Project Materials:

• Dollar store treat boxes, 4 for $1
• White cupcake baking liners, $1
• A variety of dollar store candy or cookies, $1 per package — we used 5 per box

Total: $7 and up (less than $2 per gift box)

I was inspired to do this project for 12 Months of Martha by Martha Stewart’s line of holiday treat packaging, available at Michaels, Jo-Ann’s, and other craft retailers. You can find treat boxes, bags, and other goodies in the line. You will also find a variety of treat packaging at the dollar store – from treat boxes, to bags, to printed cellophane wrap.

Assembling a custom dollar store treat box

1. Choose a variety of cookies and candy at the dollar store. I chose mine based on looks and appeal. Some of my picks include: peanut brittle, old fashioned peppermint sticks, chocolate-covered peanuts, chocolate-nut clusters, frosted gingerbread man cookies, and red gummy fish.

2. Assemble a box, and insert white baking liners to hold candies.

Note: I found white baking liners in the cooking pan section of the dollar store, and I bought two sizes: standard cupcake and mini cupcake size. You can also use printed cupcake liners, but I think the white ones look classier and make a good backdrop for the color of the treats.

3. Fill the box with candy, adding a second layer of treats if desired. You will need to put some kind of sturdy divider between the layers of treats (I used a second treat box, collapsed).

Tip: If you will be shipping this gift box, you should stabilize the contents of the box with tissue paper to keep treats from shifting and mixing together.

The Martha Stewart treat box makes these dollar store candies look high end!

Yes, you can give a classy-looking gift on a dollar store budget! These custom candy boxes make great hostess gifts, or gifts for teachers, friends, neighbors, and others.

Disclosure: I participate in 12 Months of Martha, sponsored by Martha Stewart. I am provided with Martha Stewart product. Project, photos and opinions are my own.

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It’s snowing outside as I type this, which is really unusual in Oregon. We get snow once a year where I live, if we’re lucky. Well, today’s our lucky day! There’s nothing like a blanket of snow outside to make me want to pour a mug of hot cocoa and get crafty! Here’s a quick and easy crafty project you can do this weekend, or anytime you’re stuck inside. You probably already have lots of extra scrapbook paper on hand, right?

I sat down and got crafty in the name of Martha Stewart’s 12 Months of Martha. For this project, I wanted to use some paper from the gorgeous Martha Stewart Peppermint Winter paper pad. I chose a red and white chevron paper, but there are so many yummy candy-themed papers in this pad that I wanted to use them all.

Project Materials:

• 8×10 mirror, $1
• a 12×12 sheet of scrapbook card stock, on hand or $.25 and up — I used Martha Stewart Crafts Peppermint Winter Paper Pad
• Stickers or other embellishments
• Mod Podge or glue, on hand
• Paper trimmer, craft knife, or scissors
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Sturdy tape

Total: $1 and up

To Make a Scrapbook Paper Framed Mirror:

1. Remove paper backing from back of mirror, and gently pop the mirror out of the frame.

2. Measure the frame and cut a piece of scrapbook paper out the size of the frame. If desired, trace interior hole of frame onto the back of the paper. Cut center of paper out.

3. Mod Podge (or glue) paper to front of frame, and allow to dry.

4. Reinsert mirror into frame, and tape into place from the back.

5. Embellish frame as desired with stickers, bows, buttons, small ornaments, or whatever you want.

And have fun trying to take a picture of the mirror without getting some weird reflections! :)

Look, ma, I got the Christmas tree in the reflection!

This project is adaptable to any holiday or theme, so don’t be afraid to bust into your stash of paper and stickers and make it your own.

Disclosure: I received free product from Martha Stewart for this project.

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Last week, I showed you how to make a gorgeous rustic glam Thanksgiving centerpiece perfect for your Thanksgiving table. Today I have some cute little place cards for you to add to your holiday tablescapes. These are super simple to make and just take a few supplies! Read on to find out how to make them.

