Need a great Halloween costume in a hurry? Here is the ultimate guide to creating a last-minute pirate costume for Halloween. There are so many different ways to make a great No-Sew Pirate Costume, so I’ll give you all my secrets on how to make, find, or modify each part of the pirate costume to make it work for you.

Arrrgh, don’t worry about yer Halloween costume this year, matey! It’s easy to make a pirate costume using items you already have in your closet. With just a little cleverness and an eye for repurposing, you’ll have a great costume fit for collecting booty (or candy).

• Related Post: How to throw a Pirate Party

Last-Minute Pirate Costume Materials:

(*can be purchased at the dollar store)

Pirate Hat (choose one):

• 1 scarf or bandanna*
• 1 long-sleeve striped t-shirt sleeve
• 1 pirate accessory kit (from the dollar store)*
• 1 large round sun hat (from the thrift store)

Pirate Top (choose one or more):

• 1 striped t-shirt or long-sleeved tee
• 1 vest
• 1 white blouse (women’s, lacy or flowy is good)
• 1 women’s jacket (plain, in corduroy or velvet)

Pirate Pants (choose one):

• 1 pair plain pants (black, brown, navy blue)
• 1 pair pin-striped pants
• 1 pair plain capri-style pants
• 1 skirt

Pirate Shoes and Socks (choose one):

• knee-length white socks and black shoes (tennis shoes, dress shoes, or mary jane-style)*
• knee-length striped socks and shoes (tennis shoes, dress shoes, or mary jane-style)*
• sandals

Pirate Accessories (choose one or more):

• 1 wide women’s belt (black or brown)
• 1 leather belt with metal buckle
• 1 long lightweight scarf
• 1 white or plain-colored bandanna (or piece of fabric)
• eye-patch*
• hook hand*
• toy or paper parrot*
• hoop earring or earrings*
• sparkly jewelry*

DIY Pirate Costume Instructions:

Make the Pirate Hat:

A. Bandanna Hat:

Tie scarf or bandanna on your child’s head for a ship’s mate style hat.

• For square bandannas or scarves: fold in half diagonally. Place long flat side against forehead, and tuck opposite point at back of neck. Bring side points around the back of head and tie together in a knot.
• For long lightweight scarves: put on head and tie in the back. Let long ties hang down back.

B. Stocking Cap

Cut the sleeve off a long-sleeved striped t-shirt for a pirate-style stocking cap. Stretch the wide part of the sleeve over your head like a hat and then, knot the top. Cut off excess.

C. Buy a pirate hat

I found a pirate accessory kit at the dollar store that included a pirate hat, plastic sword, and eye-patch.

D. Make a Tri-corn hat

This is the style of hat worn by famous movie pirates like Captain Jack Sparrow. To make one, find a large, round women’s sun hat at a thrift store. Fold the brim up and staple to the crown of hat, on three sides. I made a video tutorial for making a tri-corn hat, so check that out if you need more visual help.

Put together the pirate top:
A. Long-sleeved t-shirt

A long-sleeved t-shirt is a great base for a ship’s mate style pirate costume. Look for long-sleeved striped t-shirts in 2 colors — any color will do, but just build the rest of your costume color palette around the shirt colors. Or, use a plain white or cream colored henley or thermal shirt.

B. A women’s blouse

A plain white or off-white blouse makes a great pirate captain shirt (or other plain colors, if the details of the shirt fit the pirate aesthetic). If you are dressing your child but using an adult blouse, roll up the sleeves, or put a loose rubber band around your child’s wrist and tuck the cuff around it. 

• Things to look for in a pirate blouse: lace (especially at the neck or cuffs), an interesting non-modern detail on the front like pleating, collars or no collars are fine.
• Things to avoid: zippers and snaps.

C. Add a vest

Add a vest over the base shirt to include another layer of detail. Dark, plain vests are best: black, brown, navy blue, and red are all good choices.

