Happy holidays! Are you already wrapping gifts? If you need some pretty gift tags, Leethal.net has provided some free printable gift tags featuring pretty watercolor images. Head on over to her site to grab the free printable files: [click here for free printable gift tags]

Looking for more free printables? Here are some you might enjoy:

• Free Printable Herb Jar Labels
• Free Printable Christmas Favor Box

The post Free Printable Watercolor Gift Tags appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

We celebrated my nephew’s first birthday recently, and my sister chose an adorable woodland gnome theme for the party. I offered to make a cupcake stand for the party and recruited my husband to help me with it (because I can’t be trusted with power tools!) I love the project that we made together! Keep reading to learn how you can make an adorable woodland themed cupcake stand. This is perfect for any party with an outdoor or fairy theme.

Project Estimate:

• Cut Wood – on hand
• Dowel Rods – on hand
• Wood stain – on hand
• Screws – on hand
• Embellishments – on hand

Total: Free

Step one: Cut the wood into plate sized ovals or circles, and sand the edges. Arrange the pieces until you have a shape and size that you like and that is balanced. If you don’t have a piece for the base like I did, you can start with a large circular cut of wood for the base.

Step two: Use screws to attach the dowel rods and wood pieces together.

Step three: Stain the dowel rods so they match the cut wood pieces.

Step four: Embellish the cupcake stand with butterflies, flowers, etc.  I used hot glue to attach them.

If you don’t have cut trees on hand like we did, you can find similar pieces of wood at your local hobby store. Of course, using materials you have on hand means you can make this project with no expense! You could add flowers all around this for a shower, add glitter and wings for a fairy themed party, or lots of insects for a bug party. Have fun crafting and creating!

The post Tutorial: Woodland Themed Cupcake Stand appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

I’m a big fan of Margot Potter’s creative work, and she recently published a tutorial for an adorable candy vial necklace charm.  I thought the idea was so cute that I wanted to make my own version.  Rather than a wearable piece, I designed mine to be a cute little gift, or even a party favor.

The post Tutorial: Emergency Candy Bottles appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Looking for an alternative to a traditional birthday card? This fun concept from Sally at Oh Happy Day may be just the whimsical idea you are looking for! The banner-in-a-box not only functions as a greeting, it can also be out on display by the recipient to celebrate their special day. You could also adapt this project to just about any occasion or holiday by changing the wording and color scheme – think baby showers, graduations, and more! [how to make a birthday banner box]

Project estimate:

• Small box, on hand or $1
• Paper, on hand
• Computer and printer, on hand
• Circle paper punches, on hand or about $5 and up
• Twine or cord, on hand or $1
• Double-sided tape, on hand or $1
• Washi tape, on hand or $1 and up

Total: Free and up!

The post Make a Birthday Banner Box appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

I’m a big fan of silly, whimsical objects and gag gifts.  I thought it would be funny to have a cup with a handle that wasn’t your ordinary, everyday cup handle.  What about an animal shaped handle?  Why not?

These quirky, funny animal handle cups would be great for a party, or just for livening up an everyday meal.  They’re really easy to make, too!

Project estimate:

• Tumblers, 4 for $1
• Plastic animals, on hand or $1
• Super glue, on hand
• Painter’s tape, on hand
• Spray paint, on hand or $1 and up

Total:  $1 and up

Step one:  Glue the animals onto the tumblers.  To keep the cups from tipping over, position the animal so that its tail touches the table surface.  To speed things up, I used super glue with a dot of hot glue on top.  This way the animal stays on the tumbler while the super glue dries.

Step two:  Cover the lip of the tumbler with painter’s tape.  I didn’t want anyone’s mouth touching spray paint, so I left part of the cup uncovered.  I couldn’t find my painter’s tape, so I improvised, but you’ll get cleaner lines if you use the correct product.

Step three:  Spray paint the cups and animals.  I used Krylon Fusion for Plastic.

Remove the tape, clean your cup, and set them on the table at meal time.  Watch the look of surprise on your guest’s faces when they see these cups with animal handles.  You can’t help but smile, can you?

The post Tutorial: Party Cups with Animal Handles appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

It’s graduation party season!  Crafty moms everywhere are getting ready to decorate lawns, garages, and halls in school colors as friends and family dig out their elastic-waist shorts  in anticipation of massive amounts of potato salad.  If you’ve got grad party decorations on your to-do list, check out this idea by Meg at Mega Crafty.  She turned classic cone-shaped birthday hats into graduation caps!  They make a fun table decoration, and after the party you can send them home as party favors!  (I’m totally loving Meg’s pictures of her dog modeling the finished cap!)  [how to turn a birthday party hat into a graduation cap]

Project estimate:

• Birthday party hats, $1 and up  (If you have trouble finding birthday party hats in the right colors, you can always paint them or cover them with colored paper. )
• Craft foam, on hand or $1
• Embroidery floss or string, on hand or $1
• Bead, on hand
• Glue, on hand