Project Materials:

• Small favor buckets, 3 for $1
• Styrofoam balls, 6 for $1
• Burlap, on hand or $1 worth
• Toothpicks, on hand or $1
• Labels, on hand or $1
• Ribbon, on hand
• Hot glue gun and glue sticks, on hand
• (Optional) Gold leaf stickers (mine are from Martha Stewart), $5 – Find on Amazon

Total: $2 and up for 3 place cards

Make Thanksgiving Place Cards

To Make:

1. Cover Styrofoam ball with burlap, securing with hot glue. Tuck into miniature pail (secure inside with hot glue).

2. Write guest’s name on a label. Glue label to two toothpicks and insert into burlap-covered ball.

3. Glue a ribbon bow to the top of a toothpick. Glue to top back of label.

4. Add a ribbon around the pail, and embellish with a gold leaf sticker (or another bow), if desired.

The post Tutorial: Burlap Bucket Place Cards appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

During November, I like to spend the month thinking of all the things I’m grateful for. Did you know that studies have shown that keeping track of your gratitude can positively affect your health and quality of life? Here’s a pretty way to remind yourself of all the things you have to be grateful for: a Thankful Centerpiece with a rustic yet glam theme.  Read on for the tutorial!

Project Materials:

• Metal pail, $1
• Floral foam, $1
• 2 Packages of felt flower coasters, $2
• Bamboo skewers, $1
• Burlap, on hand or $1 worth
• Hot glue and glue gun, on hand

Total cost: $5

I’m participating in the 12 Months of Martha project, sponsored by Martha Stewart, so I wanted to add a Martha twist to my dollar store centerpiece. The burlap and natural skewers bring a rustic charm, while the Martha Stewart products add a touch of gold glam! I added several embellishments from Martha Stewart’s crafting collection:

• Gold leaf stickers, $5 – Find on Amazon
• Gold-framed label stickers, $5 – Find on Amazon
• Gilding sheets, about $10
• Spray adhesive or gold leaf sizing, on hand
• Clear acrylic sealer spray, $5
• Masking tape, on hand

Total: $25 for Martha Stewart supplies, see below for substitutions

Substitutions:

• Gold leaf stickers – paint dollar store faux leaves gold with acrylic paint or spray paint (cost, about $3)
• Gold leafing – substitute gold paint or spray paint (cost, $2 and up)
• Gold framed label stickers – substitute card stock, or labels from the dollar store (free and up)
• Or, skip the gold leafing and add your own additional embellishments (faux flowers, ribbon, more burlap, etc) – Free

Total savings: $15-20

Make a Rustic Glam Thanksgiving Centerpiece

Gold-Leafing the Metal Container:

I have wanted to try gold leafing for awhile now, and this was the perfect project to try it out on! If you want to bring the cost of this project way down, just skip the gold leafing step.

1. Gather your gold leafing supplies. You need a couple things: masking tape, gold leaf sizing (or spray adhesive), gold leaf sheets, a large soft paintbrush, and clear sealant.

2. Mask off the desired design with masking tape. I did a single peak chevron design.

3. Apply gold leaf sizing, spray glue, or rubber cement to your container. I didn’t have gold leaf sizing, so I used spray adhesive. The glue surface should be tacky but not wet when you apply the gold leaf.

4. To apply gold leaf, place the gold leaf sheet on top of the adhesive surface. Gently push leafing down with your hands, covering all of the glue surface. It’s okay if it’s bumpy at this point.

I used 2 sheets of gold leaf for this container.

5. Next, burnish the gold leaf with a large, soft paintbrush. “Burnish” just means rub the gold leaf into the glue until it’s flat.

6. Remove masking tape from your project. Burnish the remaining gold leaf. Spray with clear acrylic sealer to protect the gold leaf finish.

Note: Gold leaf is not supposed to look perfect, so don’t worry if there are some pits and distresses to the finish. It’s part of the charm.

Creating the Floral Arrangement:

1. Cover your floral foam with burlap (if necessary, trim floral foam to fit in container before you start). Insert foam into container.

2. Hot glue felt flower coasters to bamboo skewers. Glue gold leaves to skewers.

3. Insert skewers into floral foam to make a floral arrangement. Tip: vary the length of the skewers to add variety and height to the arrangement. You can trim the skewers with scissors.

4. Write what you’re thankful for onto the labels. (I used Martha Stewart markers). Stick labels onto skewers. Insert into arrangement.