D. Add a jacket

You can also add a women’s jacket if you have one that looks somewhat pirate-y. A plain jacket in dark corduroy or velvet could be good, especially with a belt over the shoulder.

Make the Pirate Pants:

A. Knee-length pants

Many pirates wore short knee-length pants. Choose plain pants (black, brown, navy blue) or pinstriped pants and roll them up to the knee or tuck them into long socks. Plain, dark capri pants can also work.

B. Raggedy pants

Get the shipwrecked pirate look by taking a pair of old pants and cutting them off jaggedly at the knee.

C. Pirate skirt

Twist the idea of the pirate costume by wearing a plain dark skirt. Who says girl pirates can’t wear skirts?

Assemble the Pirate Shoes and Socks:

A. Choose knee-length socks in black, white, or stripes. Pull them all the way up to the knee.

B. Wear black or brown shoes. Best shoes: dark boots, leather dress shoes or mary janes. Add an oversized cardboard buckle, if desired. Plain dark tennis shoes will also work.

C. Another option is to wear sandals without socks (good for the shipwrecked pirate look).

Just Add Pirate Accessories (choose one or more):

The accessories really make your pirate costume. Try to have at least one of the classic pirate details: an eye-patch, a hook, or a sword.

A. Belt/Bandolier: The best pirate accessory is a wide belt with a large buckle, slung over one shoulder. A plain leather belt with metal buckle will also work.

B. Scarf Sash: Make a sash for your waist with a long lightweight scarf. Wrap it around the waist once or twice and knot at the side.

C. Neckerchief: A white or plain-colored scarf (or piece of fabric) tied around the neck with the knot at the neck is a great pirate detail.

D. Eye-patch: You can make an eye-patch if necessary, but it is far easier to buy one. Store-bought eye-patches fit well and look good. You can find eye-patches at the dollar store (toy section), or at a drug store near the visual aids section.

• DIY Eyepatch: If you want to make an eyepatch, cut a half-circle piece of felt and tie on two pieces of ribbon or elastic. Adjust to fit.
  

E. Hook Hand: To make a hook hand take a party cup (make sure the pirate’s fist can fit inside comfortably), cut a slit in the bottom of the cup. Insert a hook made from cardboard (cut a hook shape out) or the end of a plastic hanger. Secure with duct tape or hot glue. (Note: Avoid using wire hangers because they can be dangerous and cause injury).

F. Pet Parrot: Use a toy stuffed parrot or other bird and attach to shoulder. Or make this fun paper parrot with your child.

G. Pirate Earring: Pirates often wore earrings. Hoop earrings are a good choice for girl pirates with pierced ears, or find a clip-on earring for pirates without pierced ears. You can find these at party or dollar stores.

H. Accessorize with jewelry. A pirate medallion will do for a hard-working pirate, or clip on sparkly pins to a fancy pirate captain.

I. Pirate Weapons: Attach a sword or pirate gun to the costume. Find these at party or dollar stores, or make them out of cardboard. Tuck the weapon into the costume with a sash.

• Related: How to Make a Play Pirate Sword

DIY Pirate Costume Tips

Finding your supplies: Remember, you are not limited to just your child’s wardrobe. Don’t overlook old clothes from other members of the family as well. An old blouse from Mom’s closet will make a great pirate captain’s shirt. After you’ve checked your closet for pirate gear, fill in with items from the thrift store or dollar store to round out your outfit. If you are going to cut up or modify clothing, you might want to buy it at the thrift store. Pirate accessories are easy to find at the dollar store or discount store.

Pirate Perfection: Don’t worry if you can’t get everything perfect. Pirates had to use what they could get, and it’s okay to do the same with your pirate costume!

The post Last-Minute Pirate Costume for Halloween appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Who’s the fairest of them all? YOU are, with this pretty Disney Princess duct tape hand mirror! Transform a boring dollar store hand mirror into a magical mirror fit for a princess, with just a few simple supplies and techniques. Come find out how to make it!

