If you love whimsical decor, there is no room in the house that is more fun to decorate than a baby nursery!  After all, who wouldn’t want their infant to be surrounded by a magical dreamland?  Create an ethereal, nature-inspired look with these DIY hanging cloud decorations from Amy at A Nest for All Seasons.  The great thing about this project is its resourcefulness, using whatever you have on hand to create the frame for the clouds; Amy used an old lamp shade and a basket for hers.  She gives some other great suggestions and tips for using repurposed and recycled materials in her post, so make sure you stop by her blog!  [how to make DIY hanging clouds]

Project estimate:

• Lampshade or basket, on hand or $1 and up
• Styrofoam pieces, on hand or $1 and up
• White sheet, on hand
• Batting and/or polyfill, on hand or about $3
• Spray adhesive, on hand or about $3 and up

Total:  Free and up!

The post Make DIY Cloud Decor appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

When Ashley from Simply Designing spotted some cute hanging ghosts in Pottery Barn’s line of Halloween decorations, she knew that she wanted them.  She also knew that she could make them herself for much less than the PB price of $59 for the set!  These would look great both indoors and out, greeting guests with a bit of spookiness.  And they are so freakin’ adorable – I think I like these better than the original!  [how to make PB-inspired hanging ghosts]

Project estimate:

• Foam balls, $1 and up
• Cheesecloth, on hand or $1
• Paint, on hand
• Eye screws, on hand or $1
• Glue, on hand
• String, on hand

Total:  $1 and up

The post Make PB-Inspired Hanging Ghosts appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

I love the 4th of July. My father, brother and both grandfathers served in the military, instilling in me a huge passion for this wonderful country I live in. I bought these super cute mini terracotta pots the last time I was at the Dollar Store and I was excited to make something patriotic out of them. What’s fun about this craft is it can serve so many different purposes with just a few simple changes; by varying the paint scheme, they will work for almost any occasion!

Project estimate:

• Mini terracotta pots, 3 for $1
• Styrofoam balls, on hand or $1
• Craft paint, on hand
• Glue, on hand
• Glitter, on hand or $1

Total: $1 and up

Using the knife cut two of the Styrofoam balls in half. You’ll have on extra half. After you cut them use the knife to clean up the edges and make them smooth.

To make gluing and covering in glitter easier I inserted the knife tip into the bottom of the ball half. It will keep you from getting glitter and glue all over your fingers and make it easier to get everything covered evenly. Once all halves are covered allow to dry. (Quick side note: I found these awesome food trays at Goodwill and they have made the best base for crafting. It helps keep all the materials in one place. Perfect for crafting with kids. If you find some snatch them up – you won’t regret it!)

This is where you can get very creative if you would like. I did simple red, white and blue stripes, but you can decorate however you want. Once the paint has dried. Place the glitter half, balls on the top. You may secure with a glue gun if you would like of simply push into pots to secure. Place a flag or other item on the top.

Here’s another example of what you can make with these. I cut small slits in the top and placed cards in them to label items at your 4th of July barbeque. They would also work well as placecard holders!

The post Tutorial: Patriotic Mini Flower Pots appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

It seems like every town in the USA has a Fourth of July parade. Stand out from the crowd waving flags and wave these sparkly star wands instead!  Morena shows us how to make these fun wands over on Crafts Unlimited. Make sure you bring your wands home from the parade – they make a great safe sparkler alternative for little hands. [how to make patriotic star wands]

Project estimate:

• Styrofoam stars, $1 and up
• Dowels, on hand or $0.50 and up
• Craft paint, on hand
• Glue, on hand
• Glitter, on hand or $1 and up
• Ribbon, on hand
• Metallic gift wrap shreds, $1 and up

Total: $2 and up

The post Make Patriotic Star Wands appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Warm weather is finally here, which means we are gearing up for outdoor parties and barbecues.  I love decorating for every event we have at our house, but am on a pretty tight budget.  I started trying to think of ways I could make party decor without breaking the bank, and discovered that Dollar Store drink umbrellas can make some pretty cute (and easy!) center pieces.

Project estimate:

• Styrofoam cone, $1
• Cocktail umbrellas, $2 (I used two packages)

Total: $3.00

Starting at the top of the cone, push the opened umbrellas into the foam.  Continue doing this until you have covered the entire surface of the cone.

