We recently put on a red carpet event, and instead of buying or renting those fancy stanchions and ropes, we decided to make our own. The poles are made out of PVC pipe with 3 layered wood bases and spray painted gold. The ropes are made out of pipe insulators covered with red velvet sleeves that Faith made. We used eye bolts and fasteners to connect the ropes to the poles. They were a lot of fun to make and looked great. We got the basic plans from crackerjacktheater.com, and then made it our own. Cracker Jack Theater has lots of other fun DIY projects like this, so check them out.