My family and I are getting ready to go on a dream vacation to Walt Disney World in Florida, to attend the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration, and also to have a family vacation. Visiting WDW is a first-time for everyone in my family (the kids have never been to any Disney parks). To celebrate, some of my crafty blogger friends (who are also attending the conference) and I are sharing some Disney-themed craft tutorials with you. For my project, I created this cute and simple duct tape craft, featuring a very pretty printed tape from Duck Brand with Disney Princesses on it!

I recently visited the duct tape aisle at Michaels — big mistake! Or maybe big inspiration – you decide. Check out all the awesome duct tapes I came home with:

I just knew I had to come up with something great to make with the Disney Princesses Duck Tape.  

Disney Princess Duct Tape Hand Mirror Supplies:

• Hand mirror, $1
• Patterned duct tape, $9 (you can get it on Amazon or buy it at Michaels using your coupons!)
• Scissors, on hand
• Ribbon (optional), $1 and up

Total cost: $10 and up (but you will have lots of pretty Princess duct tape left over for other duct tape projects!)

NOTE: You could make this project for $2 if you use dollar store patterned duct tape, or $1 if you use duct tape you already have on hand!

Here’s a quick video showing you the process:  

#Disney princess duct tape hand mirror! #ducttape A video posted by Heather Mann (@dollarcraft) on May 2, 2015 at 9:14pm PDT

Gather your supplies! This project is quick and easy. It will take you about 15 minutes to make.

1. Cover the back of the mirror with overlapping strips of duct tape. Since the Disney Princess Duck Tape is a continuous pattern, you can match up the pattern if you want. Leave about 1″ overlapping duct tape around the sides.

2. Trim the tape around the mirror so the duct tape is an even distance around the outside of the mirror.

3. Cover the front of the mirror handle with duct tape.

4. Cut slits into the duct tape around every curved area (I just cut slits into the whole thing, about 1″ apart from each other).

5. Gently wrap the duct tape tabs you cut around the edges of the mirror, smoothing to eliminate creases, wrinkles, and bubbles.

This is what the back of the mirror looks like — as you can see, I matched up the pattern for most of the mirror.

Next, we are going to make the fringe that goes around the front of the mirror. This is a simple decorative duct tape technique!

1. First, cut a strip of duct tape and fold it lengthwise (long way), leaving about 1/2″ of the sticky part exposed.

2. Cut slits into the duct tape on the folded side. Cut up to the edge of where you folded, but leave the sticky part of the tape intact.

3. Using the sticky part of the fringe, apply the fringe to the edge of the mirror. Because of the fringing technique, these pieces have a bit of give, so they go around the curved mirror pretty easily.

If you don’t have enough fringe, cut another piece and repeat the fringe-making process. You can just overlap a little at the edges of the fringe when you are applying a second piece.

To finish the princessy look of the hand mirror, I added a piece of ribbon (it has Olaf on it – I know he’s not a princess, but he does enjoy warm hugs!). My son gave me this Olaf ribbon for Christmas, so I’m glad I got to use it in a place of honor on a special craft project.

Be sure to watch the short videos I included in this post if you are confused. They will help you figure out this simple and quick duct tape craft!

Maybe I should make a matching dollar store hairbrush featuring the Disney Princesses — what do you think?

Love this Disney Princess duct tape!

Don’t forget to visit my friends who are sharing their own Disney-themed craft tutorials!

8 Disney Craft Tutorials

• Disney Trip Countdown – DIY Washi Tape Chalkboard by Mom Endeavors
• Disney Drawstring Backpack by Pink Cake Plate
• DIY BB-8 Shirt by Desert Chica
• Custom Toy Story Shorts and Shirts by Eclectic Momsense
• Little Mermaid Ears by See Vanessa Craft
• DIY Disney Jewelry with Free Printable by 100 Directions
• Disney Sticker Story Starters by Make and Takes
• DIY Disney Autograph and Activity Book by Clever Pink Pirate
• Disney Bleach Stencil T-Shirt by Teach Mama

Disclosure: Not a paid or sponsored post, by any of the brands mentioned. Affiliate links.

