Want to up your jewelry-making game? This bead-wrapped wire heart pendant from Lisa Yang is a great project for those who have a little experience working with wire and want to learn a fun new technique. Once you master the beading technique, you can use this to give a fancy edge to all kinds of crafty projects! [how to make a bead-wrapped wire heart pendant]

Project estimate:

• Wire, on hand or $1 and up
• Beads, on hand or $1 and up

Total: Free and up!

The post Make a Bead-Wrapped Wire Heart Pendant appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

I’m pretty sure that just about every crafter on the planet has an abundance of buttons – I know that personally I have thousands of them, enough to constitute several lifetime supplies for most folks.  as such, I’m always on the lookout for cute and clever button crafts.  I really love these simple pensant necklaces by Shellie at Craftbits!  It’s a great way to dress up a plain button, or to showcase a unique button in a special way!  [how to make wire wrapped button pendants]

Project estimate:

• Buttons, on hand or $1 and up
• Wire, on hand or $1 and up
• Chain or cord, on hand or $1 and up

Total:  Free and up!

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Mother’s Day s on the horizon!  Have you started thinking about what to make for mom yet this year? Jewelry is a classic Mother’s Day gift option, and handmade jewelry is sure to make mom happy.  This bib-style necklace is a great project if you have a stash of buttons on hand; even if you have to go out and buy buttons, it shouldn’t cost you more than a few bucks!

Project estimate:

• Felt, on hand or $1
• Buttons, on hand or $1 and up
• Hot glue, on hand
• Colored wire, on hand or $1
• Ribbon, on hand or $1 and up

Total:  Free and up!

This coated wire is very pliable and easy to bend and cut. Make two pieces in the shape shown above. These need to have a smaller end so that the ribbon will stay in place. The rest of the pieces are leaves and you can make them any shape you like. Do use an odd number as this will make your necklace look nicer.

To make the felt backing, I folded a piece of felt over and cut a “smile” shape. Hold it up to your neckline and look in the mirror to establish if it is large enough or too large.

Attach the side hooks and add the buttons.

To add the side hooks, one at a time, place them on the corner of your felt, apply hot glue and fold the corner over as seen as seen in the image. Find two buttons that are the same and hot glue them over the top of the felt, hiding where the side hooks are attached.

Place your leaves where you want them, and hot glue them into place.

I used a lot of shank buttons. Shank buttons are the ones that have the hole on the bottom of the button. I used my wire cutters to cut that part off, making it flat as shown in the image. I then hot glued it into the middle of an ordinary button.

I began using buttons all around the edge of the felt and then work Dan towards the center. The center buttons will be mostly covered so I didn’t have to worry about gluing shank buttons in the center. The rose buttons came in an assortment from a local dollar store. When I got the first layer down, I then added my prettier buttons. Also, for a little extra durability, I added one more button behind each of my side hooks.

Add the ribbon.  Cut two pieces of satin ribbon about 15 inches long each. Most satin ribbon has a pretty side and a not-so-pretty side. Make sure that the pretty side is out. Thread them each through the side hooks and hem them using hot glue. Also hem the ends of the ribbon with hot glue as well.

Tips:

• For safety’s sake, when you cut the shank off the button, cover it with your other hand.
• If you want to use regular buttons, please do, they will work the same way and look awesome. There are many different kinds, shapes and colours of buttons.
• Place several buttons where you want them and then, when you are sure that is where they are going, hot glue them in place.

The post Tutorial: Button Bib Necklace appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

We firmly believe that the three Rs should be done in order – first reduce the amount of waste you create, then reuse everything you possibly can, and finally recycle whatever is left over.

You probably use a lot of products, especially food products, that come in glass jars. How can you reuse all of those jars? One way is to use them as candle holders! These glass jars have been rigged with wire hangers, giving them a lantern-like quality. Imagine how lovely our patio would look with a bunch of these hanging all around!

Project estimate:

• Jar, on hand
• Wire, on hand or $1 and pup
• Candle, on hand or $1
• Glue, on hand
• Food coloring, on hand
• Epsom salt (optional), on hand or $1

Total:  Free and up!

Clean the jar and dry. Depending on the size of your jar, add white glue and food colouring. I used one drop of green and two drops of yellow. With a sponge brush, mix the glue and food colouring and paint the inside of the jar. Let dry.  (If you plan to use this candle holder outside, substitute outdoor Mod Podge for the white glue to ensure durability.)

Measure around the jar, about 1/2″ from the top with the wire and add 4″ and cut it.  This piece will go around the neck of the jar.

For the handle, I made a loop at the top and made the wire on each side about 7″ long. Make sure the two sides are the exact same length and turn up the ends, making sure that the other wire will fit through them.

Run the first wire through the two loops and secure it behind one of the loops by twisting the two pieces together. Cut off the excess and bend it so that the sharp end is against the lip of the jar.

Add as much of the Epsom salts as you like and add the battery operated tea light.

Tips:

• The thick, colored floral wire from Dollar Tree is very pliable and easy to use.
• If you would like to colour the Epsom salts: put food colouring in a ziplock bag and add the Epsom salts. Close the bag securely and mix well.
• To give the inside of jar a frosted look, add some Epsom salts while the paint is still wet and roll the salt in the jar.

