Welcome to day 4 of Homemade Costume week. This bumblebee Halloween costume looks great in person, and could not be simpler to make. A black shirt, yellow duct tape, some pipe cleaners, and a pair of dollar store wings. You can make this no-sew bee costume in about 15 minutes.

Project Estimate:

• Black hooded sweatshirt, on hand
• Yellow duct tape, $3
• 2 yellow chenille stems, on hand
• 2 yellow pom-poms, on hand
• 1/4″ elastic, $1
• Hot glue gun and hot glue stick
• Pair of bee wings from dollar store, $1

Total: $5

To make a no-sew bee costume:

I originally made this costume for Kaboose.com, a site that closed down several years ago, and unfortunately, there is no longer an internet archive of the instructions, and my version of the instructions are long-lost on my old defunct computer.

Basically, add yellow duct tape stripes to a hoodie, then hot glue pom-poms to a couple of chenille stems, then duct tape them to the inside of the hood. Curl the stems around a pencil.

Add a pair of yellow dollar store fairy wings to complete the look.

My Design Process:

I don’t know if you folks care about seeing my sketches or not, but it amuses me, so I’ll just keep posting them. My original sketch was slightly more complicated than the costume ended up — I originally envisioned a black hoodie with a yellow t-shirt over it, but when I started making the costume, I eliminated the yellow t-shirt and just went with yellow duct tape stripes. I also called for the costume to be stuffed with grocery bags (to make it more round) but I decided the stuffing was unnecessary when I put it on my model (my 4 year-old).

My craft planning process is this:

• sketch the project and label what each part is
• think through the actual process of making it and what supplies I will need
• write down the process as I imagine it (so I have “instructions” to follow)
• then take a step back and see if there is anything I can eliminate in terms of supplies or extra work
• collect my supplies (from my stash, or shop for them)
• do the project and change something (usually!)
• make sure to photograph most of the steps so I can remember how I made it

How do you plan for your craft projects? Do you have a sketchbook?

The post Make a No-Sew Bumblebee Costume appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Project Materials:

• 3 skeins of embroidery floss, on hand or about $1
• Size 12 (US) crochet hook, on hand or about $1
• Chain or thread to string, on hand
• (optional) Jump rings and hardware, if you are using a chain, on hand

Total: FREE and upIf you are a beginning crocheter, I recommend making a couple granny squares with regular yarn and hooks just to get the hang of it. After you make a few, you will memorize the pattern, and it will be the perfect thing to crochet on auto-pilot (and a great way to use up your small leftover balls of yarn.

Crocheting with embroidery floss is a little bit challenging. One, it’s small, so it’s a bit harder to work with, and to get a comfortable hand position and work flow. The good news is that it doesn’t take too long to adjust to the reduced scale. Two, the six strands of floss aren’t twisted together like yarn, so the individual strands can get caught in your work a lot more. You can combat this by slightly twisting the floss with your index finger and thumb as you go. You can also pull out the offending stitches as you go and redo them, or pull the loops through your work to hide them.

Hook: My crochet hook was a steel hook, size 12 US (.70mm/size 5 UK). A hook a couple sizes larger would probably be fine!

Pattern:I just used a classic granny square pattern. I don’t need to re-write it for you! If you want to learn how to crochet a granny square, here is an excellent visual tutorial at The Purl Bee: [how to crochet a granny square]

Homemade Simple Gifts

I have always been a huge fan of handmade gifts. As a crafter, it’s only natural, right? I am lucky to be part of a family that also appreciates handmade gifts and makes it a practice to exchange gifts that aren’t store-bought. I know, I’m so spoiled!

While not all handmade gifts exchanged in our family are smash hits, they are all appreciated and they somehow seem more meaningful than something purchased in the $10 or less aisle of a big box store.

The best handmade gifts I’ve given or received have been: duct tape wallets (for the guys), hand-roasted coffee (yum!), quilts, and special items decorated by my three boys (always a win for the mommies, right?).

.