The post Tutorial: Disney Princess Duct Tape Hand Mirror appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

My son loves dressing up. Whether it’s as a superhero, a tiger or a pirate he loves to make believe he’s a new person or creature. This shark shirt is easy to make and will provide hours of dress up fun. It also make a great Halloween costume or conversation piece when out and about!

Project estimate:

• 2 grey t-shirts, $2 and up
• Double-sided extra firm iron-on interfacing, $1 and up
• Sewing machine or needle and thread, on hand
• Permanent marker, on hand
• Paper, on hand
• Iron and press cloth, on hand
• Scrap cardboard, free

Total: $3 and up

Step 1: Prep fabric

Before beginning, be sure to wash and dry both shirts to remove any sizing and prevent shrinkage later on.

Step 2: Cut out

Use a marker and a piece of paper to outline an image of a shark fin. Adjust size of fin based on size of wearer. Draw a dotted line around the silhouette, .25 inches from the edge. This will provide a seam allowance. See image as a guide.

Cut out interfacing the size and shape of the solid outline. Turn one t-shirt inside out and cut out two pieces of T-shirt from fabric, following the dotted lines (Pro tip: Make smoother seams by lining up the bottom of the shirt with the bottom of the cut out.)

Step 3: Assemble

Leaving the pieces right sides together, use sewing machine to stitch with a medium length straight stitch around the sides of the t-shirt fabric, leaving the bottom open. Turn right side out and press.

Insert the interfacing all the way into the fin pocket, trimming if needed to fit. Follow instructions that came with your interfacing to fuse it to the fabric.

Step 4: Attach

Fold bottom edge of fin fabric in to the center bottom of fin. Pin to hold fold if desired.

Fold t-shirt in half and press to great a press line going down the midline of the shirt. Insert scrap cardboard such as an old cereal box into the shirt.

Line the fin up with the crease you created on the back of the shirt, splaying the bottom edges of the fin out to either side. Pin fin edges to the t-shirt. Remove cardboard from shirt. Fold fin to one side and stitch the fin edge to the t-shirt using a narrow zig zag stitch. Repeat on other side of fin.

Step 5: Add Gills

Use permanent marker to draw two U-shaped gills on the side of the shirt under each sleeve.

Have fun with your little shark!

More shark crafts:
Follow Mrs. Greene’s board Shark Week! on Pinterest.

The post Tutorial: Shark Fin Shirt appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

There are few things that boys between 4-10 love as much as a pretend pirate sword. Sara from Mom Endeavors has a great video showing you how simple it is to make these swords. These would make great party favor for your little pirate’s next party or a fabulous addition to your dress up trunk. [how to make a pretend pirate sword]

Project estimate:

• Paint stir stick, on hand or $1
• Popsicle sticks, on hand or $1
• Stapler, on hand
• Scissors, on hand
• Duct tape, on hand
• Electrical tape, on hand or $1

Total: Free and up!

The post Make a Pretend Pirate Sword appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Ashley W: “Bowser and Princess Peach! Homemade with lots of love. I’m so excited he wants to be Batman next year! LOL”

Beckye M: “Zombie made by gluing toilet tissue on face, allowing to dry, then painting with acrylics and using a toothpick to peel off “skin” and painting ‘blood’ underneath.”

Bem P: “Handmade costumes for my girls… outer space themed school Halloween party – my star princess and sun princess.”

Cristi H: “Homemade Jack Sparrow costume. Pants/vest are made out of two different pairs of pants, shirt is made out of a pillow case, scarf is made out of a kitchen towel/paint, hair is made out of yarn/handpainted beading and jute with red kitchen towel. Hat was refurbished and completely changed/painted.”