The post Tutorial: Hanging Mason Jar Candle Holders appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Spring is a time of growth and renewal, and that includes baby birdies!  Celebrate the season with Heather’s stylized bird nest necklace over at Live Craft Love.  She used freshwater pearls for her “eggs”, but you can use any beads you happen to have on hand.  [how to make a bird nest necklace]

Project estimate:

• Wire, on hand or $1 and up
• Beads, on hand or $1 and up
• Jewelry findings, on hand or $1 and up
• Chain, on hand or $1 and up

Total:  Free and up!

The post Make a Bird Nest Necklace appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Halloween spookiness meets old Hollywood glamour with this fun DIY spiderweb hat from Angie at Little Inspiration!  All it takes is a little strategically twisted wire.  Dollar Tree often carries floral wire in several assorted colors, and you can also find it inexpensively at most craft stores in an even wider variety of colors.  You could even take it a step father and use tulle or other meshy fabric to make a little veil on the front of the hat!  [how to make a spiderweb hat]

Project estimate:

• Floral wire, on hand or $1 and up

Total:  Free and up

The post Make a Spiderweb Hat appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

As I’ve mentioned several times in other posts, I have been slowly putting together a “fantastical” garden area inspired by the Mad Hatter’s tea party in Alice in Wonderland.  My garden is made up of tea pot and tea cup creations, and I’m also filling it with whimsical DIY garden art.

I made a dragonfly out of a whisk, and my daughter liked it so much that she wanted to make some.  I went to the thrift store and bought all the whisks they had.  Since I had a nice collection, I wanted to make some other winged critters to go with my dragonfly, and that’s how the idea for this fun, whimsical butterfly came about.

Project estimate:

• Whisk, $1
• Spray Paint, on hand
• Large bead, on hand
• Wire, on hand

Total:  $1

Step one:  Bend the loops of the whisk to form the butterfly wings.  Start by creating the bottom two, shaping the wire with your hands to the desired form.  Then make the top two wings.

Step two:  Cut the remaining loop in half with wire cutters, and use pliers to loop them into antennae.

Step three:  Spray paint the butterfly.

Step four:   Thread a piece of wire through a bead and loop the wire around the two antennae.  The bead is now the butterfly’s head, and the excess wire can be made into a loop that you use to hang the butterfly.

I plan to make several colorful butterflies like this one and hang them from trees.  I think they will be a fun, unexpected addition to my garden.  If you prefer, they could also go on a stake or even be hung on a wall.  You could even hang chimes from them to create your own unique wind chime!  Have fun crafting and creating whatever your imagination dreams up.

The post Tutorial: Butterfly Garden Art from a Whisk appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

If you are a wine drinker and a crafter, chances are you have a stash of corks.  Looking for a cute way to use up a few of them?  They make adorable photo holders!  Enid at A Charming Project whipped these up out of a few common supplies.  They would look fabulous on your desk or mixed in with traditional framed photos in a display to add a quirky touch.  They would also make great gifts for recent high school grads who will be headed off to college in the fall!  [how to make wine cork photo holders]

Project estimate:

• Wine corks, on hand
• Wire, on hand or $1 and up
• Clothes pins, on hand or $1
• Paint, on hand or $1 and up
• Fabric dye (optional), about $2 and up

Total:  Free and up!

The post Make Wine Cork Photo Holders appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Crowns and tiaras are objects that can me made in endless ways using a myriad of different materials.  This example by Stephanie from Make and Tell requires only a spool of wire and a pair of pliers – and if you have super nimble fingers, even the pliers are optional!  You could also add other embellishments to this design by stringing beads onto the wire as you go, or gluing rhinestones into the centers of the hearts.  [how to make a wire heart crown]

Project estimate:

• Wire, on hand or $1 and up
• Pliers, on hand

Total:  Free or $1 and up

The post Make a Wire Heart Crown appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

A few weeks ago my local Dollar Tree got a shipment of small wire trellises. Since we’ve been doing a lot of work to our lawn this season, I picked one up so I could use it to make something pretty to add to our flower beds.  When I also noticed a bunch of metal hanging butterfly decorations, I knew that combining the two elements would make something just perfect for my colorful, quirky gardening style!  (And it makes a wonderful companion for my zebra striped flamingo!)

Project estimate:

• Wire trellis, $1
• Metal butterfly, $1
• Spray paint, on hand
• E6000 glue, on hand

Total: $2

The first thing I did was give it a coat of paint.  You can skip this step if you want, but I decided I wanted mine to be a bit more colorful.  Lots of people have a green trellis, but how many people have a purple trellis?  I love how spray paint is like pizzazz in a can!

Remove the hanging chain from the butterfly with a pair of pliers and set it aside for a future project.

When the spray paint is dry, line the two pieces up and place them face-down on your work surface.  Carefully add a dab of E6000 glue to the back side of the butterfly everywhere it meets the wire.  Let the glue dry undisturbed for at least an hour.

When the glue is dry, find it a home somewhere in your garden or lawn!

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