If you’ve watched more than a couple of hours of TV in the past several years, you’ve probably seen Vince the pitch man get all worked up about the ShamWow.  Dollar Tree carries pretty much the same thing, but the DT version is simply called “Wow!”  (Does that make it a sham ShamWow?)  While I’m sure it will soak up that soda you spilled all over the carpet, my favorite reason to buy a Wow! is to make something crafty out of it! Cindy from so the cook said used one in lieu of heavy felt to make rosettes which she attached to a grapevine wreath, creating a gorgeous display to welcome guests.  She made hers for autumn, but I think it reads equally well for spring!  [how to make a ShamWow flower wreath]

Project estimate:

• Wow!, $1
• Wreath, $1 and up
• Hot glue, on hand

Total:  $2 and up

The post Make a ShamWow Flower Wreath appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

We’ve dubbed this week Crafty Shark Week here at DSC, which has also got me thinking about other undersea and nautical themed crafts.  How about this elegant coral by Beth at The Stories of A to Z?  If you were to buy similar pieces from Pottery Barn, they would range in cost from about $25 up to over $100, but Beth made hers for just a few dollars!  At that rate, you can afford an entire faux reef!  [how to make faux coral]

Project estimate:

• Aquarium coral, $1 and up
• White spray paint, on hand or $1 and up

Total: $1 and up

The post Make Faux Coral appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

So, just what is batik, you ask?  It’s a wax resist method of dying fabrics that is popular in many parts of Asia;  in Indonesia, the process even predates written records.  Crazy, huh?  Anyway, Suzy from Suzy’s Artsy Craftsy Sitcom started out with plain white cotton and ended up with thise gorgeous batik fabric decorated using crayons and black fabric dye that she used to make a pair of pillows.   Since you melt the crayons for this project, it’s perfect for using up all of those little nubs at the bottom of the crayon collection!  Once you’ve finished your fabric, you can use it to make just about anything.  [how to make crayon batik fabric]

Project estimate:

• Fabric, on hand or $1 and up
• Crayons, on hand
• Fabric dye, about $2 and up
• Muffin tin, on hand
• Aluminum foil, on hand
• Newspaper. on hand
• Iron, on hand

Total:  $2 and up

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I have to say it again — I adore all things tiny, and these itty-bitty photo frames are no exception!  Whether you’re a scrapbooker or a dollhouse/miniatures fanatic, these wee frames are just too much fun.  Add to that the fact that they are SUPER inexpensive and EASY to make, and it’s a win-win-win situation!!

Project Estimate:

• embossed foil stickers, 6/$1 (in the scrapbook section)
• tiny photos (I used Photoshop to shrink mine, and printed at home)
• double-stick tape, on hand
• scissors

I started with a sheet of six foil embossed stickers from the dollar store.  They come in a few different metallic tones — this photo shows two of the available tones.

I picked a sticker I thought would make a nice frame and simply cut around the edge I liked.

All the fancy scrollwork around the edges is fun and funky, but not the look I was looking for.  Back to the scissors!

I like the fancy corners!  But, if that isn’t your style either…

…keep cutting and make it even more simple.

I love them all — but the top two are my FAVORITES!

******

Caroline Sanchez (Care) has been sewing since her mom taught her the basics at around six years old.  She has always been driven to CREATE, even from a very young age.  She is mommy to two little boys and one little girl, and almost every spare moment she has is spent in her sewing room or working on her blog, Obsessively Stitching.

The post Miniature Photo Frames appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

One of the most popular projects we’ve featured on DSC is about making a nuts and bolts chess set.  However, some of you  were discouraged when you priced out all of the bits and realized that unless you have an awesome source for hardware bobbles, the project budget can get a little steep (at least in our super-frugal terms).  If you’re hooked on the idea of a handmade chess set but don’t have the cash to shell out on washers and threaded rods, here’s an alternative idea guaranteed to cost next to nil.  Jeromina from Paper, Plate, and Plane made a chess set for her sweetie out of rolled paper!  Her post includes detailed diagram photos showing the dimensions of each individual piece of paper and how to assemble them into the finished pieces.  Can you say “awesome?”  [how to make a rolled paper chess set]

Project estimate:

• Paper, on hand or $1 and up
• Mod Podge, on hand

Total:  Free and up

The post Make a Rolled Paper Chess Set appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Project Estimate:

• 4 posterboards, $2
• crepe paper streamers, $2
• paper plates, $1
• plastic tablecloth, $1.25
• 20 t-shirts, $20
• t-shirt transfer paper, about $2
• 18 squirt guns, $6

Total:  about $34.25

Caroline Sanchez (Care) has been sewing since her mom taught her the basics at around six years old.  She has always been driven to CREATE, even from a very young age.  She is mommy to two little boys and one little girl, and almost every spare moment she has is spent in her sewing room or working on her blog, Obsessively Stitching.

The post Despicable Me Party! appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Here we go again with more tiny things…  Miniatures seem to be a popular theme here at DSC lately — and I am just eating it up!  Today’s project is no exception; I just adore how it turned out!! My daughter’s Barbie is going to be sleeping comfortably and in style in her gorgeous new bed.  The scale of the striped fabric is perfection — and the bed frame is just so cute.  Can you guess the source for my materials?  [Get instructions]

Project Estimate:

• Two Zen Garden trays, $1
• Pillow cover, $1
• Eyelet trim scrap, on hand
• White fabric scraps, on hand
• Polyester batting scraps, on hand
• Wood glue, on hand
• Finish nails, on hand

Total:  $3 and up!

