Welcome to day 4 of Homemade Costume week. This bumblebee Halloween costume looks great in person, and could not be simpler to make. A black shirt, yellow duct tape, some pipe cleaners, and a pair of dollar store wings. You can make this no-sew bee costume in about 15 minutes.

Project Estimate:

• Black hooded sweatshirt, on hand
• Yellow duct tape, $3
• 2 yellow chenille stems, on hand
• 2 yellow pom-poms, on hand
• 1/4″ elastic, $1
• Hot glue gun and hot glue stick
• Pair of bee wings from dollar store, $1

Total: $5

To make a no-sew bee costume:

I originally made this costume for Kaboose.com, a site that closed down several years ago, and unfortunately, there is no longer an internet archive of the instructions, and my version of the instructions are long-lost on my old defunct computer.

Basically, add yellow duct tape stripes to a hoodie, then hot glue pom-poms to a couple of chenille stems, then duct tape them to the inside of the hood. Curl the stems around a pencil.

Add a pair of yellow dollar store fairy wings to complete the look.

My Design Process:

I don’t know if you folks care about seeing my sketches or not, but it amuses me, so I’ll just keep posting them. My original sketch was slightly more complicated than the costume ended up — I originally envisioned a black hoodie with a yellow t-shirt over it, but when I started making the costume, I eliminated the yellow t-shirt and just went with yellow duct tape stripes. I also called for the costume to be stuffed with grocery bags (to make it more round) but I decided the stuffing was unnecessary when I put it on my model (my 4 year-old).

My craft planning process is this:

• sketch the project and label what each part is
• think through the actual process of making it and what supplies I will need
• write down the process as I imagine it (so I have “instructions” to follow)
• then take a step back and see if there is anything I can eliminate in terms of supplies or extra work
• collect my supplies (from my stash, or shop for them)
• do the project and change something (usually!)
• make sure to photograph most of the steps so I can remember how I made it

How do you plan for your craft projects? Do you have a sketchbook?

The post Make a No-Sew Bumblebee Costume appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

As quick and easy as it is adorable, this easy Easter embroidery pattern by Wendi at Shiny Happy World will have you stitching up a storm! If you have a collection of scraps and remnants, whipping up a collection of this cute embroidery hoop art is a great way to use of some of those treasured bits you’ve been saving. And if you don’t have any appropriate scraps on hand, this is a great excuse to go fabric shopping! [how to make easy Easter embroidery]

Project estimate:

• Embroidery hoop, on hand or $1 and up
• Fabric scraps, on hand
• Fusible webbing, on hand or $1 and up
• Embroidery floss, on hand or $1

Total: Free 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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What do you do when you have worn out a pair of jeans? If you’re like me, you put them in a basket for future crafting purposes . If you’re even more like me, you might have a few pairs in that basket but no solid plan, ahem. Clean out your scrap basket by turning old denim and scraps into this cute play crown from Creative Green Living. You only need very basic sewing skills to pull off this easy project. [how to make an upcycled denim play crown]

Project estimate:

• Old jeans, on hand
• Fabric scraps, on hand
• Velcro, on hand or $1 and up
• Embroidery floss, on hand or $.33 and up
• Chalk, on hand or $1 and up
• Pinking shears, on hand
• Ruler, on hand
• Sewing machine and thread, on hand

Total: free and up!

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A wreath made out of ornaments has become a classic Christmas decoration. If you’ve always wanted one, you will be happy and surprised to find out just how easy and cheap it is to create your own! You can even use scratched or damaged ornaments for this project, making it a great way to give new life to old decorations that might otherwise be destined for the trash.

Project estimate:

• Wire hanger, on hand
• Round plastic ornaments, on hand or $1 and up
• Hot glue, on hand
• Pipe cleaners, on hand or $1
• Tinsel garland, on hand or $1
• Wired ribbon, on hand or $1
• Assorted Christmas decorations in different shapes, on hand or $1 and up

Total:  Free and up!

The hangers on the ornaments often break easily or the hole is too small. Do yourself a favor and go ahead and remove the top. Cut the pipe cleaners to 1 & 1/2″ and bend them in the center. Put a bit of hot glue inside the top of the ornament and immediately put the pipe cleaner in. You’ll save a lot of time and no one will see this part, anyway. (I learned this the hard way – you’re welcome!)

Take the hanger apart at the neck. DO NOT CUT IT. Fold over the hook part and fashion it into a loop.

Thread the ornaments onto the other end of the hanger.

I didn’t count how many ornaments I used because I was using several different sizes, but keep adding the round ornaments until you have 3/4 of the hanger covered.

Bend the other end of the hanger and hook it to the loop at the beginning.

Shape the hanger so that it is round. At this point you will be certain that you don’t have enough ornaments, but you’re not finished. Arrange the ornaments to where they are symmetrical all the way around.

Take the tinsel garland and wrap it around the hanger. Please don’t try to wrap it between each ornament, it won’t be noticeable when we’re done. I had enough garland to go around the wreath twice. Notice in the picture that the ornaments aren’t perfectly spaced around the wreath. We’ll fix
that, I promise.

At this point, add the assorted shaped ornaments working in the triangle method. Put a generous amount of hot glue on the back and hold the ornament down for a few seconds to make sure it takes hold.

You are going to notice that your wreath seems a little sturdier now. This is what we want, you should also put spots of glue between the round ornaments.

When you’re finished, the ribbon and put it under the wreath and tie it on top, like you tie your shoes. Position the wreath to where you want the tails of the bow to be away from your body and tie a bow, again, like you tie your shoes. By tying the bow this way, the tails will automatically be at the bottom of the bow.

