Would you believe that this entire wreath is made out of recycled materials and a little duct tape?  It’s truly a trash-to-treasure project!  Johnnie from Saved By Love Creations used a die cutter to turn aluminum cans into leaves, though you could also use a punch or print out a leaf template to trace and cut by hand.  Even the wreath form came out of the recycle bin!  I love how high-end her results look, especially from such humble materials.  [how to make an aluminum can leaf wreath]

Project estimate:

• Aluminum cans, on hand
• Cardboard, on hand
• Duct tape, on hand or $1 and up
• Leaf die cut, punch, or template, on hand or free and up
• Alcohol ink, about $2 and up
• Dimensional scrapbook adhesive, on hand or $1 and up

Total: about $2 and up

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Haley from The Zen of Making is hopelessly addicted to sewing notions. It’s no wonder then that she has quite the collection of measuring tapes on hand. When her collection threatened to take over their studio, she decided to repurpose a few of them into stylish bracelets. I think these would be especially fabulous to make with vintage measuring tapes! [how to make measuring tape bracelets]

Project estimate:

• Measuring tape, on hand or $1
• Embroidery floss, on hand
• 2 ribbon clasps, $1 and up
• Paper, on hand
• Leather punch, on hand or about $14 and up
• Darning needle, on hand
• Jewelry pliers, on hand

Total: $1 and up

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I love fancy candles and candle holders, so much so that I could easily spend a small fortune amassing a collection.  But why spend a ton of cash when you can take the DIY route for so much cheaper?  Over at Crafts Unleashed, Angie whipped up some punched paper candle wraps that look fancy and expensive, but you can recreate them for as little as a dollar!  She used LED tea light candles tucked inside of wax sleeves that make them look like pillar candles; Dollar Tree sometimes carries battery-operated pillar candles that would also work great for this project.  [how to make punched paper candle wraps]

Project estimate:

• Paper, on hand
• Punches, on hand or $1 and up
• LED pillar candle (or LED tea light and wax candle sleeve), $1 and up
• Tape, on hand

Total:  $1 and up

The post Make Punched Paper Candle Wraps appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

You may have seen us mention this mail organizer by Henrie at Simply Belle when we recently announced it as the winner of our most recent craft challenge.  We loved it so much that we decided it needed a proper featuring!  Not only is it beautiful, it is also incredibly practical.  (I don’t know about you, but mail is a challenge for me sometimes.  I set papers and envelopes down on the dining room table for just a moment and – whoosh – they disappear into a black hole!)  She cleverly repurposed magnetic locker caddies from the school supply section, taking them from teenybopper to tasteful with just a few easy steps.  [how to make a shabby chic mail organizer]

Project estimate:

• Board, on hand or about $3 and up
• Magnetic caddies, $3
• Paper, on hand
• Paper punch, on hand
• Spray paint, on hand or $1 and up
• Craft paint, on hand or $1 and up
• Glue, on hand

Total:  $3 and up

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Now that the holidays are nothing but memories and piles of recycling, there is one important thing left to do:  send thank you notes!  Nothing lets a gift-giver know that you truly appreciated their gesture like a handmade card expressing your gratitude.  You can make your own cards even of you don’t have a lot of spare crafting time with simple, creative designs.  This card uses a circle punch to make a quick and easy window in the front of the card, which you can use to express any sentiment you like, including a heartfelt “thanks.”

Project estimate:

• Card stock or paper, on hand or $1
• Large circle punch, on hand or about $5 and up
• Rubber stamp, on hand or $1 and up
• Ink pad, on hand or $1
• Colored pencil (optional), on hand
• Masking tape, on hand or $1
• Glue, on hand

Total:  Free and up

Cut and fold a piece of card stock to use as the base for your card.

Decide where you want the window to be on the front of your card and use the circle punch to make a hole there.

If desired, line the inside of the card with a different paper.

Stamp your “thanks” stamp (or whatever you want to say) and use the circle punch to punch it out.  You can use the same color as the front of the card, or use a contrasting color.  Just make sure that your stamp ink will show up on the paper you choose!

Line the circle up with the hole in the front of the card, making sure the text is straight.  Use a piece of masking tape on the front of the card to keep the circle in place.

Apply glue to the back of the circle, then press the card closed.  Carefully remove the masking tape and open up the card; the circle should stay put on the inside of the card.  I also added some colored pencil to give it a little extra oomph!

Finish the card by adding a personal greeting inside.  (If the interior of your card is patterned or dark colored paper, you may want to add a lighter colored journaling block to make sure your message is easy to read.)

The post Make a Circle-Punched Holiday Thank You Card appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Wreaths are a favorite project of dollar store crafters, and no wonder; they’re cheap, relatively simple to make, and very gratifying! Check out this pretty ruffly wreath made from the humblest of material: the brown paper lunch sack! Taylor from MaryJanes and Galoshes made it for less than five bucks–isn’t it pretty? She thinks it would be great for a wedding, and I agree, but I think a lot of us could find room in our regular decor for such a wreath. [how to make a ruffly paper sack wreath]

Project Estimate:

• Wreath form, $1
• 6-8 brown paper lunch sacks, $1
• 2.5″ Scallop circle punch, on hand (or buy with 40% off coupon)
• Glue gun, on hand
• Scrap paper for butterflies, on hand

Total: $2 and up

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