Cynthia G: “I went to the Devil’s Night party at our local museum dressed as the Mona Lisa.”

Dawnn M: “Wire hangers, Dollar Store glitter, Dollar Store hot glue, scraps of fabric…and Dollar Store felt = cutest butterfly around!”

Deidre C: “Addie Flintstone”

Diane K: “Was attending a Halloween party for little girls ages 5 & 6 so I needed something that wasn’t sexy and wasn’t scary so I fashioned something that I felt looked like Mother Nature. I think it turned out pretty good and it used most things from the dollar store!”

Emily B.: “I’m a devil this year :) got most of this out of my closet! Born with the horns! lol jk :)”

Erika T: “Mario Brothers Gang: Mario, Luigi, Toad and Princess Peach. [The toad hat was made with a] big round piece of white fabric, darts all the way around, gathered the edge, attached it to a stocking hat then stuffed it. Lastly I hot glued the red felt circles on. Oh I also decided to make a chin strap out of elastic since it was so wobbly.”

Heidi K: “Ava: my Southern Belle, Wren: my Little Red Riding Hood, Jolee: my Medusa, and Clint: my Little Frankenstein! I usually have a theme every year but I’m due with our new baby in 2 weeks and had no time or energy to make anything! lol”

Jeanette S: “Made this pirate costume for my daughter. Just thought I would share. :)”

Jennifer Y: “My son (ninja) and daughter (bat). My daughter is crazy about bats. Made the costume from an umbrella.”

Jessica B: “Our Thrift store finds costume miss-moch! LOVE your blog!!!”

Jessica W: “My little Snow Queen, wasnt so easy to make(not a great sewer), but they looks great!”

Kat T: “$5 in glow sticks from the Dollar Store, safety pins, tape and black clothes = Glow stick man!!”

Kelly V: “I made this Brobee (from Yo Gabba Gabba) costume from an old fleece hoodie of mine, some green spray paint (on hand), and some Dollar Store craft felt (on hand). I used my little guy’s clothes to cut down the Ladies large hoodie, and used the left over arms to add to the bottom to make it a full jumper. It was warm, fun and basically free. :)”

Kim L: “Home made pirate Mayjay”

Kim M: “Any guess what our kiddo’s favorite food is???”

Lila and Lub: “$6.50 Alice of the Undead – Blue Fabric: Clearance Sheet from Walmart $2.50 White Crackle Fabric: $3.00 White makeup $1.00 Everything else from around the house. (Scrap batting, felt, eyeliner, magic marker)”

Lila and Lub: “$7 Padawan”

Love Bug Living: “My daughter’s first Halloween! I made her a Love Bug costume so she could be the mascot for my blog lovebugliving.com”

Michelle P: “My little Soldier (Buckingham Palace Guard)”

Natalie S: “Deadmau5 (Music artist) and a Ladies Man. The Mau5 one is totally homemade out of a Ferret Ball (think LARGE hamster ball) and he constructed and deconstructed what he needed from that! lol”

Sheri C: “My Batman & Robin boys! The goal was for the costumes to look like the original TV series. I sewed on these costumes for a month, but I think they turned out pretty well.”

Stefanie S: “My 6 year old dressed as a leaf pile or some people thought as Fall. Leaves from Dollar Store, her own headband and own jacket. Total price $2!!!! Big hit!!!!!”

Teri S: “My daughter is going to be Tinkerbell! My mom made the slippers & I made the pom poms on the slippers! :)”

Tonya G: “I made this for under $ 6”

Tricia C: “$8 zombie bunny costume thanks to Hancock fabrics’ $3 fleece sale! Pink felt for brains, hot glue and red paint for blood, and white felt cut out to make ribs!”

Staff:

Heather Mann: “My 10 minute snake fascinator turned out great! 1 dollar store headband + 1 pkg plastic snakes + a football-shaped piece of self-stick craft foam & felt + a hot glue gun.”