Total:   $1 and up

The post Make a Graduation Cap from a Birthday Party Hat appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

It’s just not a party without a piñata!  They’re always a hit with kids (when was the last time you saw one pass up anything that has to do with candy?), they’re easy and inexpensive to make, and they offer some great stress relief when it come time to whack ’em.  Tiffany from Simply Modern Mom had an ice cream party for her daughter, who also requested a piñata for the event.  She came up with a simple design that cleverly uses crepe paper streamers and coffee filters to decorate the outside.  (My Dollar Tree sometimes has the Baskin Robbins hard candies, which would be perfect for filling this giant cone!)  [how to make an ice cream cone piñata][via CraftyChica]

Project estimate:

• Papier mache paste, on hand
• Balloon, on hand
• Wax paper, on hand
• Packaging tape, on hand
• Poster board, on hand or $1
• Newspaper, on hand
• Large masking tape, on hand or $1
• Glue sticks, on hand
• Crepe paper, on hand or $1
• Unbleached coffee filters, on hand or $1
• Cord, rope, or string, on hand
• X-acto knife, on hand
• Candy or other fillers, $1 and up

Total:  $1 and up

The post Make an Ice Cream Cone Piñata appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Pirates are a perennial favorite of kids, making them a very popular birthday party theme.  Angela from Little Blue’s Room has been helping a friend prepare for her soon-to-be-4-year-old son’s birthday party, and during a brainstorming conversation they decided a pirate ship cupcake display was a must.  Unable to locate something suitable, she decided to make one instead.  If you’re planning a pirate party, your spread just won’t be complete without a pirate ship of your own!  [how to make a pirate ship cupcake stand]

Project estimate:

• Shoe box, on hand
• Kraft paper, on hand or $1
• Posterboard, on hand or $1
• Twine, on hand or $1
• Popsicle sticks, on hand or $1
• Wooden dowels or bamboo skewers, on hand or $1 and up
• Fabric, on hand
• Paint, on hand

Total:  Free and up

The post Make a Pirate Ship Cupcake Stand appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

My youngest son just turned 1, and we had a low-key birthday party for him. I like to do something special for first birthday parties, so this year’s theme was Smiling’s My Favorite because this boy is so smiley, he started smiling socially at one month. I bought party supplies at the dollar store and Target’s dollar spot. I decided to do a couple of funny photo activities that involve smiling:

Funny Hat Photo Booth (total cost: about $13)

1. I bought funny hats at the dollar store and the Target dollar spot, including this funny clown wig…

And this cowboy hat. Other hats we had for the activity: Tom Sawyer straw hat, firefighter hat, jester hat, knight’s helmet, hard hats and a few others. We had several of these hats already on hand. I spent $7.50 at Target for three hats (they were in the $2.50 section of the dollar spot), and $5 at Dollar Tree for five other hats (I had to get doubles of some of the more boyish hats because I didn’t want my two older boys to fight over them!). Total cost for this activity: $12.50

The idea of the photo booth: make a station where you set out funny hats, then take pictures of the party-goers wearing the funny hats. (In reality, everyone was kind of under the weather on party day, so we only took a couple funny hat photos. I still like the idea, though!)

The other photo activity was:

Half-Face Photos (total cost: $5)

I found this idea for funny photo party invitations at Photojojo but instead of making invitations like the article suggested, I just had photos with partygoer’s chins made up, and set them out on a table for people to use and have fun with. It could be fun to do this, and glue popsicle sticks to the bottom back of the photo to make them into little signs your partygoers can hold up in front of their faces.

I had the photos printed in advance by uploading them on Costco.com’s website and then picking them up at the photo center the next time I went shopping at Costco. I got 39 photos printed up for 13 cents each, which was $5.07 total. (Actually, I used a coupon I had for 50 free prints, so they were free). Total cost for me: FREE, but a value of about $5

Party Games (total cost: FREE)

The party was really just our family and my parents so everything was pretty informal! I didn’t plan on any party games in advance, so I threw a few games together at the last minute. They turned out to be a lot of fun for the boys! Good thing kids are just as impressed by simple ideas as they are by show-stopping ideas.

I wrote a whole post about these last-minute party games at Make and Takes, but here is the quick rundown:

1. Stacking Contest (Total cost: FREE)

I gave each boy a flat surface (diaper boxes!) and a plastic bin full of foam building blocks that we already had in our toy closet. The object: to build the tallest tower. There were no prizes, it was just a fun activity for the kids. The baby got to knock the towers over when they were built. We just used what we had on hand to do this activity.

2. Clothespin Drop (Total cost: FREE)

This is an oldie but goodie. I remember doing the clothespin drop game at my birthday parties when I was a kid in the 80s! If you don’t have clothespins, substitute blocks or beanbags (or whatever else you have on hand). For his turn, the baby enjoyed putting clothespins in the container and taking them out again. We just used what we had on hand to do this activity.