Once completed you can add a few more elements to finish your look!

The post Tutorial: Cocktail Umbrella Centerpiece appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Cone trees are certainly on trend this year. They are so easy to make that even entry level crafters can get in on the trendy action. Kristi from Lolly Jane made these adorable trees using felt hearts and gave them some extra height by adding them to some candlestick pedestals.

[how to make felt heart cone trees]

Project estimate

• Styrofoam cone, $1 and up
• Felt sheets, $1 for 3
• Dressmaker pins, on hand
• Glitter heart picks, $1
• Candlestick, $1
• Paint, on hand

Total: $4 and up

The post Make Felt Heart Cone Trees appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

I love the glass gems at the dollar store and am always on the look out for great ways to use them. Sarah from Alderberry Hill transformed some plain styrofoam into these stunning trees with little more than paint and these gems. Make yours in staggered tiers like Sarah or keep it simple and use this same technique to make a straight cone tree. Make a few in colors to complement your decor or stay with a monochromatic palate. Either way, they will look great on your mantle, window sill or as part of your Christmas Village. [how to make glass mosaic Christmas trees]

Project estimate:

• Styrofoam trees, $1 and up
• Acrylic paint, on hand
• Glue gun and glue sticks, on hand or $1 and up
• Glass gems, $1 and up

Total: $2 and up

The post Make Glass Mosaic Christmas Trees appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Whether you make a small section to use as a photo backdrop or you go crazy and create some faux architectural elements to trim a room, people will have to look twice to realize that this brick wall is not real!  Joanne from Craft Passion manipulated and painted sheets of styrofoam to make them look quite convincingly like real bricks.  You could even cut down pieces of foam from product packaging as a free source of “bricks”!  [how to make a faux brick wall]

Project estimate:

• Foam, on hand or $1 and up
• Plywood or other stiff surface, on hand or $1 and up
• Glue, on hand
• Primer, on hand or $1 and up
• Stone effect spray paint, about $5
• Soldering iron, on hand or about $5 and up

Total:  about $5 and up

The post Make a Faux Brick Wall appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

File this one under “clever Christmas decor ideas.”  Using two of DSC’s favorite supplies, foam balls and mardi gras beads, Amanda from Crafts by Amanda made a festive and adorable garland of snowman heads!  The secret ingredient in this project is DecoArt’s MagiKote, a product that gives styrofoam a sandable, paintable surface.  You can also adapt this idea for all kinds of other holidays and events: leprechauns for St. Patrick’s Day, bunny heads for Easter, baby faces for a shower, beach balls for a pool party…  What other occasions can you think of that would work with this craft?  [how to make a snowman garland]

Project estimate:

• Foam balls, on hand or $1 and up
• MagiKote, about $5 and up
• Paint, on hand
• Sharpie, on hand
• Mardi gras beads, $1
• Toothpicks, on hand or $1
• Glue, on hand

Total:  $1 and up

The post Make a Snowman Garland appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

These mod earrings are made with some simple supplies you can find at the dollar store. Felicity from Crafty Modern created them in Halloween colors, but you can use any glitter colors you want.  They’re fun, they’re light weight, they’re sparkly. What are you waiting for? [how to make sparkly ball earrings]

Afraid of glitter? I read a tip somewhere that if you spray glittered items with hairspray after you’re done making them, the glitter doesn’t flake off much, so don’t fear the glitter. Have no findings? I’ve seen jewelry findings at the dollar store once in awhile, so you might get lucky and find them there, but you might have to go to the craft or big box store to pick up a couple of bucks worth of findings to do this project. The good news is, you’ll have enough findings to make tons of jewelry (hello, holiday gifts!) And, you can get the small Styrofoam balls in the floral section at the dollar store. So there, I’ve answered all your questions about this project! No objections, your honor!

Project Estimate:

• 2 Styrofoam Balls, $1
• Glitter, on hand or $1
• Craft Glue, on hand
• Paint (optional), on hand
• 2 Earring wires, $1 and up
• 2- 2″ Head pins, $1 and up
• Small pliers, on hand

Total: $3 and up

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