Whether decorating for Halloween or hosting a “Wizard of Oz” party, this fun welcome mat is great way for guests to make an entrance at your door!  This quick and simple to make project was inexpensive, too, thanks to $1 purchases at Dollar Tree.

I love to decorate for Halloween, but I don’t like gory decor.  I like my Halloween decor to be a little spooky and a lot of fun.  I saw this welcome mat idea on Pinterest and immediately knew I wanted to make my own.  Here’s how I did it.

Project estimate:

 

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Being a mom is busy work! Raise your hand if you know what I’m talking about! It’s such busy work, in fact, that I never got birth announcements printed for ANY of my three sons. It just never happened. I recently got some custom Christmas cards printed, and when I did, I took the opportunity to have them made up for each of my kiddos. It’s too late to send birth announcements, of course, but I did something even better. I framed each of them with dollar store frames and made my own mattes out of scrapbooking paper!

Vintage Blue – Unless Someone Like You – Boy Photo Birth Announcement
Price: $2.79
7″ x 5″ Folded Card

I got the birth announcements printed at Cardstore.com. They have super awesome designs that were so cool they inspired me to do this project. Read my full review of Cardstore.com here. I wouldn’t recommend them unless I love them, and I really, really do! I think everyone should do this project — it’s so simple and pretty. You can also do it with wedding photos, your Christmas card, or any photo.

If you decide to buy from Cardstore.com, get 20% off with the code CSHOLIDAY20
(this promotion is for new customers only, though!)

This project would also be a great gift for new parents, grandparents, or newlyweds. Just save their birth announcement, wedding invitation, or wedding portrait, and use this technique to make a custom-matted framed photo.

Project Estimate:

• Custom-printed birth announcement from Cardstore.com, about $2.19 and up (or baby photo, on hand)
• 8×10″ frame, $1
• 1 piece of scrapbooking paper, on hand or about $.25
• X-acto knife or craft cutting machine (Silhouette or Cricut), on hand
• Ruler, on hand
• Tape, on hand
• Cutting board, mat, or recycled cardboard box, on hand

Total: about $4

Supplies: Get a plain 8×10″ frame at the dollar store. I found plain black frames, which were perfect for this project (and neutral for any decor). Choose a complimentary scrapbook paper. Get your favorite baby photo turned into a custom photo birth announcement, or get a 5×7″ photo printed.

Cutting the Matte:

• Using the insert that comes with the frame, trace an 8×10″ rectangle onto the back of your scrapbooking paper.
• Measure a 4.75 x 6.75″ rectangle into the center of the larger rectangle. (Alternately, trace your card in the center of the paper, then measure and mark inside the traced box .25″ on each side.)

If you have a craft cutter (I cut mine out on the Silhouette), you can do all this measuring and cutting easily with your cutting software!

• Cut out both rectangles with an X-acto knife (use a cutting mat, cutting board, or recycled cardboard box as your cutting surface).

Mounting the Card:

This isn’t highly scientific or anything, but it’s how I do it:

• Place a piece of tape on the back of your card, facing up.
• Gently place your matte over your photo and center the card as desired.

• When perfect placement is obtained, press down on tape to secure.
• Hold photo in place while you tape the opposite side of the card down.
• Turn matte over, and secure other sides of card.
• Look at the front and make sure everything is straight and lined up and looks like you want it to!

Insert the matte into the frame, and you’re done!

Blue Star Monogram – Cardstore – Boy Photo Birth Announcement
Price: $2.39
7″ x 5″ Flat Card

Hello Little One – Unless Someone Like You – Photo Birth Announcement
Price: $2.39
7″ x 5″ Flat Card

If you decide to buy from Cardstore.com, get 20% off with the code CSHOLIDAY20
(this promotion is for new customers only, though!)

Disclosure

Linked:

The post Make Matted Framed Photo Cards appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

The other day, reader N sent me a link to this CB2 Pebble Mat and said she didn’t have time to work on the project now, but that it would be a fun dollar store craft. I agreed with her: it would be fun (and also, I don’t have time right now either! So many ideas, so little time.) As luck would have it, I stumbled across this project, posted by Meli Melo at After I Finish This Row. She’s already done it for us, so I get to post about it, and you get to make your own! You can use the multicolored river rocks like Meli did, or as reader N noted, Dollar Tree has black river rocks available as well. [click here for how to make a river rock pebble mat]

Project Estimate:

• 2 bags of river stone pebbles, $2
• 1 placemat or suitable sturdy fabric cut to preferred size, $1
• e6000, on hand

Total: $3

Additional Resources and Ideas:

• Felted stone rug at yes, i MADE that
• Tree Trimmings doormat at Anthropologie

The post Make a Pebble Mat appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Dress up your holiday table for no extra money by using this pretty origami fold for your paper napkins.

Fall Wreath by Lindsay at The Phenes Update: $4

Lindsay took some dollar store stuff and transformed it into a couple of wreaths and some other cute fall decorations. Check them out at her blog!

The post Reader Roundup: No Sew Projects appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

MaryContrary was inspired by another post on Dollar Store Crafts to de-skid a handmade crocheted rug with a shelf liner. Mary took the rug she crocheted (isn’t it cool?) and attached the non-stick shelf liner to the bottom. The shelf liner works well to keep the otherwise slippery rug from sliding all over the place!

It looks great! You can use that shelf liner stuff for all kinds of cool craft projects! I am crocheting some rag rugs right now, myself, so I will probably pick up another roll of shelf liner to attach to them to keep them from sliding around on my hardwood flooring.

Project Estimate:

• Shelf liner, $1
• Rug, on hand

Total cost: $1

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