We’ve seen a lot of clever flip flop makeovers over the years, but this one just might be the best! Jess from Make & Do Crew combined flip flop soles with cotton yarn for a light-airy pair of slippers that is perfect for summer! For this project you might even want to “splurge” on a $3 or $4 pair of flip flops instead to get a more sturdy foam sole to work with. [how to make crocheted slippers with flip flop soles]

Project estimate:

• Flip flops, $1 and up
• Yarn, on hand or $1 and up

Total: $1 and up!

The post Make Crocheted Slippers with Flip Flop Soles appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Lately Dollar Tree has been carrying really cute, lightweight scarves for every season and holiday, and we love them!  Heather recently used one to decorate a headband, giving you the perfect knotted-on-top-of-the-head look with practically no effort.

Watch Heather’s video to see how she did it, or keep scrolling to read more.

Project estimate:

• Plastic headband, $1
• Scarf, on hand or $1
• Hot glue, on hand

Total:  $1 and up!

First, tie the ends of the scarf together in a knot so that they make a cute bow shape.

This will create a loop of scarf.  With the bow at one end of the loop, find the midpoint of the other end and use scissors to snip it, giving your bow two long tails.

Hot glue the bow onto the headband where you would like it to be positioned – you will probably want it a little off-center.

Wrap the long tails around the rest of the headband. Trim the excess from the ends and glue in place.  Repeat with both tails to cover the entire headband with scarf.

That’s it!

The post Tutorial: Easy Scarf Headband appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

1. Pollock-Style Upgrade – Does your favorite dress have an unsightly stain? Cover it up in DIY style!
2. Upcycled Ruffles – Grab a couple of t-shirts from your dresser to create this sweet dress that has us dreaming of spring.
3. Printed Shirtdress – Turn a washed-out old dress into a super sweet polkadot frock in vibrant colors.
4. Color-Blocked Dress Refashion – Got a too-short, frumpy dress in your closet? Get classy with this color-blocking method.
5. No-Sew Refashion – Who says that you need sewing skills to alter your wardrobe?
6. Three Dollar Dress Redo – Grab some stash fabric and your sewing machine to make a frumpy dress super cute.
7. Color Story – This could be the easiest dress refashion ever – no sewing required!
8. Take it Out – Turn a too-small dress from your closet into a sweet pleated little number.
9. Take it In – Oversized thrift store scores just need a little bit of love to fit like a glove.
10. Origami Peplum Dress – Peplums are super hip right now, and if you’ve got an oversized dress, you can take it in and add a flirtly little peplum to stay on trend on the cheap.

Have you guys done any cool dress refashioning? I’d love to hear about the DIY fashion projects that you’re working on in the comments!

The post DIY Fashion: 10 Sweet Refashioned Dresses appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Need a pretty little thing to wear to your next holiday party? Look no further than this embellished satin tank top and romantic ribbon and pearl necklace. The tank top literally takes five minutes to make (not including warming up your glue gun!). Put on a blazer, and this top would look great at work, too! I used a dollar store pearl necklace and ribbon to make the simple-yet-pretty necklace. I think they’re the perfect combination!

The secret of this quick and easy DIY floral top? Shabby Floral ribbon from May Arts.

I recently got a huge haul of beautiful ribbon from May Arts, and for the last several weeks, I’ve had a blast coming up with pretty ribbon craft projects. I asked on the Dollar Store Crafts Facebook page, and a lot of fans wanted to see the 5 Minute DIY Floral Top, so that’s what I am bringing you today. Want to make your own top?

Find May Arts:

• To find May Arts Ribbon in a store near you, use their Retail Store Locator.
• Or buy it by the yard on Etsy: May Arts Shabby Chic Flower Ribbon.
• Follow the May Arts Blog
• Fan May Arts on Facebook

Tutorial: 5 Minute DIY Floral Top

Floral Top Project Materials:

• Tank top, on hand or $1 and up
• 1 yard or so of Shabby Flowers Ribbon by May Arts (about 15+ flowers), $4 a yard
• Hot glue gun and glue sticks OR fabric glue, on hand
• Scissors

Total: $5 and up

About the Supplies: I found the tank top in a box ready to go to Goodwill — it’s a polyester satin camisole. You probably already have one in your closet, but if you don’t, you should be able to pick one up at a thrift store or a women’s clothing store. OR, use any t-shirt or tank top you already have on hand for a slightly less formal (but still very cute) look. Get the ribbon at a local fabric store, or on Etsy by the yard.

Instructions:

1. The shabby flowers come by the yard on wired chiffon ribbon. Cut the flowers off of the wired section of the ribbon. You can leave the flowers attached to each other. Just cut around the flower, and leave some chiffon around them. It doesn’t have to be cut perfectly, as the chiffon will just add a nice texture when it’s attached to the tank top.

