The dollar store is one of my favorite places to pick up inexpensive seasonal crafting items.  A perennial favorite across all seasons is their glitter table scatter. Over on Creative Green Living, I show you how to take some wired burlap ribbon and combine it with Valentine table scatter to make a cute bunting perfect for a mantle, door, or mirror.  [how to make an easy burlap and glitter valentine heart banner]

Project estimate:

• burlap ribbon, $1
• Glitter heart table scatter, $1 and up
• Scissors, on hand
• Jute twine, on hand or $1 and up
• Hot glue gun & glue, on hand

Total: $3 and up

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The reason I started this website was because of inspirational projects like this stylish crocheted twine and leather basket. Yes, it’s actually made from dollar store materials! How would you use a pretty basket like this one? I think I’d like to use it in my bedroom to add some quiet style to my bedside (and I could keep some of my extra books in there). Find the instructions for this basket over at Make and Do Crew: [Dollar Store Twine & Leather Basket]

Supplies Needed:

• 6 balls of dollar store twine, $6
• Thrift store leather belt, $1 and up

Total: $6 and up

The post Make a Stylish Twine & Leather Basket appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

The other day when I was at Dollar Tree I noticed something exciting – they now carry baker’s twine! Next time you are there, grab a package of it plus some pom poms and make this super easy Christmas garland. I shared the full directions over at Mrs. Greene – including an adorable photobombing by one of my cats. (As if a cute craft wasn’t reason enough to check it out!) [how to make a twine and pom pom garland]

Project estimate:

• Baker’s twine, on hand or $1 and up
• Pom poms, on hand or $1 and up
• Glue, on hand
• Tapestry needle, on hand

Total: Free and up!

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This advent calendar idea is adorable and brilliantly simple! Swedish blogger Sandra Brundell used twigs and twine to string up a selection of small gifts. And when the gifts are gone, the twig tree still looks fabulous hanging on your wall through the rest of the holiday season! [how to make a twig tree advent calendar]

Project estimate:

• Twigs, free
• Twine, on hand or $1 and up
• Wrapping paper, on hand or $1 and up
• Assorted small gifts, $1 and up

Total: $1 and up!

The post Make a Twig Tree Advent Calendar appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

School is starting back up, the air is getting cooler, and bits of color are starting to show in the trees.  That means it’s time to start your fall crafting!  We’ve long been fans of the humble popsicle stick as one of our favorite craft supplies.  Check out how Menucha at Moms and Crafters used popsicle sticks to create this 3D pumpkin decoration.  These would be cute as part of a centerpiece or mantel display, or you could make a bunch of them and string them together as a fun garland!  You can use colored popsicle sticks, like Menucha did, or use plain sticks and give them color with a little bit of paint.  [how to make a popsicle stick pumpkin]

Project estimate:

• Popsicle sticks, on hand or $1
• Water, on hand
• Drinking glass, on hand
• Paint, on hand or $1 and up
• Buttons, on hand or $1 and up
• Twine and/or ribbon, on hand or $1
• Hot glue, on hand

Total:  Free and up!

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You can use new ribbon to make this fringe garland or bust your stash. The trick is in how you tie the knots.

A while back I was at a local discount store and they were selling huuuuuuge spools of ribbon – 50 yards per spool – for just $1.49 each. I didn’t really need it, and I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with it, but it was such a good deal that I couldn’t pass it up and threw a few assorted colors into my cart. And boy am I glad that I did, because I used it to make this fabulous garland, and I absolutely love how it turned out!

It took a lot of ribbon to make this garland, but it was totally worth it. It would be a great project if you happen to have lots of odds and ends of scrap ribbon hanging out in your stash. Want to see how I made it? Check out my video, or keep scrolling for written directions.

Project estimate:

• Ribbon, on hand or $1 and up
• Twine, on hand or $1

Total: Free and up!

First, cut your ribbon into equal lengths.  The length of the pieces will determine the length of the fringe on your finished garland, so make them about twice the length that you want the finished fringe to be and add about an inch to accommodate for making a knot.  So for 7″ long fringe, for instance, measure your ribbon pieces out to about 15″ (7″ x 2, plus an extra inch).  Use a lighter or other flame source to carefully seal the cut ends of the ribbon and prevent them from unraveling.

Fold each piece of ribbon in half to find the center, and attach it to a length of twine using a knot called the Lark’s Head or Cow Hitch.  (Two different names, same knot!)  If you aren’t familiar with the Lark’s Head/Cow Hitch, you might find this diagram from Factory Direct Craft to be useful.

Continue adding pieces of ribbon until your garland reaches the desired length.  In my case, I just kept going until I ran out of ribbon!

The post Tutorial: Ribbon Fringe Garland appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

This DIY heart bunting uses a secret ingredient that makes it super simple without costing a lot to make.