The post Make a Tiny Granny Square Necklace appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Give new life to a pair of boring slippers with a fun and funky pinata makeover! Amy at Cozy Reverie used a pair of dollar store slippers and a little felt for a fun and funky touch for her Pinata Day outfit – but if you are a pinata lover, you don’t need a special occasion to wear them! They’re also great for wearing to pinata-themed parties, or even just around the house for fun! [how to make pinata slippers]

Project estimate:

• Slippers, on hand or $1 and up
• Felt, on hand or $1 and up
• Hot glue, on hand

Total: Free and up!

The post Make Pinata Slippers appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

These fabric crowns are such a simple no-sew project that your little princes and princesses can create their own with minimal assistance! Jess at Let’s Do Something Crafty shares just how easy it is to whip these up yourself! It’s a great way to use up random odds and ends of supplies – put out a pile of embellishments and let your littles go wild! [how to make no sew felt crowns]

Project estimate:

• Felt, on hand or $1
• String or ribbon, on hand or $1
• Embellishments, on hand or $1 and up
• Glue, on hand

Total: Free and up!

The post Make No Sew Felt Crowns appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Beachcombing is such a fun summer activity, but what do you do with all the treasures you pick up on the beach? Turn your sea glass into a simple and pretty necklace. And psst– if you can’t find any sea glass, you can buy a bag of pre-made sea glass at the dollar store! I shared instructions for how to make the necklace over at Live.Craft.Love: [sea glass necklace]

The post Make a Sea Glass Necklace appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

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.

Pac Man is one of the most iconic and recognizable video game characters of all time. And with this idea from Kathlene at The Effortless Chic, you can recreate the look as a Halloween costume! You’ll need a large cardboard box for this – if you don’t have one that’s big enough on hand, try calling around to retail stores looking for one. Chances are you will find a store that is willing to save their empty boxes from receiving stock, and you will be on your way to a super cheap costume! [how to make a Pac Man Halloween costume]

Project estimate:

• Cardboard, on hand
• Paint, on hand or $1 and up
• Duct tape, on hand or $1
• Hot glue, on hand
• Hula hoop or other large circle, on hand or $1 and up

Total: Free and up!

The post Make a Pac Man Halloween Costume appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

If you only have a few minutes and a few dollars with which to put together your Halloween costume this year, this cactus costume is a win in both departments! Over at Brit + Co, Kirsten shares this super simple idea that is over-the-top adorable. If you don’t have a green dress or shirt on hand that you can use for this project, keep an eye out a thrift stores to pick one up for cheap. For a less-flowery version you could use a green stocking cap with pipe cleaners attached to top the outfit off instead. [how to make a cactus costume]

Project estimate:

• Green dress or shirt, on hand or $1 and up
• White pipe cleaners, on hand or $1
• Headband, on hand or $1
• Faux flower, $1 and up
• Hot glue, on hand

Total: $1 and up!

The post Make a Cactus Costume appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Pineapples have been an extremely popular motif lately.  We aren’t really into jumping on bandwagons, but this is one trend we whole-heartedly love!  This fun pineapple tee, which looks like it came off the rack at a fashionable boutique, was actually made by Sam at The Pretty Life Girls using a stamping technique and materials that would have otherwise been garbage.  So not only is it adorable, it’s also insanely cheap to make!  [how to make a stamped pineapple shirt]

Project estimate:

• Shirt, on hand or $1 and up
• Foam takeout container, on hand
• Pencil, on hand
• Fabric paint, on hand or $1 and up

Total:  Free and up!

The post Make a Stamped Pineapple Shirt appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Oh shoot – you just discovered a hole in your favorite garment!  Sounds like you need a patch.  Check out this cute DIY patch idea from Gina Michele, who used a basic weaving loom made out of recycled cardboard and some embroidery floss to make this pretty iron-on repair that also makes a funky fashion statement.  Not only is this a great idea for repairs, it’s also a fun way to embellish a plain shirt or other article of clothing!  [how to make DIY woven patches]

Project estimate:

• Cardboard, on hand
• Embroidery floss, on hand or $1
• Iron-on interfacing, on hand or $1 and up

Total:  Free and up

The post Make DIY Woven Patches appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.