Tip: Allow your family to add to the arrangement by writing down what they are thankful for onto labels!

5. Fill arrangement in with burlap picks. To make, cut burlap squares, then fold square in quarters. Glue bamboo skewer to center of folded square, and pinch until hot glue is dry.

All done!

See all my Martha Stewart projects!

The post Tutorial: Rustic Glam Thankful Centerpiece appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

I had a great time getting dollar store crafty this month with my dollar store candles and some Martha Stewart Halloween craft supplies! For this month’s 12 Months of Martha, I’m going to show you how to decorate some super adorable Halloween candles in just minutes. Oh, and don’t miss my appearance on the Martha Stewart show, where I shared my $5 dollar store Halloween costume idea!

Project Materials:

• Dollar store candle, $1
• Martha Stewart Crafts Adhesive Border Pad, about $14, or $.23 per border
• Orange ribbon, $1
• Twine, on hand or $1

Total: about $1.25 per candle, $15 total for the project

Supplies: I got the candles and ribbon at the dollar store.

How to Save Money on This Project: Substitute the adhesive border pad for washi tape, ribbon, or cut strips of Halloween-themed scrapbooking paper out to glue to your candle. Don’t forget to check your craft stash to see what you can use up!

Why the Martha Stewart Adhesive Border Pad is a good choice: There are 60 adhesive borders per pad, so they cost about 23 cents per border, so this is a VERY quick and easy craft if you are going to make a lot of candles. They’d be great for craft bazaars, teacher gifts, or hostess gifts. If you were going to sell them at a craft bazaar, you could easily charge $5 a piece and make about $3.75 profit per candle!

I used two different type of candles — scented and lidded candles I found in the candle/craft section at the dollar tree, and glass prayer candles.

For the prayer candle, I also used a strip of burlap, and some Martha Stewart Halloween decoupage papers (for the owl). If you are making the candles to sell at a craft fair, remember to add about $.23 per border you use per candle. So, for the owl candle shown here (with 4 borders), you would add $.92 to your cost per candle, plus the cost of the owl. I would retail the owl prayer candle at about $7.50.

To Make Super Easy Halloween Candles:

1. Remove labels from candles. Some are easy to peel off, and some will require the use of an adhesive remover like Goo Gone (you can get it for $1 at the dollar store!).

2. Clean glass with rubbing alcohol, and allow to dry.

3. Choose your favorite adhesive borders from the Martha Stewart, and wrap around the candle, trimming to fit. (Save the extra bit for a patchwork candle, or for card-making!)

4. If needed, secure the edge of the adhesive border with a bit of glue or invisible tape.

5. Tie a piece of ribbon or twine around the top of the candle.

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Create simple, designer-looking custom plates with dollar store supplies and some goodies by Martha Stewart. I’ve been experimenting with glass painting on dollar store glassware, and I love how these doily plates turned out! These look like designer dishes — your family and friends will not believe you made them yourself.

Dollar stores (especially Dollar Tree) have a great selection of glassware. I used these basic clear glass dinner plates and silk screened a doily image on each one, using Martha Stewart glass paint and silk screens.

A note about the supplies: Up front, let me say that the Martha Stewart glass paints and silk screens are premium supplies, NOT dollar store supplies, but you should note that  these high quality supplies make humble dollar store goodies look very high end. By making a set of these designer dishes, you will save a lot of money (instead of buying a comparable product at a store like Anthropologie). To me, this is the essence of dollar store crafting — making something amazing out of dollar store stuff.

And don’t forget, the silkscreens and paints will allow you to make hundreds of glasses or other projects, so the investment will pay off as you make more projects. These doily dishes are perfect for handmade gifts or for dressing up your own table! You can make a set for nearly everyone on your gift list. If doilies aren’t your style, there are many other silk screen styles to choose from.

Remember, you can use the doily stencils on any glass surface! Make stenciled tumblers, vases, candle holders, and more.