2. Lay the flowers out around the collar of the tank top as desired.

3. Glue flowers on with hot glue or fabric glue. (Choose fabric glue if you will be washing the shirt frequently. Since I was using a dry clean only shirt, I just went with hot glue).

4. I piled some flowers on near the bottom of the v-neck in a haphazard way to keep it from looking too perfect.

How to Make the Ribbon & Pearl Necklace:

Project Materials:

• Faux pearl necklace, on hand or $1
• Ribbon, on hand or $1 and up (I used May Arts White Metallic Velvet Ribbon)
• Hot glue and glue gun, on hand

Total: $1 and up

Image from (and buy this ribbon) at ThePaperSandbox on Etsy

About the Supplies: I got this pearl necklace at the $1 booth at a jewelry and accessories show (like the kind that comes to your town’s convention center once a year), but you probably already have an unloved necklace on hand, or find one at the thrift store or dollar store. I used some gorgeous white metallic velvet ribbon from May Arts (get it by the yard for about $1.25), but you can use any ribbon you already have on hand, including ribbon you find at the dollar store.

1. Cut two pieces of ribbon about 18 inches each.

2. Hot glue the end of one ribbon to the end of one side of the necklace. Repeat for other ribbon on other side of necklace.

3. Cut a piece of ribbon about 3 inches long, and hot glue and wrap around the place where the ribbon is glued to the necklace. This will make a nice clean connection and cover up the end of the necklace.

4. Embellish necklace if desired: you can add bows, brooches, buttons, flowers, etc. to the connection between the ribbon and the necklace. I left this necklace plain to go with the floral top.

5. Tie ribbons to wear the necklace.

ENDED: May Arts Ribbon Giveaway

I had a TON of fun creating projects with my May Arts ribbon. This ribbon is high-quality, gorgeous ribbon that adds so much to dollar store creations. Check out a few of the other things we made with this ribbon:

Floral Ribbon Cuff Bracelet

Ribbon Christmas Tree

Embellished Dollar Store Velvet Stockings

Just look at all the pretty colors and styles of ribbon available from May Arts:

Since you can buy it by the yard, May Arts ribbon is an affordable way to add high quality to your dollar store crafts:

Want to get your hands on some May Arts Ribbon? Enter below to win 5 spools — a $125 value!

It’s easy to enter — just log in with your Facebook account to use this widget. (Remember, if you win, you will be contacted with your Facebook email address):

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Tutorial: 5 Minute DIY Floral Top with May Arts Ribbon appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

“Make it work” for the Fall Fashion craft challenge, sponsored by Dollar Tree. Your challenge? Designing fashion forward creations using dollar store stuff. Apparel, accessories, jewelry, or anything else that is a part of fashion is fair game in this challenge. One lucky reader will walk away with a $100 Dollar Tree gift card!  Start crafting now, and come back between September 1st and 7th to show off your entry!

Need some fashion inspiration? Check out these great dollar store fashion ideas:

Chanel-Inspired Coin Brooch Simple Sew Leather Sleeve Purse Sham-Wow Flower Brooch Designer-Inspired Rope Necklace Anthro-Inspired Bead & Chain Necklace DIY Infinity Sandals Blowing Dandelion Shirt World’s Easiest Crocheted Scarf Mini Granny Square Necklace

Here are the challenge rules:

1. Post your project on your blog, or as a post in the “Community” Section on Dollar Store Crafts. A photo of your project is required, as well as a list of materials used.

2. Submit a link to your project using the linky submission that will at the bottom of the contest entry post. (Post will go live on September 1st).

Dates: September 1st, 2012 at 8:00 a.m. Pacific Time (PT). Linky Party closes at 11:59 p.m. PT on September 7th, 2012.

Multiple entries by the same person are accepted, however, only one prize will be awarded.

Eligibility: Residents of the USA, 18 and older

Winner Selection: There will be 1 Winner, chosen by a team of 3 judges who include 2 members of the Dollar Store Crafts staff, and one independent person with expertise in the area of fashion. Entries will be judged on the basis of the following criteria: originality, usefulness, creativity, clarity of instructions, and availability of materials at dollar stores.

Prize: $100 gift card to Dollar Tree.

The post Enter our September Craft Challenge: Fall Fashion appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

The nice weather outside means that I have had a chance to catch up on my book reading. This book, I Spy DIY Style is by blogger Jenni Radosevich (of I Spy DIY) and features a whole bunch of easy and fashionable DIY projects for fashion and accessories, and a lot of the projects use dollar store materials (or stuff you can find at the dollar store!).