Now that Christmas has passed, Valentine’s Day stuff is filtering into the stores!  In anticipation of this year’s Valentine merch, I dug out my leftovers from last year to try to use some of them up and make room for the pending influx of new stuff.  Stash rotation time!

I decided to make a simple bunting using some gorgeous hearts that I found at Dollar Tree last year.  The “secret ingredient” in this project is a product called Phoomph, which is like a stick-on interfacing that allows you to cut any fabric without it fraying.  It’s not a dollar store item but it’s still pretty inexpensive, and is totally worth it for the time it will save you on a project like this!

Watch the video to see how I put it all together, or keep scrolling for written directions.

Project estimate:

• Phoomph, about $3
• Fabric, on hand or $1 and up
• Fabric heart stickers or other embellishments, $1 and up
• Hot glue, on hand
• Baker’s twine or string, on hand or $1 and up

Total:  about $4 and up

Start by applying your fabric to the Phoomph.  It works kind of like a big sticker – peel off the backing and smooth the fabric onto it; repeat with the other side of the sheet of Phoomph, sandwiching it between two layers of fabric.

Cut the sheet in half lengthwise to make two long, skinny pieces, and cut those pieces into triangles.  I got 10 triangles out of one sheet of Phoomph.

Glue a heart or other embellishment to each triangle.  My hearts were stickers, but I peeled off the adhesive part and glued them down instead.

Use an upholstery needle to sew through the top corners of the triangles, stringing them together on a length of baker’s twine or other string.

The post Tutorial: Simple Valentine Bunting appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

As an obsessive saver of scraps, I love seeing a good project for using up leftover odds and ends.  And as someone who also thinks that bottle brush trees are absolutely adorable, I have to admit that this project made me squeal audibly when I stumbled across it.  Virginia from Fynes Designs demonstrates how to use any fibers you have in your stash – yarn, twine, or even bits of tinsel leftover from your holiday decorating – to twist up a lovely, colorful little forest of your own!  [how to make DIY bottle brush trees]

Project estimate:

• Yarn, twine, garland, or other fibers, on hand or $1 and up
• Wire, on hand or $1
• Wine corks, on hand

Total:  Free and up!

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If you have access to pine cones and you own a hot glue gun, you can make this beautiful pine cone wreath for next to nothing.

Our DSC Facebook community moderator, Terrie, has been busy busy busy making her holiday decorations, and sharing her how-tos with us along the way!   Today she shares the instructions for this fabulous pine cone wreath.  This was a huge hit with the community, so we are really excited that she provided the instructions!

Project estimate:

• Pine cones, on hand
• Jute twine, on hand or $1
• Hot glue, on hand
• Spray lacquer (optional), on hand or about $3

Total:  Free and up!

Gather an assortment of pine, spruce, and fir tree cones – bake them in the oven at 170 degrees F for about 2 hours to make them open all the way up and kill any critters that may be hiding inside.

Learn how to make a square knot.  Start with a piece of jute that is two yards long. Place your first cone in the center of the jute, near the top of the cone, and tie three square knots. I used cones from a Spruce tree because they are so long.

Tie all three square knots tight!

Add your next cone, tie three more square knots, repeat until your have enough cones tied together to form your wreath. (I would recommend starting with with a smaller wreath)  When you run out of jute, tie one square knot around the last cone, cut more jute, and tie it around that cone like your first cone.

When you get good size, tie the last cone to the first one and tie a little knot for hanging.

Take a few pine cones and cut them near the base. This gives you a pretty “rosette” and a smaller pine cone. I also did this with the smaller Spruce cones.

Place your cones on the wreath BEFORE gluing them down. This will assure that you have enough cones and don’t need to go pick up more of them.

Now you’re ready to glue the rosettes to the wreath. Use plenty of glue! Glue is what keeps this wreath together, literally!  Glue all of the cones and rosettes symmetrically onto the wreath.

When you’re finished, wait about 20 minutes then turn over your wreath, face down. Put extra glue in between the cones to make the wreath stronger.  You’re finished unless you want to touch it up with a little spray lacquer.

Enjoy!

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I am a saver of scraps and random odds-and-ends, so I am always on the lookout for ideas that are good for using up my stash of little tidbits.  If that also describes you, you’ll love these button tassel keychains from Julie at Sum of Their Stories!  Stylish, cute, and easy, these are a great stashbusting project, and would also make wonderful gifts.  You could even work them into your gift wrapping this holiday season as a bonus gift for the recipient!  [how to make a button and tassel keychain]

Project estimate:

• Key ring, on hand or $1
• Buttons, on hand or $1 and up
• String, twine, yarn, etc, on hand or $1 and up

Total:  Free and up!

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