Project Materials:

• 4 dishes, $1 each
• Martha Stewart Glass Silk Screens, Doily Lace, retail price $12.99
• Martha Stewart Glass Paint in Wedding Cake, $3.49 retail
• Martha Stewart Squeegie Set, $12.99 retail

Total cost: $33.47 to get started

You need about $30 in Martha Stewart glass supplies to get started, but you will be able to make tons of projects using these. If you want to make a gift (set of 4 dishes) for five friends, the cost per dish will be less than $2.50 a plate.

Save Money On This Project: Use your 40% off coupon at your local craft store when buying the stencils or tools, and look for sales. This will reduce the supply cost dramatically. You can also skip the squeegies, although they make it really easy to do this project, and I don’t know how frustrating it might be to use the wrong tool for this job.

Okay, enough about the facts – let’s see how to make them!

How to Make Silk Screened Doily Dishes:

1. Clean your glass surface with soap and water. Thoroughly dry, and then wipe down with rubbing alcohol.

2. Apply silk screen. It is designed to cling to the glass, which helps keep it in place as you apply paint.

3. Apply a small line of paint across one side of the silkscreen.

4. Pull the squeegie slowly and firmly across the silk screen in one smooth motion.

5. If any area of the silk screen is not covered with paint, pull paint gently over that area.

6. Immediately pull the silk screen up from the plate, starting at one corner and pulling up and away from the glass.

7. Rinse the silk screen out immediately, and dry by blotting with an absorbent towel.

8. Repeat for other glasses.

9. Allow paint to dry for a couple hours, then follow instructions on paint bottle for curing.

Thanks to Paint Me Plaid for these glass silkscreening images!

These doily dishes would also make great wedding favors, or would look great as place settings at a wedding.!

Disclosure: I received the Martha Stewart Glass Paints from Martha Stewart in conjunction with 12 Months of Martha. No payment was received.

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Every week on Wednesdays, I go to my mom’s house for a day of crafting. It’s a nice time to pause from the To Do lists and tasks of the week and enjoy life, crafts, and each others’ company. We often have friends join us too. This week, Jaime and her two daughters Taylor and Sydney joined us.

I usually provide the craft supplies! This week, I brought a few Martha Stewart items I received for 12 Months of Martha: This month’s Martha Stewart Living magazine, a Martha Stewart Crafts Crafter’s Clay Starter Kit and a new book: Martha Stewart’s Favorite Crafts for Kids.

Our craft days are open-ended, which means I usually just put stuff on the table and let people work on whatever looks like fun to them. Jaime and her girls immediately started working on the Crafter’s Clay kits.

1. Martha Stewart Crafter’s Clay Kits

The Martha Stewart Crafter’s Clay kits are a lot of fun. They include several colors of crafter’s clay (which is an easy-to-use air drying clay), several silicone molds, tools, instructions, and a few other accessories that help with the crafting.

You can work with the clay a lot like playdough or modeling clay. You can use the molds to easily create intricate molded clay objects.

The kits are easy enough for a five year-old to work on. My son made a yellow bird with a silicone mold. Jaime worked on making individual hydrangea blossoms (instructions for how to make the blossoms were included in the kit):

2. Martha Stewart’s Favorite Crafts for Kids Book:

Even before I had kids, I always loved kids’ crafts books. Back when there was a Martha Stewart Kids magazine, I read it religiously (again, before I even had kids). It’s such a treat to actually have kids who are the right age to craft with now. The kids and I looked through the book together to see what projects caught our eyes.

I picked out some of our favorite crafts below to share with you:

The Mom Picks:

1. Make stuffed animals from kid drawings
2. Cross stitch family pictures

The Kid Picks:

1. Alien spaceships made out of recyclables
2. Plastic clay beads and jewelry
3. Candy monsters

The kids gravitated to all the edible crafts, while the moms gravitated toward the keepsake crafts. I decided to make something that used materials we already had on hand: a tissue paper pom-pom.

Tissue Paper Pom Pom Craft:

Project Materials:

• 4 sheets of tissue paper, on hand
• Cardboard tube, on hand
• Invisible tape, on hand
• Scissors

Total: Free

To Make:

1. Fold four sheets of tissue paper in half lengthwise. Cut into strips to about 1 inch from fold.
2. On folded side of paper, begin to wrap the tissue around the end of a cardboard tube. Tape as you go.
3. If desired, cover taped area with decorative tape or ribbon.
4. Crinkle tissue paper strips to add fullness.