Title: I Spy DIY Style: Find Fashion You Love and Do It Yourself
Author: Jenni Radosevich
Publisher: Potter Craft
List Price: $21.99 (Currently selling on Amazon for about $14.99)

Jenni is very good at getting a high-end look with very humble materials, which is perfect for all us dollar store crafters. See that clutch on the front of the book? Those “jewels” are our favorite old standby glass pebbles!

Most of the ideas are simple and fairly quick to do, like this be-ribboned tank. You could make this with dollar store ribbon, or maybe cut up a dollar store t-shirt to use in place of the ribbon.

This necklace is big and bold, but do you recognize the jewels? I have seen those at the dollar store! You could easily make this stunning necklace for just a few bucks.

The book is full of fun ideas for clothing and accessories, but it also has some other great features. For each project, there are suggestions by either a fashion designer, a stylist, or a fashion blogger of of how to style the DIY project. It’s great to find out how to style certain items (and why) from professionals.

Speaking of bloggers, Jenni also used bloggers as the models in her book, which I loved. And she had a generous sprinkling of info from fashion bloggers in her book as well, including some of our friends like Kristen from Glitter ‘N Glue and Kirsten from Studs and Pearls.

I enjoyed I Spy DIY Style for the DIY projects, which were smart, simple, and easy-to-do (and most of them are quite affordable, or you will already have most of the materials on hand). However, what set it apart for me was Jenni’s expertise in the fashion world, and all the input from an impressive list of fashion insiders such as Rachel Roy, Erin Fetherson, Cher Coulter, and Hal Rubenstein.

Check out the book, and if you love DIY Fashion, try Jenni’s site: I Spy DIY.

disclosure: I received a review copy of this book, and link to book is an Amazon affiliate link

The post Book Review: I Spy DIY Style appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Would you wear a dress made out of…  throw rugs?  I would if it looked this good!  Geneva from A Pair & A Spare found some dollar store rugs made from recycled jersey cloth and, noting that they had a good deal of stretch to them, decided they would be the perfect material for a form-fitting dress.  The look is totally high-end, and especially impressive considering the source!  Seriously, would you ever guess?  [how to make a multicolor bodycon dress]

Project estimate:

• Rag rugs, $4 and up
• Zipper, on hand or $1 and up
• Sewing machine, on hand

Total:  $4 and up

The post Make a Multicolor Bodycon Dress appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Googly eyes… they’re not just for kids’ crafts anymore! Lately, the humble googly eye has seen some high fashion times. The Blonds featured a knockout googly eyed jumper in their Fall 2011 show. I will give a $50 Dollar Tree gift card to the first person who makes a googly eye jumper and sends me the photo!! Christian Louboutin designed the “Déjà Vu” heels – black slingbacks that are covered in googly eyes, and my friend Kristin over at Glitter ‘N Glue (who has been ROCKING at the DIY fashion tutorials lately), made a pair of lookalike Louboutins featuring wiggle eyes. [diy googly eye slingbacks]

Project Estimate:

• Pair of slingback pumps, on hand or $10 and up*
• 3+ packages of googly eyes, $3 and up
• E-6000 glue, on hand

Total: $3 and up

*I got the $10 price tag from New Dress a Day’s version of these shoes. She got hers for $9.99 at Ross.

This is just one of Kristin’s many recent Halloween-inspired fashion-forward projects, but I chose to feature them because I am such a fan of googly eyes! If this project doesn’t appeal to you, perhaps a pair of kids’ shoes covered with googly eyes would be more fun! Or maybe a headband covered in googly eyes, just as a nod to the fashion trend. Or maybe you will enjoy these Googly Eye Nails by Robin Moses Nail Art.

The post Fashion: DIY Louboutin Googly Eye Slingbacks appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

The new season of  Project Runway starts tomorrow!  I’m SO excited for it, and I can’t wait to hear Tim Gunn say his famous line!  To help you have your own “make it work” moment, we’ll be bringing you a few DIY fashion tutorials, starting with an idea from Joy of  How Joyful.   She turned a pair of oversized t-shirts into a stylish vest with sophisticated detailing.  (I’m totally loving the vest trend I’ve been seeing lately!)  Talk about a totally runway-worthy transformation!  [how to turn t-shirts into a vest]

Project estimate:

• 2 t-shirts, on hand or $2 and up
• Sewing machine, on hand

Total:  Free and up

The post Turn T-Shirts into a Vest appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

DSC contributor Kirsten is an awesome fashion DIYer, and over at her blog Studs and Pearls, she shares how to make a quick vest out of a large square scarf in just about 30 seconds. The best thing about this DIY is that you can also continue to use the scarf even after it’s been altered into a vest. This would be a great piece to add to your Project 333 wardrobe! [how to make a scarf into a vest]

Project Estimate:

• Large rectangular scarf, on hand or $2-ish at a thrift store
• Scissors, on hand

Total: FREE and up

The post Make a Vest From a Scarf (in 30 seconds) appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.