[Marionette from Club Chica Circle]

[Pippi Longstocking from Mom 4 Real]

[Captain America & Thor from The Scrap Shoppe]

[Cookie on a Pan from Cleverly Inspired]

[Mike Wazowski  of Monsters Inc. and Monsters University from 30 Minute Crafts]

[80’s Girl Costume from The Country Chic Cottage]

[Rockstar from 30 Minute Crafts]

[Fisherman Costume from Creative Green Living]

[Jellyfish Costume from Cleverly Inspired]

[Dusty from Airplanes on Desert Chica Rambling]

The post 10 Last Minute Halloween Costumes for less than $10 appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Last year, I went to the Martha Stewart show where they filmed an entire episode devoted to dollar store Halloween costumes! At the end of the show, I got to share my $5 dollar store costume idea with Martha. Just recently, Martha Stewart made a deal with Hulu to show a lot of her video content on their site, and I was jazzed to find a clip of myself on Hulu to share with you! Would you believe this week is the first time I have seen the episode since I flew to New York to attend the show?

It was such an honor to attend the show that was ALL ABOUT my favorite topic: dollar store crafting! Pair that with Halloween costumes, and you know I was excited!

Dollar Store Halloween Costumes Links:

• The costume I shared was the first ever dollar store craft I designed for this site, three years ago: a hard candy costume.
• Here are the Five Halloween Costume Ideas shared on that episode of the Martha Stewart Show
• Watch the full episode here: Affordable Costume Ideas on the Martha Stewart Show

The post Video: Heather and Dollar Store Craft Halloween Costumes on Martha Stewart appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Meet Our Guest Judge

Before we count down our favorite contest entries, let’s meet this month’s guest judge!  When we think of Halloween crafters one of the first folks to come to mind is Alexa Westerfield from The Swell Life and I Love to Create.  This season she has been dazzling her readers with a ton of great no-carve pumpkin decorating ideas, but her holiday talents don’t end there.  She also has some awesome Halloween costume ideas, including these comical outfits:

[Deviled Egg Halloween Costume at The Swell Life]

[Mona Lisa Halloween Costume at The Swell Life]

Thanks for joining us this month, Alexa!

Halloween Costume Contest Top Picks

Now that we’ve taken care of that business, we know you’re anxious to see who won the contest.  It was tough to narrow it down this month with so many great contest entries!  Here are our top five picks; did your favorites make the cut?

5.  Placemat Bug

[Placemat Bug Costume by Sandy P.]

We couldn’t resist how adorable this bug costume is!  Reader Sandy P. shared this idea via the DSC Community; the majority of the costume is constructed using dollar store placemats!  [how to make a placemat bug Halloween costume]

4. Mother Nature

[Mother Nature Costume by Re-Creations]

When Shiela from Re-Creations went shopping at Dollar Tree to put together this costume, she hit almost every department in the store!  We love how she incorporated both seasonal items and year-round stock.  It’s such a cute idea!  [how to make a Mother Nature Halloween costume]

3. Dirty Laundry

[Dirty Laundry Costume by Love2Dream, Do You?]

Everyone at the party will chuckle when they see you dressed up in this clever costume.  Over at Love2Dream, Do You? we got a good laugh out of this dirty laundry costume.  As an added bonus, it’s a great costume for a cold climate.  If the temperatures fall, just add more laundry!  [how to make a dirty laundry Halloween costume]

2. Spine Chilling Chia Pet

[Spine Chilling Chia Pet Costume by My House is Cuter Than Yours]

We’re suckers for adorable animals, so of course we had to include this costume for a four-legged friend.  My House is Cuter Than Yours dressed up her pup as a spooky, deteriorating Chia Pet, complete with creepy-crawlies.  Too cute!   [how to make a spine chilling Chia Pet Halloween costume]

And The Winner Is…

1. Chinese Takeout Box

[Chinese Takeout Box Costume by A Turtle’s Life for Me]

Natalie from A Turtle’s Life for Me entered a post with so many great costume ideas that we were completely amazed!  Our favorite was this super cute Chinese takeout box costume.  (Check out the finishing touch of using chopsticks in her hair!)   Be sure to stop by her blog and see the rest of her hilarious homemade costumes from other years as well!)  [how to make a Chinese takeout box Halloween costume]

That also means that Natalie is the lucky winner of a $100 Dollar Tree gift card!  (That’s enough to make a whole army of takeout box costumes!)  Congratulations, Natalie!  Thanks to all who entered.  And of course…  have a spooktacular Halloween!

