St. Patrick’s Day is quickly approaching – steer clear of those pinching fingers by wearing this cute shamrock pin!  Dig into your button jar and try this great stashbusting project; once you master the technique, you can also use it to make all kinds of other shapes as well!

Project estimate:

• Green buttons (4 small, 4 medium), on hand or $1
• Wax thread or embroidery floss, on hand
• Pin back, on hand or $1
• Hot glue or E6000, on hand

Total:  Free and up!

Making the stem:

• Sew through the first tiny button and tie the two pieces into a square knot on the back side. Cut the shorter thread.
• Take the next tiny button and using the thread, sew the next button beside the first button. They should touch each other.
• Repeat this step on the third tiny button. This completes the stem.

Making the clover:

• Sew through one of the medium sized buttons. Tie it in a square knot and then cut one of the threads.
• With one thread from the medium button and the one from the stem, tie the two together with a square knot.
• Using your glue of choice, attach them on top of the first medium button.
• Glue the bar pin on the back of the first medium button and at lease two of the tiny buttons.
• Sew through the three other medium buttons and tie them in the back using a square knot.

Note: You can use hot glue if you glue the buttons to where the thread from one is glued to the thread of the other.

The post Tutorial: Button Shamrock Pin appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

You know that around here we love our silicone ice cube tray crafts. So when I spotted a new one with spiders and spiderwebs on the shelf at Dollar Tree in this year’s Halloween selections, I got a little giddy – especially when I had the idea to pour the spiders with two contrasting colors of glittery resin! I’ve used these kind of ice cube trays to make resin jewelry before but this is the first time I’ve tried using multiple colors, and I am really happy with how they turned out. Watch the how-to video below!

Project estimate:

• Spider ice cube tray, $1
• Resin kit, about $5 and up
• Glitter, on hand or $1 and up
• Pin backs, on hand or $1

Total: about $6 and up

The post Make Glitter Spider Pins appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Shark-y accessories are fun no matter your age – and this one is really easy!  I love crafts using all the little wooden shapes they sell at the craft store, and I think that using these little round discs gives this shark a Pac Man-ish look.  There are a bunch of ways you could vary this project to make it as simple or as complex as you want.  I turned mine into a pin, buy you could also glue on a bail and turn it into a necklace!

Project estimate:

• Wood discs, about $1 and up
• Paint, on hand
• Ultra fine Sharpie, on hand or $1 and up
• Colored pencils or markers, on hand
• Dimensional Magic (optional), on hand or about $3
• Bead or googly eye, on hand
• Pin back, on hand or $1
• Glue, on hand

Total:  about $1 and up

Start by painting a wooden disc with white paint.  This will give you a good base for adding colors later on.

Use an ultra fine tip Sharpie to draw a wedge shape and line it with jagged, pointy teeth.

Use colored pencils or markers to color the area inside the mouth red, and color the rest grey, leaving the teeth white.  Or give the teeth a little bit of red too!

Optionally, at this point you can add a layer of Dimensional Magic over the surface of the disc to give it a shiny finish and a more professional appearance.  If you do this step, drop a small bead or a googly eye into place while the Dimensional Magic is still wet, then let dry completely; otherwise, glue the bead or googly eye into place.

Glue a pin onto the back side of the disc and once the glue dries, it is ready to wear!

More shark crafts:
Follow Mrs. Greene’s board Shark Week! on Pinterest.

The post Tutorial: Easy Shark Pin appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

I’ll admit it, my inner 10-year-old has a thing for melted plastic projects.  This one, however, has some pretty grown-up looking results!  User EVEnl at Cut Out + Keep melted a handful of plastic spoons to achieve this surprisingly realistic-looking rose.  (As with any melted plastic projects, make sure you take precautions and work in a well-ventilated area, as melting plastic releases toxic fumes!)  This rose has been turned into a brooch, but you could also make a statement necklace out of it, or work them into an number of craft projects.  (I think they would look fabulous framing a mirror!)  [how to make a plastic spoon rose]

Project estimate:

• Plastic spoons, $1
• Candle, on hand
• Pliers, on hand
• Pin back or safety pin, on hand or $1
• Glue, on hand

Total:  $1 and up

The post Make a Plastic Spoon Rose appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

While some things come and go from the inventory at Dollar Tree, there are some things that you can find on every visit.  One of the items that they perpetually have on the shelves is wire-edged ribbon.  This idea from the Country Woman Magazine website, sent in by reader Bonnie, uses sheer, wire-edged ribbon to create pretty flowers with beaded centers.  You can mount them on pin backs, attach them to hair elastics, or even make a bouquet!   [how to make ribbon flower pins]