The last thing I did was add an ornament, bell and piece of tinsel to the center of the ribbon. Stand back and admire your wreath. If it seems a little unsteady, spot glue that area in between the ornaments.

The post Tutorial: Ornament Wreath appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

I like brushing my teeth in the shower but don’t like how the toothbrush always slips through my shower caddy and onto the floor, I also sometimes forget where I leave my toothbrush when I move it between the shower and the sink. I wanted a way to leave my toothbrush in the shower, not fall onto the bottom of the tub, and keep it within easy reach. The solution was simple, a hanging toothbrush that can be hooked onto the shower head, the shower curtain rod…just about anywhere!

I created a hooked handle for my toothbrush by heating a polypropylene toothbrush over an electric stove and bending it around a bottle neck. Making your own hooked toothbrush is easy!

Ready to make your own? Here’s what you need:

Total: $1.00 for 5 toothbrushes

The process is easy:

1. Turn heating element on high
2. Prepare an ice bath using a large bowl filled 2/3 with water and fill with ice cubes, set aside
3. Put on thick work gloves to protect your hands from the heat
4. when element is hot, slowly rotate toothbrush handle over element.  DO NOT TOUCH TOOTHBRUSH TO ELEMENT
5. After about 20 seconds the toothbrush handle will become soft and pliable
6. Wrap handle around mandrel to create desired hook shape, hold in place for 10 seconds
7. Submerge hooked handle into ice bath and let sit for another 10 seconds
8. Repeat steps 4-7 to refine the curve if required

Good to know – Types of plastic:

Heat-bending plastic to make a new shape isn’t very complicated, however the type of plastic toothbrush you use is important. There are many types of plastic which everyday things are made from, polypropylene (PP) and styrene acrylonitrile (SAN) are the two most commonly used plastics for making toothbrushes. One of these types works with this method of bending, the other doesn’t. Here’s a comparison:

Polypropylene (PP) toothbrush Usually coloured (or clear colour) More rigid moulded as a single unit

Styrene Acrylonitrile (SAN) toothbrush Usually white more flexible usually moulded with a TPE grip

The polypropylene ones work, while the styrene acrylonitrile toothbrushes melt and go all weird.

The hooked toothbrush works well and is really fun to use. A minor complaint would be that the handle is a little short, allowing only 2-3 of my fingers to grip the handle. This isn’t a big deal as it’s not uncomfortable and you don’t really need to have all four fingers on your toothbrush anyway.
I also experimented with stretching out the toothbrush handle while the plastic was hot and pliable however found the handle proved uncooperative, snapping back to it’s original shape before I could manage it around the bottle neck or would break from the stretching. After a few attempts it was clear that producing consistent, elongated, hooked handles was something that I couldn’t replicate effectively.

Good luck!

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When Aubree from Yellow Blackbird spotted a fabulous button necklace gracing the pages of a magazine, she had one of those “I could totally make that!” moments.  After all, what self-respecting crafter doesn’t have at least one jar full of buttons laying around?  It’s simple enough that the kiddos can help with the stringing to practice their fine motor skills, though younger children will need assistance adding the hardware.  This is also a great way to use up buttons that don’t have mates!  [how to make a vintage-inspired button necklace]

Project estimate:

• Buttons, on hand or $1 and up
• Beading wire, on hand or $1
• Jewelry findings, on hand or $1
• Chain or ribbon, on hand or $1 and up

Total:  Free and up

The post Make a Vintage-Inspired Button Necklace appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

If you’ve always wanted to serve eggs in fancy cups but you don’t have any egg cups around the house, here is a downright brilliant solution.  Peaches, the colorful and creative mind behind Aunt Peaches, assembled a whole set of them using only plastic Easter eggs and some glue!  Even if you don’t use them at mealtime, they make an adorable addition to your holiday centerpiece or mantle display.  You could also take this process a step farther and add other embellishments to your egg cups, such as tying a ribbon around them or adding beads or sequins.  [how to make inexpensive egg cups]

Project estimate:

• Plastic eggs, on hand or $1
• Hot glue, on hand
• Coffee filters (optional), on hand or $1

Total:  Free and up

The post Make Inexpensive Egg Cups appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Fifteen minutes or less.  That’s seriously how long it will take you to make this pillow!  Angie from The Country Chic Cottage whipped it up as part of a 15-minute craft series that she hosted in conjunction with Moore Craft Time.  (Check out more 15 minute crafts!)  The project requires minimal sewing and uses paper doilies to create what looks like painstaking detail without needing any crazy artistic skills (or unending patience)!  [how to make a doily placemat pillow]

Project estimate:

• Placemat, $1
• Paper doilies, on hand or $1
• Paint, on hand or $1 and up
• Polyfill, on hand or about $3 and up
• Needle and thread, on hand

Total:  $1 and up

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Pretty cupcake liners are one of those things you can easily collect in a more-than-lifetime supply; they come in so many pretty colors and patterns that for a cupcake liner lover it’s hard not to grab a package every time you see new ones!  Short of hosting your own version of cupcake wars, how will you ever use them up?  With crafts, of course!  Muffin Tin Mom (aka Michelle) has, as you might guess, quite a large collection of them herself, so she came up with these cute folded cupcake liner flowers.  She even attached one to a hair clip and it looks so sweet!  [how to make folded cupcake liner flowers]

Project estimate:

• Cupcake liners, on hand or $1
• Paper, on hand
• Buttons, on hand or $1
• Hot glue, on hand

Total:  Free and up

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