The post Halloween Costume Contest: 7 Dollar Store Costume Ideas (including our contest winner!) appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Can you believe it’s October already? If you haven’t started thinking about your Halloween costume yet, now is the time! That’s why we chose DIY Halloween costumes as the theme for this month’s craft challenge sponsored by Dollar Tree. Share your best costume ideas here, and you could be the lucky winner of a $100 Dollar Tree gift card. (That’s a lot of loot!)

Need inspiration?  Check out the Halloween costumes we have made or featured in the past.  [see all Halloween costumes]  The list includes all kinds of fun dressup ideas, like the peacock costume pictured above from Green Your Decor.

Please take a look at the contest rules, then link up your DIY costume below!

Challenge rules:

1. Post your project on your blog, (if you don’t have a blog, post in the “Community” Section on Dollar Store Crafts.) A photo of your project is required, as well as a list of materials used.

2. Submit a link to your project using the linky submission that will at the bottom of the contest entry post. (Post will go live on October 1st).

Dates: October 1st, 2012 at 8:00 a.m. Pacific Time (PT). Linky Party closes at 11:59 p.m. PT on October 7th, 2012.

Multiple entries by the same person are accepted, however, only one prize will be awarded.

Eligibility: Residents of the USA, 18 and older

Winner Selection: There will be 1 Winner, chosen by a team of 3 judges who include 2 members of the Dollar Store Crafts staff, and one independent person with expertise in the area of Halloween crafts. Entries will be judged on the basis of the following criteria: originality, usefulness, creativity, clarity of instructions, and availability of materials at dollar stores.

Prize: $100 gift card to Dollar Tree.

The post Link Up for the DIY Halloween Costume Challenge! appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Announcing our October craft challenge, sponsored by Dollar Tree. This month your challenge is to create a DIY Halloween costumes using stuff that can be found at the dollar store.  One lucky reader will walk away with a $100 Dollar Tree gift card!  Start crafting now, and come back between October 1st and 7th to show off your entry!

See below for full rules. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Dollar Store Costume Ideas

Dollar Store Batman Costume No-Sew Bumblebee Costume The Original Paper Doll Costume Dollar Store Spider Costume No-Sew Jack O Lantern Costume 5 Martha Halloween Costumes Duct Tape Fire Fighter Costume Dollar Store Flapper Costume

Here are the challenge rules:

1. Post your project on your blog, (if you don’t have a blog, post in the “Community” Section on Dollar Store Crafts.) A photo of your project is required, as well as a list of materials used.

2. Submit a link to your project using the linky submission that will at the bottom of the contest entry post. (Post will go live on October 1st).

Dates: October 1st, 2012 at 8:00 a.m. Pacific Time (PT). Linky Party closes at 11:59 p.m. PT on October 7th, 2012.

Multiple entries by the same person are accepted, however, only one prize will be awarded.

Eligibility: Residents of the USA, 18 and older

Winner Selection: There will be 1 Winner, chosen by a team of 3 judges who include 2 members of the Dollar Store Crafts staff, and one independent person with expertise in the area of Halloween crafts. Entries will be judged on the basis of the following criteria: originality, usefulness, creativity, clarity of instructions, and availability of materials at dollar stores.

Prize: $100 gift card to Dollar Tree.

The post DIY Halloween Costumes: October Challenge Announcement 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.

Crafts and Decor

Pumpkin Votive Luminaries by Maiden D’shade [Pictured]

Halloween Mobile Tutorial by Finding Time to Create

Spooky Eyeball Wreath by A Pretty Life in the Suburbs

Little Black Owl by Just Crafty Enough

Candy Corn Bottle Vases by The Swell Life

Pumpkin Clock by Tracy’s Trinkets and Treasures

Soapy (and spooky) Eyeballs by Soap Queen

Halloween Coat Hanger and Bags Wreath by Craftbits

Halloween Decorating Ideas by All You

Doctor Who Halloween Roundup: 5 Uber Geeky Projects by Dollar Store Crafts

Make Skeleton Sock Dolls by Dollar Store Crafts

 Play Dough and Slime

Homemade Glow-in-the-Dark Playdough by Sun Hats & Wellie Boots [Pictured]

Homemade Slime by The Idea Room

Halloween Play Dough by The Idea Room

DIY Soap Slime – Awesome Halloween Project by Craft Gossip

Sweets

3-D Witch Hat Cookies by Sweet Sugarbelle [Pictured]

