. It gets both of our wheels turning on what we can DIY in our own lives (like these amazing floating night stands we are going to make and put into my mom's guest bedroom). At this point in my life I am still renting and so I turn to my budding photography career to satisfy my DIY desires.

The more research I do, the more photography sessions I do, the more ideas I have (and get obsessed with). My current one? A photo booth. I have a shoot coming up that a photo booth would be PERFECT for. The problem? I have a teacher's budget which, for those of you that are unaware, is not a lot. Plus I'm currently paying down debt I've accumulated from rough patches in my life. Photo booths can be expensive, especially "professional" ones. One of my favorite websites is www.estsy.com so hopped on to see what I could find. I found some amazing options and could even have one custom made, but including shipping it would still cost me around $150 which I just can't do. I started thinking about it and having an internal desire vs. affordability war with myself. Then I had a thought: what if I made it? With the help of my amazingly crafty friend Amy I made my own black back drop that has worked perfectly so far. Amy and her husband have since moved to North Carolina (*sniff sniff*), but she has agreed to help from a distance by answering any questions I might have.

So with the help of my long distance craft guru, here's the plan:

I will be making a photo booth setup (including PVC piping stand) like this one, except mine will go all the way to the ground so I can use it for children of all ages:

Except I think I'm going to use this fabric (or something like it):

The goal: Make it all for $50. The most expensive part will be the fabric, which should account for about 80% of the total cost. If I can stay within this $50 price range than I think I will have enough money to buy funky picture frames or make mustaches on sticks for people to hold and have fun with at the photo booth. Plus this black and white polka dot pattern should let colors stand out and be versatile enough to use for any kind of event/shoot. I'll keep you updated on how the project is going along with a running total of how close to budget I'm able to stay.

Wish me luck!