3. Martha’s Blueberry Shortbreads – Vegan style

While we were crafting it up, our friend Eva was looking through the new issue of Martha Stewart Living. She decided to make the Blueberry Shortbreads, but veganized them by substituting Earth Balance spread for butter and omitting the cream cheese frosting.

Martha’s version is on the left, and our version is on the bottom right. Looks pretty good, right?

We had a great day hanging out and getting crafty together. Thanks to the Martha Stewart team for providing the inspiration and supplies for our fun afternoon!

Disclosure: Martha Stewart Crafts sent me these supplies. The opinions in this post are 100% my own.

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Did someone say “beach?” The nautical charms by Martha Stewart Jewelry really spoke to us. We paired them with a simple, earthy jute string for a quick and easy project. We got these vintage-style blue jars at Target ($9.99 for 6), but you can make your own blue tinted jars by mixing food coloring with Mod Podge and painting your jars to tint. You can also do this project with the clear jars found at any thrift store or at the dollar store.

Project Materials:

• Mason jar, $1 or on hand
• Wire or jute twine, $1 or on hand
• Beads or jewelry charms, $1 and up
• Votive candle, on hand

Total- $1.00 and up

To Make:

1. Wire a charm to an 18″ piece of jute twine, then tie around the mouth of a canning jar.
2. Alternately, string beads and charms around a piece of wire, and twist around the mouth of the jar.
3. Insert a scoop of clean sand, and set a votive candle in the sand.

Martha Stewart Crafts supplies are available at Michaels, Jo-Anns Fabrics & Crafts and Amazon.com

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Wedding season is just around the corner and I would bet someone you know if not yourself is trying to come up with some inexpensive centerpieces. Heather and I had an awesome afternoon brainstorming and crafting together using Martha Stewart products. We came up with the very elegant candle holder which will have all your guests asking, “where you got those beautiful centerpieces?” If they only knew!

Project estimate:

• Plastic champagne glasses, $1.00 for a 6 pack
• Martha Stewart punch, on hand
• Martha Stewart scrapbook paper, on hand
• Martha Stewart glitter, on hand
• Hot glue, on hand
• Charm or bead, on hand
• Clear thread or fishing line, on hand
• White glue, on hand

Total: $1.00 and up

Using the punch make two matching pieces to place together. Sandwich two sides together with string in the middle. You will need to add a bead or some type of charm to the base to hold it down when hanging.

Place a small amount of glue in the bottom of the cup with the glue gun. Be careful to not get it on the sides of the cup.

Here comes the tricky part. Using a pencil make a small slit in the eraser and put string/thread into it. This will hold it in place to put it in cup. Push end of thread then into the glue and allow to set. Now you have your monogram in place.

Now onto the glitter. Apply a small amount of glue to the rim of the cup. Then cover it with glitter by rolling it in a plate filled with glitter.

Using the same technique glue the base of the cup and glitter it. Once it has dried you can place a punch in the center to put your candle on.

Light your candle and you are ready to have the wedding of your dreams!

The post Tutorial: Monogram Candle Holder appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Every month Dollar Store Crafts gets a fun box of goodies from Martha Stewart Crafts.  This month we got a box full of satin paints and adhesive silkscreen.  I always have a few crafts on hand for when the Martha box comes.  I had some candle holders I couldn’t wait to make and adding some pretty painted silkscreen flowers finished the look.

Project Estimate:

• Candle stick holders, $2
• Votive holders,$2
• Glue, on hand
• Martha Stewart Adhesive Silkscreen
• Martha Stewart Paints
• Martha Stewart paint sponges

Total: $4.00 and up

Before you get started make sure your surface is clean and dry.  Cut the silkscreen you would like to use from the sheet.  Then place on surface smoothing it out completely getting rid of all air bubbles.

Using the sponge place paint on silkscreen.  Make sure to smooth it over the surface covering it completely and have no heavy paint spots.

Be careful when you remove  the silkscreen as to not smear the paint.  Allow paint to dry before attaching the base.

Place glue around the top edge of the candle stick holder.  Center the base of the votive on the candle stick.  Allow to dry completely before handling.

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