Heather Mann: “My 2yo Gideon in his dollar store-ish Batman costume.”

Heather Mann: “Me & my 3 boys”

Melinda Hileman: “My rottweiler Kona as a moose! Used a headband and gloves from Dollar Tree, and cut out cardboard hands to hold the gloves up. Then I just hot glued the “antlers” to the headband and praised her a lot in order to get her to sit still. The best part is that this Christmas, I can add some fake holly and she can be a Christmoose!”

The post 20+ Halloween Costume Ideas: Reader Roundup 2011 appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Avast ye mateys! International Talk Like a Pirate Day be celebrated every year on September 19. Celebrated officially since 2002, today be a great day t’ unleash your inner pirate. Want t’ find out more? Visit the official site! While you’re thar, be aye t’ take the The Pirate Personality Index Test. Want help talkin’ like a pirate? Visit the English to Pirate translator! You can also Google like a pirate!

Crafts

Yarrrrrn Pirate Embroidered Knitting Tote by Geek Crafts [Pictured]

Treasure Chest Cross-Stitch Chart by Un Jour, Une Grille de Point de Croix Gratuite

Felt “Softie” Pirate Hook by bugaboo, mini, mr & me at Everyday Mom Ideas

Pirate Pin-Up Embroidery Chart by Corvus Tristis

Ninja vs Pirate Dolls by Geek Crafts

Printable Halloween (and Pirate) Paper Dolls by Gwenny Penny at The Idea Room

Food and Drink

Pirate Pie Pop Treats by Bubble and Sweet [Pictured]

Pirate Cake Topper by Belle Cake Topper and Mould

Scary Pear Heads by Martha Stewart

Fun and Games

How to Have a Pirate Day Play Date by Make and Takes [Pictured]

Pirate Inspiration Board by Tiny Prints

Fashion

Scurvy Pirate Ship Onesie by Geek Crafts [Pictured]

Quilted Felt Pirate Beard and Patch by Factory Direct Craft Blog

Free pattern and tute: Flowery pirate by Stash Books

Pirate Embroidery Patterns by Urban Threads

Pirate Costume for a Toddler by Pane Amore & Creativita

Little Girl Pirate Costume by Shwin & Shwin

Past DSC Pirate Posts and Round-Ups

Pirate Crafting: Pirate Ship Snowglobe [Pictured]

25+ Ways to Celebrate Pirates of the Caribbean in Style

Make a Pirate Ship Cupcake Stand

How to Make a Pirate Tricorn Hat

The post It’s Talk Like a Pirate Day 2011 Mateys! appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Recipes

Apple Pie-rate Ship by Diamonds for Dessert [Pictured]

Jack Sparrow’s Tricorne by Diamonds for Dessert

Pirate Recipes by AllRecipes

Pirate Recipes and Ideas by Wilton

Pirate Hat Cake by Everyday Mom Ideas

Printables

Aaargh! Pirate Birthday Party & Free Printables by Cottage Industrialist [Pictured]

Printable Pirate Party Decorations by Fantasy Jr.

Pirate Party Invitation Printable by Everyday Mom Ideas

Crafts, Activities and Costumes

Talk Like A Pirate Day Crafts by Alpha Mom [Pictured]

Ahoy, Make Crafts for Talk Like a Pirate Day! by Alpha Mom

Pirate Treasure from Trash, Really! by Instructables

No-Sew Pirate Costume by our own Heather at Amazing Moms

Pirate Hat Tutorial by From the Hive

Pirate Hat Craft by Birthday in a Box

Felt “Softie” Pirate Hook by Everyday Mom Ideas

Little Girl Pirate Costume by Shwin & Shwin

Pirate Costume Accessories by Martha Stewart

Parties

The craftiness of the pirate party by Three Fat Hens [Pictured]

Pirate Birthday Party Ideas for Kids by Amazing Moms

Pirate Birthday Party Ideas, Crafts, and Games by Everyday Mom Ideas

Other Roundups

Disney Pirate Crafts & Recipes by Disney Family [Pictured]

Pirate Crafts for Kids by Craft Jr.