Witches’ Cauldron Recipe by Confessions of a Cookbook Queen

Witches’ Broom Cupcakes by Cookies and Cups

Halloween Whoopie Pies by Sugar Swings! Serve Some

Ghoulish Goodies by Parents Magazine

Candy Corn Cheesecake Mousse by Glorious Treats

Frankenstein Oreo Pops by The Idea Room

Candy Corn Meringues by Confessions of a Cookbook Queen

 Slice and Bake Candy Corn Cookies by The Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle

Frankenstein Rice Krispy Treats by 365 Cake Pops

Halloween Oreo Eyeball Pops by The Idea Room

Food

Frankenstein Fiesta by Kitchen Fun With My 3 Sons [Pictured]

Pumpkin Pancakes by The Idea Room

Spooky Stuffed Peppers by Kitchen Fun With My 3 Sons

Candy Corn Waffles by Random Thoughts of a Supermom

More Awesome Halloween Recipes by Kitchen Fun With My 3 Sons

Costumes and Apparel

Beaded Spider Tutorial by Shawkl [Pictured]

Handmade Dress-Up – DIY Fairy Wand Tutorial by The Train to Crazy

Homemade Halloween Costumes by All You

Cute Halloween Costumes for Dogs – under $20 by All You

DIY Louboutin Googly Eye Slingbacks by Dollar Store Crafts

Make a Peacock Costume by Dollar Store Crafts

 Freebies and Printables

Halloween Subway Art by All Things Simple [pictured]

Monster Clip Art by Torico’s Digital Gallery

Free Halloween Printables by How Does She?

Halloween Printable Tags for Wine by Irina’s Photography

SpOOky Halloween Banner Printables by How Does She?

Stay tuned for another Halloween roundup closer to the day! Do you have any great ideas you’d like included? If so, let us know in the comments!

The post 40+ Ghoulishly Good Halloween Ideas appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Martha challenged her team of designers to make Halloween costumes on a $15 budget, sending them on a shopping trip to Family Dollar.  It was so much fun to see what they all came up with!

Jim “Figgy” Noonan, Martha’s very own man crafter, came up with a superhero costume.  Most of the details are achieved through clever usage of electrical tape!  The cuffs and collar, which are fashioned from coffee filters, would also be great for steampunk costumes, period costumes, or even for dressing up as a clown.  [how to make a superhero costume]

Next up was Kristin St. Clair, who made an absolutely adorable gnome costume.  (And the little boy was such a sweetie!)  There are a lot of really clever ideas at work in the construction of the elements here, especially the beard.  [how to make a gnome costume]

Martha’s lead TV crafter Hosanna Houser came up with two variations on a dollar store tutu.  They use different materials (bath scrubbies and curling ribbon) but the same method to make two very different looks.  [how to make tutus two ways]

Since she wanted  to play on her baby Jack’s name for his first Halloween costume, Kirsten Earl turned him into a Jack-in-the-box!  Isn’t he precious??  She used Kool-Aid packets to dye the components of the costume, making them both cheap and safe should he decide to chew on anything.  [how to make a Jack-in-the-box costume]

Martha also came up with her own idea.  Inspired by a pair of actual black sheep that she owns, she came up with an inexpensive black sheep costume.  The body is constructed using bath mats; mats in different colors could be used to make all kinds of animal or monster costumes!  [how to make a black sheep costume]

It was so awesome to see dollar store crafting on Martha’s show!  Which costume idea is your favorite?

The post Martha Stewart’s Dollar Store Costume Challenge: 5 Costume Ideas appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Today was the big day! I was on the Martha Stewart Show! If you are on the west coast, you can catch the repeat of the show at 1pm on the Hallmark Channel. The episode was The Dollar Store Challenge for Halloween Costume week, and Martha’s team of crafters all had $15 to spend at the dollar store for their Halloween costume projects. It was quite an honor to be in the audience of the best craft show ever and have them talk all about my favorite topic – dollar store crafting!

If you are visiting from The Martha Show, welcome, and thanks for joining us! I have collected a bunch of dollar store Halloween costume ideas just for you here:

Dollar Store Costume Ideas!

If you are interested in seeing more TV from me, check out my show: Get a Little Creative! (This is me with my guest Tam from Sew Dang Cute!)

When I was in New York filming the Martha Show, I made a little backstage video:

This video is me backstage at The Martha Show!

The post Heather on Martha Stewart Show! appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.