99 Cents Only/Party USA finds

**LairMistress** · 09-09-2010,01:34 PM

First, to see if there is a 99 Cents Only store near you: http://www.99only.com/locator/index.php Also, 99 Cents Only is carrying the silicone pumpkin and skull ice cube trays if you can't find them at Dollar Tree. Their skull trays are black, but the cube spots appear to be the same size and mold.

I couldn't locate the website for Party USA, sorry...hopefully you know if you have one near!

99 Cents Only:

Desktop Gargoyles (silvery paint)

Squeaking Rats just like Spirit and WalMart carry (and paper chandeliers):

Skull and Vampire door knockers (only 2 styles in my store, hard plastic and hollow):

Hollow thin plastic wall busters (material like Ben Cooper masks):

Tealite holders:

Door Mural (Dollar Tree has this style and more, this is the only one I saw at 99 CO):

5 ft tall jointed die cuts:

Cute bobblehead statues:

*******
Party USA

I actually went to Party USA last week, and forgot to upload these two pictures. They're of the same stone with lenticular picture, one photo just has the stone tilted to see the "scary" side of it. They had three styles, two were male and one was female; my apologies for not snapping photos of all three. They were $4.99 (styrofoam with picture glued on), and they're about the same size as the Dollar Tree tombstones:

**HeatherR** · 09-09-2010,02:08 PM

oooohhh... thanks for the post! I have practically cleaned out the Dollar Tree that has some really good stuff this year, ON TO THE .99only Store!

**LairMistress** · 09-09-2010,04:10 PM

You're welcome, glad to help! I took closer photos of the two items that I purchased. They did have other items too, but I couldn't take wide shots with my cellphone, and they were still setting the aisle, anyway. They had partyware (both reusable plastic and disposable), small painted hanging signs, glitter tabletop greetings (Trick or Treat, Happy Halloween in black glitter cut-out letters standing on a base), glitter skulls, faux flowers, treat bags, candy pails, candy, costume items, window clings, bloody gauze, tiny silver spider and bat snowglobes... They seemed to be missing a lot that I saw last year (skulls, Blucky bone 2 packs, tombstones, foam chain, plastic shackles).

Closer pix:

**printersdevil** · 09-10-2010,04:55 PM

Wow, that is a pretty big rat. Great finds. I need to drive into the Dallas area to see if they have these stores.

**Sarcazmos Funhouse** · 09-10-2010,05:21 PM

I just got back from 99 cent store, they had A TON of stuff. I bought $52.00 worth. The most valuable to me was these tinsel hanging bats, ghosts, and pumpkins. They seem worth more than 99 cents. Alot of fun cheap stuff.

**Halloweenfan** · 09-10-2010,06:40 PM

Drat, that 99 cents store is good!! I like that Skeleton knocker, and some of those cutouts are good. Oh well. I have some $1 stores around me besides Dollar Tree. I should see what they have. I honestly forget about them during Halloween, and than I keep on going to the stores that don't have much to get at all.

**LairMistress** · 09-10-2010,06:44 PM

Originally Posted by printersdevil

Wow, that is a pretty big rat. Great finds. I need to drive into the Dallas area to see if they have these stores.

Yes, it is. I bought a black one several years ago, and always put it on the "sill" above my door outside. It's the same size and style as the ones that Spirit has for $3.99, and WalMart has sets of 2 for $6.99 (or do I have that backwards?). I dropped mine while in the store and it squeaks better than my old one does, kinda surprised me, I forgot that they squeaked!

I liked the door knockers too. I carried the vampire one around for awhile, but changed my mind. I already have two door knockers that I don't use...kinda figured getting a third wouldn't help. One of mine is a gargoyle sitting atop a knocker from Target (1995) that knocks by itself, and says "Heeelllloooooo!" in a gravelly voice; the other is a rubber gargoyle head with flashing eyes that someone gave me years ago (it's a Rubies Costume item, and is rather misshapen, I can't get it straightened out--might have to take the back off and "stuff" it to make it better).

I plan on re-purposing the wall breaker I bought, by adding some foam faux boards like he's breaking out of a boarded window. Or, I might just use him as a papier mache mold if he's not positioned right to use that way as-is.

If I can get my mini cam charged up, I may go back and take a slow walk-thru video of the aisle now that I'm sure they're fully stocked. (it looks like a Blackberry phone, so I should be able to pull it off...they've never said no pix there before)

Edited to add: If you've never been to one of these stores before, it's one where everything is 99 cents or less...probably obvious by the name, but I know some "dollar" stores sell items for more (Big Dollar, Family Dollar, Dollar General, etc.). This isn't one of those. There is a "98 cent" store here too, that has a lot of items up to $4, which confused me, considering the name of the place.

**ondeko** · 09-17-2010,09:21 PM

Originally Posted by LairMistress

I liked the door knockers too. I carried the vampire one around for awhile, but changed my mind. I already have two door knockers that I don't use...kinda figured getting a third wouldn't help.

I plan on re-purposing the wall breaker I bought, by adding some foam faux boards like he's breaking out of a boarded window. Or, I might just use him as a papier mache mold if he's not positioned right to use that way as-is.
.

I saw that same vampire doorknocker at Party City for about $3 and was looking at it to use on a larger tomb marker or maybe on gate columns.

The thin stiff plastic stuff like this is pretty good mold material. i used a similar skull to crank out a ton of distressed skulls for an ossuary scene several years back.

**tomanderson** · 09-17-2010,09:29 PM

Yeah. There is some great stuff at 99 Cents Only stores...and a lot of things that look really neat with slight painting and augmenting.

I bought a hanging reaper skull with fabric--a little flimsy, but with potential--and am customizing it with wire to hold the shoulders up, some spray glue on the face so it will take paint, and a general repainting with black-light acrylics. For 99 cents, it's a good deal and it will look cool all lit up in a Halloween environment!