Inspiration Board: Pirate Birthday Party Theme by TinyPrints

Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day by CROQzine

Books for Pirates (of all ages),  Talk Like A Pirate Day Party Kit, Knit Like a Pirate and Stuff for Junior Pirates by International Talk Like A Pirate Day

Previous DSC Posts

Give a Pirate Party [Pictured]

How to Make a Pirate Tricorn Hat

Make a Pirate Ship Cupcake Stand

Don’t forget to bookmark this page so you are ready for International Talk Like a Pirate Day on September 19, 2011!

The post 25+ Ways to Celebrate Pirates of the Caribbean in Style appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

When crafting with kids, it’s often fun to plan a variety of projects along a certain theme.  (For example, some popular themes include pirates, princesses, or circus.)  DSC reader Lisa writes to us with  question relating to themes!  Her daycare is doing a camping theme this summer and she needs ideas – lots and lots of kids crafty ideas relating to camping!  Do you know about any great camping crafts that Lisa and her crew would enjoy?  Please share them here!

(photo by duboix @ morguefile.com)

The post Reader Question: Camping Themed Crafts? appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Pirates are a perennial favorite of kids, making them a very popular birthday party theme.  Angela from Little Blue’s Room has been helping a friend prepare for her soon-to-be-4-year-old son’s birthday party, and during a brainstorming conversation they decided a pirate ship cupcake display was a must.  Unable to locate something suitable, she decided to make one instead.  If you’re planning a pirate party, your spread just won’t be complete without a pirate ship of your own!  [how to make a pirate ship cupcake stand]

Project estimate:

• Shoe box, on hand
• Kraft paper, on hand or $1
• Posterboard, on hand or $1
• Twine, on hand or $1
• Popsicle sticks, on hand or $1
• Wooden dowels or bamboo skewers, on hand or $1 and up
• Fabric, on hand
• Paint, on hand

Total:  Free and up

The post Make a Pirate Ship Cupcake Stand appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

How is your April stash bust going?  Our super secret stashbusters have been busy, busy bees, and we’ve been seeing all kinds of fun things start coming our way!  Our UK stashbuster, Sam, sent us this abso-freakin’-lutely adorable kawaii cookie greeting card that she made using a couple of items from her challenge box.  If you’ve never heard the term kawaii, it’s a Japanese term that refers to a style featuring extra-super-over-the-top cuteness.  She doesn’t have her own blog, but she was kind enough to write about the project for us!

Project estimate:

• Craft foam, on hand or $1
• Circle die or templates, on hand
• Creative Hands Sm’Art Foam Markers,  on hand or $4.49
• Gel pen, on hand
• Scrapbook paper, on hand
• Glue, on hand

Total:  Free and up

Make a Kawaii Cookie Greeting Card

by Secret Stashbuster Sam Child

On 15th April 2011, a box arrived at my house in the post, which had me puzzled! My first thoughts upon seeing the ‘mystery box’ (as a frequent swapper on Swap-Bot!) were that it must be a parcel from a swap partner; yet I could not recall signing up for any large swaps recently…

Eagerly delving into the parcel, a friendly letter soon answered my question regarding its sender – Dollar Store Crafts!! (I am ashamed to admit to it, but until the letter refreshed my memory, I had forgotten all about signing up for a chance to take part in the crafting experiment – my memory is so poor lately! – but I was most excited about having been chosen & feel very lucky!)

From the exclamations of ‘wow!’s, ‘ooh!’s and ‘aah!’s that anybody passing my room would have heard as I sorted through the box’s contents, methinks it was most clear that the contents did not disappoint!! Despite this, I was somewhat ‘stuck’ to begin with, as to what to do with the fabulous goodies…I felt somewhat overwhelmed, I guess!

