I think you will be interested in the site because I know you love great ideas, good design, and making your house a home, all on a budget. If you can dollar store craft, then you can build Knock Off Wood style! One of the things I like most about the site is that Ana White, the author of the blog, demystifies the process of building and is really encouraging toward beginners. Even if you have never picked up a hammer or power tool in your life, you will feel like you can do it after reading a few of the blog posts and reader testimonials.

Ana let me ask her a couple questions to share with you. I’ll share the interview on the next page, but first let me tell you about my storage bed and the very cheap (but cute) storage containers I made to go in it.

The Bed: Here’s the bed. It’s a king-sized storage bed that I painted dark brown. (Sidenote: you will notice that it’s REALLY tall because we use the boxspring as well as the mattress. I am so thankful for the lip on the end of the bed so I can get on the bed!! Otherwise, I’d also have to build a staircase too!). It’s been several months since we built it, so I don’t really have any major details to share because I have mommy brain and I can’t remember them. I believe we spent about $150, including paint and a countersink and drill bits. It took about 3-4 hours to build (not including about 2 hours in the home improvement store to get the lumber cut!) and several coats of paint. I think I should take a page out of some of other other builders’ books and go ahead and distress it in advance since I have 3 small kids!

Storage: I was stumped about how to put storage under the bed without spending as much as we spent on the bed. Large baskets were about $20 apiece at the cheapest, and the bed has space for 12 baskets. Hmm, 12 x $20 = too much. So, I hit upon a great idea. I bought a pack of 10 bankers boxes at Costco for less than $15, as well a can of paint.

I like the banker’s boxes because they are cheap, sturdy, easy to replace if necessary, easy to paint (and repaint, if you change color schemes), and streamlined looking. A painted banker’s box would also be easy to embellish. You could Mod Podge pretty paper to them, add fabric, ribbon, flowers, or whatever, according to your style. Oh, and they provide a ton of storage!

Project Estimate:

• Banker’s boxes, about $1.50 each
• Can of latex house paint, about $11, or on hand (leftover paint is great for this project)
• Primer, if you have some

Total: $1.50 and up per box

To Make:

Prime the banker’s boxes. This is optional, but recommended. You want to cover over any words or logos on the boxes so they don’t show through the paint.

Paint the boxes with latex paint in your chosen color. Give it a second or third coat, if necessary.

I assembled the boxes before I painted them, but after I did it, it occurred to me that it would be a lot quicker and easier to paint the boxes while they’re still flat.

Side project: if you want to make a “headboard” like mine, put three nails in the wall, tie dollar store jute string to them for a virtual headboard, and hang photos from the jute string with clothespins! Total cost: about $2 if you don’t already have everything on hand.

Now, on to the interview with Ana.

See Page 2 for interview –>

The post $2 Storage and Knock-Off Wood Interview appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

This is Fred the Hamster. Isn’t he cute? I sewed him a custom hamster cozy using two different dollar store scarves (for a swap on Craftster).  Sewing a hamster cozy is pretty simple, and using scarves for fabric makes it even simpler!

Since the project was simple and I wanted to make it special for Fred, I embroidered his name on the cozy with my sewing machine. My sewing machine is in sore need of a tune-up (it barely zigzags–what was I thinking trying to monogram like that?), and the letters are a little wonky, but I am happy with the personalization.

Scarves are abundant at the dollar store during the winter (and especially before the holidays! I have noticed that the scarf supply is waning now that we are heading toward spring); I picked up a fleece scarf and a woven plaid scarf. This cozy is fully reversible, too!

If you are making a cozy for a hamster, just sew securely, trim threads, and you’re good. If you are sewing for a gerbil (or other chew-loving animal), you might want to choose fabrics that can’t be easily chewed into and make sure you reinforce the seams by sewing a second seam millimeters away from the first seams. Don’t try this project for a gerbil! Fred’s mommy told me:  “I really wouldn’t recommend any fabric for gerbils. They are maniac chewers. Cozies would be excellent for rats and mice.”

Project Materials:

• Fleece scarf, $1
• Plaid scarf, $1
• Sewing machine and thread, on hand

Total cost: $2 (with scarf leftover–you could make a couple hamster cozies with two scarves).

To make:

1. Fold one scarf over lengthwise until scarf is desired hamster cozy size. Add two inches to the length for seam allowance. Cut.
2. Fold second scarf to same size and cut. If the scarves aren’t the same width, trim to the narrower scarf’s width.
3. If you want to add an applique or monogram to outside scarf, now is the time. Sew it to the scarf that will be facing outward. Make sure you sew it to the outside-facing side of the scarf.
4. Fold both scarves with right sides together and sew up sides of each scarf. (And again, if sewing for gerbils).
5. Turn inner lining scarf inside out (right side should be facing out now), and put it inside the outer scarf.
6. Pin top seams together. Leave a spot where you won’t sew about 2″ long or so – you will turn the cozy inside-out through this hole. You can mark it with double pins to remind yourself, or just remember it – you’re not gonna be sewing for long, here!
7. Sew around the area you just pinned, remembering to leave the 2″ gap.
8. Turn inside out through gap.
9. Turn exposed fabric (where the gap is) into the gap so the seam looks finished. Iron lightly if desired (use a very low setting – dollar store scarves, y’know!).
10. Sew around top seam, making sure the place where the gap was is sealed satisfactorily.
11. Fold top over, and you’re done!

Don’t be scared by the instructions here. They sound more complicated than they are. Even if you are a beginning sewer (or have never sewn anything before), you can do this project!

The post Sew a Hamster Cozy From Scarves appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

This is a guinea pig cuddle cup – isn’t that a cute name? Maybe if we enlarge the pattern, we can make a human-sized cuddle cup. I am pretty sure we could all use such a cozy-sounding bed. Creator bindingtwine made this out of dollar store towels. You could also enlarge the pattern just a little to make a great bed for a kitty or dog.

Project Estimate:

• 2 Towels, $2
• Batting, $1 (or recycle from old blanket)

Project Total: $3

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