Decorating on a Dime Booth/Handout

A few months ago my friend Melanie aka "Stake Relief Society President of the Los Lunas Ward," called and asked me to come up with a "Decorating on a Dime" booth and handout for their September Women's conference. I was delighted to do so but found it quite challenging to come up with a good handout that gave tips on cheap decor and and also served as a framework for my booth. I realized that I didn't want to just give a list of inexpensive decorating ideas because everyone's tastes, skills and interests are so varied that one list couldn't really meet the needs of a lot of people. So I stepped back and instead looked at the problem from the perspective of what skills are necessary to be able to decorate on the cheap.
I came up with seven important things to know and skills to have: How to refinish, repurpose, rearrange, think big, be resourceful, paint walls, and have some basic woodworking skills. I came up with a thorough handout on all of those things and then also made a handout about organization and another with seven great tools to own for a beginning woodworker.
Then for my display I decided to show a few things that I had come up with (on the cheap, of course). I made another set of poppies and also tried out spray painting over a lace-valance-template. I bought some plain oak doors at the Habitat ReStore for a buck each and refinished them in two ways - stained and painted. I also used a tube from a mail-packaging store to make tubes for each of my kids to keep their homework and other important papers in.
Here are some pictures of my booth:

On the actual day of the conference I just stood there and answered questions about different things in my booth. It was so fun to see friends that I hadn't seen for quite some time, and it was fun to talk about things that I like to do. (Although I felt funny being an "expert" - I'm not.) In the end I wonder if it was sort of a flop, though, because I had so many people say things like - You made that? I could never do that. - or - I could never use power tools. My husband does that. - or - I'm not that creative... To which I would like to say - If you want it bad enough, you can figure out how to do it. And it might not turn out great the first time, but if you try enough, something is bound to turn out incredible and you will find yourself gushing with self-satisfaction. And you'll be hooked.

Anyway that's that. I would like to share with you a phone message my sister Amy left me after I emailed her my handout. This is verbatim:
"Okay so when you said handout I thought you meant like a little cutesy little handout...not like I'm putting on a seminar on amazing things that if you miss out on you'll be dumber and wrong and very detailed...It looks like you put a lot of time into that...I think you should join the PTO because you have spare time...Anyway, I have not read it, I just wanted to tell you that it looks amazing...and...I'm in my car, which is why I haven't read it..."

Ah...it still makes me laugh. I'm pretty sure she still hasn't read it, but that's okay. Awesome.
Anyone want a very detailed, long handout that is not some cutesy little thing that you might be dumber and wrong if you don't read? ;)