Slowly but surely, ideas began to creep into my brain… boys pirate-themed birthday cards with medals attached, decoupage upon the magnetic letters with some pretty papers from my stash…the Sesame Street ice cube tray had me somewhat stumped still, but I knew I’d just have to use it for something fun, as my brother is often (lovingly!) referred to as ‘the cookie monster’!!!

Despite this, my first (and so far, I’m afraid to say, my only completed!) project took me by surprise!  You see, other than the ‘fuzzy stix’, the one thing which perhaps appealed to me the least of the box’s contents was the coloured foam sheets. Not that I have anything against it, mind you, but I’ve had some sitting in my own crafty stash for (what seems like!) forever and never seem to find any use for it. Thus, when I found myself planning out a project using some of the foam, I was somewhat shocked; I guess it goes to show that anything ‘new’ can inspire you..even if you already have access  to something similar (..that, and the fact that perhaps I need to stop buying craft supplies and have a good ol’ rummage around through what I already own – who knows, maybe I’ll be inspired by something!!)

To begin with, I decided to have a play with running the foam through my Sissix Bigshot machine – something I’ve never done (nor even really thought of doing!) before now. I wasn’t sure that any dies that I currently own would cut through the foam, but a quick search on Google informed me that the nestabilities dies were indeed capable of cutting foam. My limited die supplies proved somewhat useful in my project, for it made me consider – what I could do with circles, perhaps? So, the idea of a cookie came about!

After using a large circle die to cut the cookie ‘base’ from the beige foam sheet from the stashbuster goodies, I used the smallest circle die to cut multiple ‘chocolate chips’ from the brown foam sheet…and so – with a little tacky glue, some firm pressure & a fair amount of drying time! – the ‘cookie’ began to take form!

Whilst I left the glue to dry, I decided to open the Creative Hands ‘Sm’Art Foam Markers’ and test ‘em out on some of the scrap foam I had from cutting my ‘cookie’…

First impressions? I was quite impressed that these did seem to draw on the foam relatively easily and ‘bleed-free’, but I wasn’t sure if they seemed much different to using a permanent marker on the foam… Enter my faithful black permanent marker! To be honest, after comparing the two pens in a few test doodles, I still wasn’t not wholly convinced that there was a huge difference in how the two markers ‘took’ to the foam, the time taken to dry to be smudge-proof, nor in the extent of bleeding, although the foam marker was perhaps slightly easier to control on the foam & retains the ‘black’ colour a little better than the permanent marker (which, once dry, can appear to have a purple-ish tint in some lights). One quandary I think I’d have with the foam markers is the thickness – they are thicker than I expected, which makes it difficult to accurately draw on any fine detail. I know I can get permanent markers with a fine tip, but as for the foam markers? I’m glad to have been introduced to them courtesy of this stashbusters giveaway (thank you, Heather and Creative Hands! :-D)… fine-tipped foam markers are definitely something I might have to look into!

Next, after ‘finishing’ the edges, by running the ‘cookie’ back through the die cutting machine with the large circle die, I used a (normal, office-type) hole punch to create two tiny circles from a scrap piece of white card, which were finished with details drawn on using my faithful black gel pen; the ‘eyes’ were then glued onto the ‘cookie’ using the aforementioned glue and I drew on a ‘smile’ using the black foam marker, which I had previously tried out. The ‘cookie’ was then backed onto a white card circle, which I bordered using my black gel pen and attached (using ‘sticky fixers’ from my stash) onto a card (which I had given a blue dotty background to, using a scrap of patterned paper) Finally, I used another small scrap of white card from my stash to create a small speech mark, onto which I doodled some text & a border; this was also affixed using ‘sticky fixers’ from my stash, to add more dimension to the card.

..and there you have it – a cute ‘kawaii’ style cookie card, suitable for all sorts of occasions!!

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