Supplies you need:

• 5-10 clothespins
• A Mason jar or other container (I used a gallon pitcher) — the wider the mouth the better for younger children
• A chair

To Play:

Chair is placed with Mason jar behind it. Child sits on her knees facing the chair back and drops clothespins over the back of the chair into the jar. Prizes for the person who gets the most clothespins in the jar.

3. Beanbag Toss (Total cost: FREE)

I threw together a makeshift beanbag toss for my kids in about five minutes. The older kids and adults enjoyed the challenge of throwing the beanbags through the holes. The baby liked crawling up to the box and putting beanbags in the holes. We just used what we had on hand to do this activity.

Supplies you need:

• A medium-sized cardboard box (I used one of those open-faced fruit boxes from Costco)
• Markers
• Utility scissors or utility knife
• 1-3 Beanbags

Draw three 5-7? diameter circles on the bottom of the box. Put a number from 1-3 next to each circle. The numbers are the point values for each hole. Cut each circle out with utility knife or scissors. The bigger the holes, the easier it is to get the beanbag through them. If children are older, vary the sizes of the holes, with smaller holes being worth more points.

To Play:

Set box upright or leaning against the wall, and have child throw beanbags — aiming to get them through the holes. Throw the beanbag three times and the person with the highest number of total points wins.

Optional: you might want to mark a line on the floor with tape so kids know where to stand to toss the beanbag. If there’s a wide range of ages at your party, make several lines (closer for younger children, farther away for older children).

Party Decorations (total cost: $13)

In my party supply post, I told you that I decided to skip typical balloons altogether this year, so I got these paper lanterns. They were a fun and festive alternative to balloons. I bought 7 packages of lanterns for $7, and a total of 14 lanterns. Total cost: $7

I also got punch balls instead of traditional balloons. They’re yellow, and they have smiles on them (even though I was definitely NOT going to do a lot of smiley face things for the party decor). The punch balls were the best part of the party! I blew up about 12 of them (they’re much bigger than regular party balloons) and just put them out on the floor, and my boys played with them for about an hour. And, it’s been almost a month since the party, and we still have most of them and they get played with regularly. They came 2 in a package for $1. Total cost: $6

I had to take a few breaks while I was blowing the balloons up before the party, though!! Whew, that took a lot of hot air!

Party Food

My mom brought homemade lasagna, I provided bake and serve sourdough baguettes from Costco, a salad, and veggies. I made a Duncan Hines yellow cake (this is my FAVORITE cake mix – and I tested them all out when I was pregnant with my first son – ha ha!) with an added can of cherry pie filling. I didn’t have time to frost the cake because everyone had been under the weather that day, so I served the cake to the boys topped with ice cream, chocolate syrup and sprinkles.

We used those red dollar store plates that I purchased NOT to use at the party (it was easier than using real plates), and I discovered they weren’t very sturdy (see how they are kind of bendy in the photo), so if you buy party plates at the dollar store, choose the plastic ones or be prepared to double up on your party plates when serving.

I used a leftover candle I had on hand because I think these rainbow candles are cool!

Gideon enjoyed his cake and ice cream, and had fun at his party.

And then it was bedtime.

To see my other sons’ first birthday parties:

• Dress Up Pirate Birthday Party
• Panda Birthday Party
• And more dollar store party ideas

The post Our $30 Birthday Party appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

My youngest son just turned 1, and I got most of my birthday party decorations and supplies at the dollar store (and the rest at the dollar spot at Target). I made a video of some of the non-traditional decorations I used for his birthday party in my haul video: Dollar Scores 5. You can watch it right here or subscribe to my YouTube channel and get instant updates whenever I post new videos.

You can find out more about how the birthday party turned out here: “Smiling’s My Favorite” Birthday Party

In case you’re not such a fan of watching videos, here are the highlights:

Streamers are a must-have frugal party supply, so I got them in my party colors: green, yellow, and blue.

I got paper lanterns to hang up instead of balloons that fit in my color scheme.

I got shiny blue popcorn buckets with the idea that I could use them to hold food and other treats at the party.

I decided to skip typical balloons altogether this year, so I got the lanterns and these punch balls. They’re yellow, and they have smiles on them (even though I was definitely NOT going to do a lot of smiley face things for the party decor). The punch balls were the best part of the party! I blew up about 14 of them (they’re much bigger than regular party balloons) and just put them out on the floor, and my boys played with them for about an hour. And, it’s been almost a month since the party, and we still have most of them and they get played with regularly.

One of my activity ideas for the “smiling’s my favorite” theme was to have a photo station where people could wear funny hats and get their picture taken. I bought several types of funny hats at the dollar store, including these Tom Sawyer straw hats. Other hats I picked up in this trip: a firefighter hat, knight helmets. I also got a few funny hats and a clown wig at Target’s dollar spot (I think they were $2.50 each, though).

The dollar store’s also a great place to get basic party supplies like paper plates (these weren’t for the party), plastic tablecloths, napkins, paper cups, and utensils.

Check out how the party turned out: Smiling’s My Favorite Party

The post Dollar Scores 5: Birthday Party Supplies appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.