If you only have a few minutes and a few dollars with which to put together your Halloween costume this year, this cactus costume is a win in both departments! Over at Brit + Co, Kirsten shares this super simple idea that is over-the-top adorable. If you don’t have a green dress or shirt on hand that you can use for this project, keep an eye out a thrift stores to pick one up for cheap. For a less-flowery version you could use a green stocking cap with pipe cleaners attached to top the outfit off instead. [how to make a cactus costume]

Project estimate:

• Green dress or shirt, on hand or $1 and up
• White pipe cleaners, on hand or $1
• Headband, on hand or $1
• Faux flower, $1 and up
• Hot glue, on hand

Total: $1 and up!

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Leather feathers – as fun to say as they are to wear!  We love these chic, dangly earrings from Gina Michele.  It’s a great way to use up scraps of leather left over from other projects; if you don’t happen to have any leather on hand, old leather garments from thrift stores are also a great source of materials for this project.  If you like the leather feather look, you could also use this technique to make a necklace, or even to embellish items for your decor!  [how to make leather feather earrings]

Project estimate:

• Leather, on hand or $1 and up
• Chain, on hand or $1
• Jewelry findings, on hand or $1

Total:  Free and up!

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Looking for a quick and easy way to dress up a plain shirt?  Check out how Heather used some cute fabric to make these no-sew appliques!  This is a great way to use up scraps of cute fabrics – or a good excuse to buy the next adorable remnant you see.  Check out the how to on the iLoveToCreate blog!  [how to make a no-sew owl applique t-shirt]

Project estimate: 

• T-shirt or onesie, on hand or $1 and up
• Owl print fabric (or other cute motif), on hand $1 and up
• Aleene’s Fabric Fusion, about $4 and up

Total:  about $4 and up

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Buttons, buttons, buttons.  Every crafter has them laying around somewhere, right?  Over the years I have inherited several jars worth of them – more than I will ever conceivably need for garment making or repair purposes.  So, what can you do with all of those extras?  Johanna Rundel turned some brightly colored buttons into this cute, stretchy bracelet!  The instructions are in German, but the photos are easy to follow, and you can always run the page through Google Translate if you feel like you’re missing something!  [how to make a button bracelet]

Project estimate:

• Buttons, on hand or $1 and up
• Elastic, on hand or $1

Total:  Free and up!

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Hayyy, summer! The dog days are here, and that means sunglasses all day every day. Are you getting a little bit tired of wearing the same pair of sunglasses every day? Check out these ways to dress up your plain sunglasses to turn them into something cute and new-to-you.

1. Decoupage Them – Mod Podge Rocks shares a two-fer tute on how to decoupage your shades with glitter or with pretty scrapbook paper.

2. Painted Patterns – Grab some nail polish and decorate your sunglasses with pretty geometric patterns.

3. Two-Tone – This is another fun way to use nail polish to deck out your sunglasses.

4. Pearl Glasses – These Chanel-inspired shades cost a fraction of the designer price.

5. Studded Sunglasses – Give a boring pair of shades a hard edge with studs.

6. Polkadots – Grab a toothpick and paint and give a plain pair of sunglasses a polkadot makeover.

7. Seed Bead Glasses – Shiny seed beads give cat’s eye glasses a chunky glitter pop!

8. Pop of Color – This is a super simple tutorial to add just a little splash of color to your sunglasses.

9. Bejeweled Glasses – Add some rhinestone bling for a dramatic pair of shades.

10. Do a Swap – Mix and match the frames and legs on a couple of pairs of your sunglasses.

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Oh, yarn scraps.  If you’re a knitter or crocheter, you probably have a ton of them.  What do you do with all of those bits that are too short for most projects but too long to just throw away?  Heidi from Hands Occupied came up with this easy crochet tutorial, turning bis of pretty yarn into adorable rings!  It’s a great beginner crochet project, as it takes very little time and very basic stitching.  [how to make crocheted rings]

Project estimate:

• Yarn scraps, on hand
• Crochet hook, on hand

Total:  Free!

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One of the most dangerous things I have ever encountered at a craft store?  A whole table of fabrics for $1 per yard.  I’m usually not much of a fabric hoarder, but deals like that bring out my tendency to obsessively collect!  The problem is, I end up with boxes and boxes of pretty cottons – and I very rarely sew.  Since the odds of me digging into a large sewing project (like a garment or a quilt) fall squarely in the slim-to-none range, I am a big fan of super-easy projects like this infinity scarf by Stacey at The Ribbon Retreat.  She used a handful of fat quarters to make her project, so if you’re a collector of those as well (*raises hand*) then you’ll definitely want to check this out!  [how to make a fabric infinity scarf]

Project estimate:

• Fabric, on hand or $1 and up
• Sewing machine or needle and thread, on hand

Total:  Free and up

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One thing I have discovered over my many years of thrift store shopping is that often, I can buy secondhand clothing for less than what if would cost me to buy the fabric to create a garment.  Crazy, right?  Caroline at Imagine Gnats came up with a brilliant and money-saving idea, using a men’s button-down shirt to create a pair of toddler-sized shorts.  She even turned the chest pocket into a back pocket – such a cute idea!  Use your favorite shorts pattern for this project, or look up free sewing patterns if you don’t already have one on hand. [how to turn a men’s shirt into toddler shorts]

Project estimate:

• Men’s button-down shirt, on hand or $1
• Shorts pattern, free and up
• Sewing machine, on hand

Total:  Free and up

The post Turn a Men’s Shirt into Toddler Shorts appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Do you have a fabric problem? If you’re like me, you may not be able to part with your fabric scraps. Or you might have a tendency to buy fat quarters when they are on sale for $1 without any real plan for how to use them. If you’ve got some manly prints in your stash, these little neckties from The DIY Mommy are are the perfect way to use them up! [how to make baby neckties]

Project estimate:

• 1/4 yard cotton quilting fabric, on hand or $1 and up
• 1 inch wide velcro, on hand or $1 and up
• Sewing machine, on hand
• Free pattern (available at The DIY Mommy)

Total: Free and up!

The post Make Baby Neckties from Fabric Scraps appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

If you have been pregnant any time in the last five years or so, you are probably well aware of the miracle that is the belly band. If you haven’t been pregnant that recently, let me tell you: it’s awesome! It helps hold up your pants (both maternity and pre-maternity) as well as gives your belly some extra coverage from shirts that are too short to cover. Plain belly bands will cost you upward of $10 each but if you follow the tutorial on See Kate Sew, you can make your own for just a few dollars (or even for free if you use an old t-shirt!). [how to make a ruffled pregnancy belly band]

Project estimate:

• 1/2 yard stretchy knit fabric OR a stretchy t-shirt, on hand or $3 and up
• Sewing machine, on hand

Total: Free and up!

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