Check out these fabulous flower solar lights from Instructables user Shomo09!  Plain path lights get a colorful makeover with the addition of a plastic cover – a cover made from melted pony beads.  You will definitely want to buy a pizza pan to use for this project – don’t use your good one!  Once you’ve finished using it to melt the beads you should no longer use it for preparing food.  (But you can use it to create magnetic toy storage!)  It is also suggested that you do this project outdoors on a gas grill rather than in your oven to reduce your exposure to melting plastic fumes.  [how to makemelted bead solar light covers]

Project estimate:

• Solar lights, on hand or $1 each
• Pony beads, on hand or $1
• Pizza pan, $1
• Tin can, on hand
• Gas grill, on hand

Total: $1 and up

The post Make Melted Bead Solar Light Covers appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Whether you’re looking for an activity to entertain the kids at this years 4th of July BBQ or you just need a quick craft to fill a summer afternoon, this easy patriotic jewelry by Chelsey at Buggy and Buddy is a great project!  The resulting pieces are fashionable enough that tweens will actually wear them, and easy enough that even little finger can help.  Her post also includes some great suggestions for making this project even more kid-friendly, so make sure you head over there and check it out!  [how to make patriotic straw and bead jewelry]

Project estimate:

• Straws, $1 and up
• Beads, on hand or $1
• String or pipe cleaners, on hand or $1

Total:  $1 and up!

The post Make Patriotic Straw and Bead Jewelry appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

It all started a couple of weeks ago when I posted a picture on Instagram of a dollar store pumpkin I had painted black.  It turns out Carissa had also bought a dollar store foam pumpkin and painted it black.  One thing led to another and the next thing we knew, a challenge was laid out:  who could make a cooler black pumpkin?

Then I knew I had to come up with something amazing.  But what?  I decided to go back to my crafty roots and do one of the things I first loved as a kid:  Macrame!  I love how a few basic knots are enough to turn plain objects into works of art.  I thought that wrapping the pumpkin in macrame might be reminiscent of spider webs, so I grabbed a ball of white yarn and started tying.

Project estimate:

• Foam pumpkin, $1
• Paint, on hand or $1 and up
• Yarn, on hand or $1 and up*
• Pony beads, on hand or $1
• Glue, on hand

Total:  $1 and up

*A note on yarn selection:  The yarn you choose will have a big effect on how your finished project looks.  I chose to use cotton yarn because it isn’t as fuzzy as most other yarns.  This gives the project a clean, modern look.  It is also easier to untie than some other yarns in the event of a mistake!

Start with a basic foam pumpkin.  I used a carvable pumpkin from Dollar Tree.

Paint the pumpkin with craft paint.  I used black paint for mine, but you can change it up and do this in any colors you want!  The paint I used is formulated for outdoor use, so if I decide to put it out on my porch I don’t have to worry about the paint fading or peeling in the elements.  This, or course, it totally optional; any craft paint will do!

Use a piece of string to measure the distance from the pumpkin stem to the bottom of the pumpkin; measure and cut a piece of string that is about 5 times that length.  Cut a bunch more pieces the same length; the number you will need depends on the size of your pumpkin.  I used 22 strings to get around my pumpkin.  Make sure you work in even numbers, and cut one of the strings a few inches longer than the rest.

Working around the longer string, loop each of the rest of the strings around it to form a series of knots.  Loop the strings at the center point and pull the ends through the loop to make a knot as shown.  Place a pony bead between each knot to create spacers.  You will use the same number of beads as you have strings (so I used 22).

Once all of the strings are knotted around the longer string, tie the ends of the longer string together to form a loop.  Make sure this loop is large enough to fit around the stem of your pumpkin.  Use a couple small dabs of glue to hold the ring in place in top of the pumpkin.

Now comes the knotting!  You will notice that your strings are in pairs; take a string from one pair and a string from an adjacent pair and tie a square knot.  Continue around the pumpkin until you have tied a square knot using each set of strings.  The knots should look like the photo above.  (Learn how to tie a square knot here.)

Make another round of macrame in the same fashion; use one string from each pair knotted in the previous round so that the knots are in a staggered pattern.  Repeat until you have knotted all the way around the pumpkin to the bottom.

When you reach the bottom of the pumpkin, trim the excess ends of the strings and use a little bit of glue to hold them in place on the bottom of the pumpkin, as shown.

After the glue dries, it is ready to display!  I put mine on top of a milk glass candy dish full of candy corn to give it a bit of a whimsical twist.

Looking for more pumpkin crafts?

The post Tutorial: Macrame Wrapped Pumpkin appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

There are some craft supplies that I have a hard time using to make grown-up looking crafts.  Pony beads are one of those supplies; I look at them and all I can see is the lizard-shaped keychains I learned how to make a summer camp when I was ten.  And despite the fact that I never actually use them in my crafting, somehow there is still a huge Ziploc full of them in my stash, always taunting me.  Do you know the feeling?  Wondering what to do with those darn things?  Here is a great idea from Desiree at The 36th Avenue that is as easy as it is cute.  She and her girls melted some beads to create bright, cheerful jewelry!  [how to make melted bead jewelry]

Project estimate:

• Plastic pony beads, on hand or $1
• Oven or toaster oven, on hand
• Jewelry findings, on hand or $1 and up
• Hot glue, on hand

Total:  Free and up

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