Caroline Sanchez (Care) has been sewing since her mom taught her the basics at around six years old.  She has always been driven to CREATE, even from a very young age.  She is mommy to two little boys and one little girl, and almost every spare moment she has is spent in her sewing room or working on her blog, Obsessively Stitching.

The post Posh Doll Bed for Under $5 appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Today’s project is a covered mini composition book — perfect to stick in your purse for jotting down notes on the go!  Of course you could go with any theme, holiday or otherwise, for these little guys…  They only require a few small scraps of fabric and a bit of velcro.  They are so fun to make, in fact, that I’ve already sewn up a couple dozen!  [click here for the tutorial]

Project Estimate:

• mini composition notebook, 3/$1
• fabric scraps, on hand
• velcro scrap, on hand
• scrap of cardstock or posterboard (for pattern), on hand

Total:  $0.33!

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It seems like we just got ourselves past all the “candy” holidays — Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas — and now we’ve got another potential sweetfest around the corner.  How about having your kids give a cute little tiny bottle of bubbles in place of that box of conversation hearts?  It’s still super fun and sweet — without any actual SWEETS!

Project Estimate:

• bubbles, 9/$1 in the wedding section
• stickers, a sheet of 50 for $1
• ribbon, 3 yard roll for $1

Total:  About $0.20 each!

It’s a very simple idea, really — Tie a cut of ribbon around the middle of each bottle of bubbles and pop a sticker on the lid.  Done!  There are lots of different Valentine ribbons available at the dollar store.  The softest one that tied the best was the one on top of the large spool stack in my photo; the others were fairly stiff.  It takes about a 9″ cut of ribbon for each bottle, which means you can tie 12 bottles from one three-yard spool.  Also, how about those ADORABLE woven ribbons (pictured at left) from Target’s Dollar Spot?  Same amount of ribbon, but six different styles!

The only thing I might add is a little note with a hokey bubble-related Valentine’s line:  “Just POPPED by to say Be Mine!” or,  “Valentine, you make my heart FLOAT!”  or  “I’m BUBBLING OVER with love!”  Sweet, cheesy, and perfect for Valentine’s Day!

Caroline Sanchez (Care) has been sewing since her mom taught her the basics at around six years old.  She has always been driven to CREATE, even from a very young age.  She is mommy to two little boys and one little girl, and almost every spare moment she has is spent in her sewing room or working on her blog, Obsessively Stitching.

The post Non-Sugary Valentine “Treats” — Bubbles! appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Also, is it too soon to be thinking about Valentine’s Day?  Because I certainly am!  It is one of my favorite holidays — just for the cuteness factor — and a great excuse to make and give cute red and pink things for my sisters and friends!  Wouldn’t one of these pin cushions be a perfect Valentine goodie for a friend who sews?

Project Estimate:

• plastic ramekins, 3/$1
• fleece scraps, on hand (don’t substitute felt — you’ll be disappointed!)
• polyester fiberfill, on hand
• needle and thread
• drill (optional)

Total:  $0.33!

I found these adorable “ramekin sauce cups” at my local dollar store, and instantly knew what they were destined to be.  They look just like cupcake papers! 

Start by cutting a circle from whatever color fleece you want your frosting to be.  I chose pink, of course!  My circle was 8 1/2″ in diameter.  Here’s a trick — use a plate (or other round container) as your pattern.  If you press it onto your fleece…

…you’ll have a perfect circle imprinted on the fleece, which you can very carefully cut around.  Nothing to trace, nothing to pin!

Take a needle and thread and knot the two ends of the thread together.  Stab your needle up and down 1/4″ from the edge of your circle, all the way around.  You can thread the fleece onto your needle as shown to make it go very quickly!

Stuff your cupcake top as stiffly as you can, and draw up the thread tight.  Tie a firm knot, but don’t cut your thread.

I drilled a hole in the bottom of my ramekin.  I wanted two holes, but — I am not super skilled with power tools!  I should have started with a smaller bit, then made the holes bigger with a larger bit.  But, as it is, I used too large a bit and cracked my ramekin.  No problem, though!

I used a small, flat button on the bottom to compensate.  No big deal!

Pick up your same needle, and sew down through your ramekin, then back up into the edge of your cupcake top.  You can leave your thread loose until you have three or four passes through, then pull your thread tight and tie a firm knot.


Use the same technique to create your cherry from some red fleece (I started with a circle was 2 1/2″ in diameter) and attach it to the top.  You’re done!  If you like you can embroider some sprinkles, too.  I couldn’t decide whether I wanted them, so I left them off. 

I am sure there are numerous other ways you could dress these guys up!  How would you embellish them?


Being a lover of all things tiny, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to make a mini version — which can easily be made into a ring!  Head over to my blog if you’d like to see how I did it!  

Caroline Sanchez (Care) has been sewing since her mom taught her the basics at around six years old.  She has always been driven to CREATE, even from a very young age.  She is mommy to two little boys and one little girl, and almost every spare moment she has is spent in her sewing room or working on her blog, Obsessively Stitching.

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