Project estimate:

• Flower pin diagram, free
• Ribbon, on hand or $1 and up
• Needle and thread, on hand
• Beads, on hand
• Pin backs, on hand or $1
• Hot glue, on hand

Total:  Free and up

The post Make Ribbon Flower Pins appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

I love silicone ice cube trays, especially the skull one that we’ve featured a few times.  With Halloween but a fortnight away, I decided to pull mine out and make something with it.  I wanted to use it for one thing we haven’t talked about using with ice cube trays yet:  resin!  These glittery skulls are mounted as tack pins, but you can also use them as necklace pendants, magnets, glued to candle holders, or anything else you see fit!

Project estimate:

• Skull ice cube tray (or any other silicone mold), on hand or $1
• Resin,  on hand or about $8 and up
• Glitter, on hand or $1
• Fake button pins, $1

Total:  $1 and up

Start by mixing up a batch of resin according to the directions on the package.  While you are stirring your resin, dump in some glitter.  I used 2 little pots for one tray, one red and one pink.

Carefully pour the glittery resin into the skull molds.  Try not to overflow the molds or make any drips between the skulls.  (I’m kind of a messy crafter, so not dripping is probably the hardest part of the project for me!)

Let the resin cure for about 4 hours, so that it is tacky but not completely hardened.  Then it’s time to add the pin backs!  The pin backs on my skulls are actually those fake button pins.  You know, of the “my-pants-don’t-fit-properly” variety.  I have several packages of them laying around, so I decided to finally use them for something! Gently press a button into the back of each skull.  The backs should work into the resin just a little, but not sink in too far.  If your pin backs are sinking, carefully remove them and let the resin cure a little bit more before trying again.

Wait at least a full 24 hours before you remove the skulls from the mold.   The skulls might resist at first, but carefully bend and work the silicone tray and they will pop out.  You might need to bend back the tray and kind of pry the skulls to remove them, but they will come out, I promise!

If  you have any excess resin on the edges of any skulls, use sharp scissors or a craft knife to trim  it off.  Your skull pins are ready to wear!

The post Make Glitter Skull Pins appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

You’ll never guess what these vintage-looking flower pins are made of! Christine made them at her blog Jane Avion, and although you would swear they are made of metal and enamel, they are made from stuff you already have at your home. Intrigued? What do you think it could be? Well, before I tell you let’s just discuss how you could use these pretty pins. You could put them on your lapel, or pin one to a headband. I think they’d make fantastic Mother’s Day gifts. Speaking of Mother’s Day, are you going to take your mom out for a Mother’s Day pedicure? Speaking of pedicures, have you guessed how to make these flowers yet? [click here for how to make these Faux Enamel Flower Pins]

Project Estimate:

• Pine cones, on hand
• Nail polish, on hand or $1
• Wood glue, on hand
• Glue gun, on hand
• Safety pins, on hand or $1

Total: FREE and up

The post Make Faux Enamel Flower Pins appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

I love the texture of jewelry and accessories made from metal zippers. This rose brooch is an especially nice mix of hard-edged and softness. If you have a center for reclaimed materials near you, you might be able to get a deal on metal-toothed zippers for this project. (I just visited SCRAP in Portland, and it had an AMAZING selection of recycled materials, including zippers. I know there are similar stores in Austin and San Francisco — check the “road trip” section here for a list of other cities with similar programs. Anyone else have one nearby? Sound off in the comments.) [click here for zipper brooch instructions] via [my favorite source for recycled fashion and design ideas]

Project Estimate:
*2 Coats & Clark Brass Coverall Zipper 22″ Black or zipper trim, about $4 and up
*Pin back, on hand (Westrim Pin Back 1″ Silver 60pc)
*Needle & thread, on hand

Total: $4 and up

p.s. I am trying a new affiliate program out. I know it’s kind of clunky to have the links to products in the list, but if you need a source for these products, Create For Less is a good online source for cheap supplies. Click one of the links in the list to go to the store. If you buy, I get a teeny percentage.

p.p.s. On a personal note, I took last weekend off because I was moving! Still sorting out the internet connection at the new place! Don’t worry, I’ll try to make sure you get a dose of dollar store goodness this weekend! Oh, and I got some goodie bags of cool stuff when I visited SCRAP that I will be giving away very soon! Stay tuned.

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