Do you have any kitties?  I have three of them, and I bet they would all absolutely love one of these!  Jessi from Practically Functional used an empty box, a wire coat hanger, and a t-shirt to create this adorable recycled cat bed.  You could even add a pillow on the inside for extra comfort – though one of my cats loves sleeping on cardboard so much that he would probably prefer it without a pillow, so I guess that depends on what your own cat prefers!  [how to make a recycled t-shirt cat tent]

Project estimate:

• Box, on hand
• Wire coat hanger, on hand
• T-shirt, on hand
• Pillow, on hand or $1 and up

Total:  Free and up!

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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!

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If you’re into anything that has to do with photography, Photojojo is an amazing site full of DIY tips, tricks, and projects for all aspects of picture-taking.  This idea reminds me of the old slide shows that people used to put together for loved ones – remember those?  Next time you go on a vacation or dig up a bunch of old family photos, you too can have a slide show…  Using your smartphone!  How seriously cool is that?  All you need is about $1 worth of materials and a blank wall, and it’s like you’ve got a little movie theatre in your pocket!  (Got Netflix on your phone?  Grab some popcorn and have a movie night!)  Projectors are also handy when you are trying to enlarge an image for a project, such as painting a logo on a wall.  This might be the handiest use for a cardboard box you’ve ever seen!  [how to turn your smartphone into a projector]

Project estimate:

• Smartphone, on hand
• Magnifying glass, $1
• Cardboard box, on hand
• Paper clip, on hand
• Black paint, on hand or $1
• Electrical tape, on hand or $1

Total:  $1 and up

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I was stalking checking my local Dollar Tree for more of the adorable birds I like to use in my crafts when I found these rooster figures.  The rooster was cool, the crazy wire legs were not so cool.  No problem!  I could still use the part I liked to make a fun, functional gift for father’s day (or a teacher gift!)  I paired the rooster with a small wood box to make this French provincial-esque business card holder.

• Rooster, $1
• Small wood box, $1
• Crackle paint, on hand or $2 and up
• Glue, on hand

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Have you ever seen the little wooden boxes that Dollar Tree sometimes gets?  They are hinged with a magnetic closure and they always fly off the shelves so fast at my store that whenever I see them, I always snag a few more, so that when an idea hits I won’t have to wait months to find them for $1 again.  Which of course means I have a whole box full of these boxes.  As part of my effort to work though my supply hoard, I came across the box of boxes and was struck with the idea to paint one to look like a slice of watermelon.  (I guess I must be in a summery mood!)  I wrote an easy how-to on Mrs. Greene showing how I did it.  [how to paint a wooden watermelon box]

Project estimate:

• Wooden box, $1
• Paint, on hand or $1 and up

Total:  $1 and up

I think that it would be a cute way to give a small hostess gift at a summer get-together.  Personally, mine is now on my desk holding paperclips.  It’s so much cuter than the plain ol’ wire mesh holder they were in before!  I still have a ton of these boxes left, so what else should I paint on them?  Should I stick with a food theme, or change it up and paint all kinds of different stuff on them?

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I have a “thing” for knick-knacks that double as storage, especially since I don’t have a lot of closed storage around my house.  It’s nice to have all those extra little places to hide bits and pieces of stuff that I don’t want laying out in the open!  Extra batteries, matches for lighting candles, spare tubes of chap stick…  Around here, they’re all tucked away inside some decorative whatnot on a shelf.  I’ve always loved the way birdhouses look in decor, but most of them lack the storage element that I prefer.  But these aren’t most birdhouses!  Made from house-shaped gift boxes, they have plenty of room inside to hold whatever needs a home!

Project estimate:

• Gift boxes, $1 each
• Wood grain contact paper, $1 and up
• White paint, on hand or $1 and up
• Paper, on hand or $1 and up
• Sharpie, on hand
• Felt, on hand or about $0.33/sheet
• Glue, on hand
• Embellishments (optional), $1 and up

Total: $2 and up

I first picked up a couple of the house-shaped gift boxes at Halloween, knowing that I wanted to do something with them but not sure exactly what.  I saw more house-shaped boxes at Christmas time.  Then, just after Easter, I found a small one on clearance for half price in the holiday leftovers.  I took it as a sign and brought it home, thinking that now I really had to find a use for them!  Once the birdhouse inspiration struck I knew it was the perfect idea.

To give the boxes the look of wood, I wrapped the bottom part of each one with wood grain contact paper.  Cut the contact paper so that there is a little extra to wrap around the top and bottom edges of the box.  Fold the excess down; the excess around the bottom edge will fold to the bottom side of the box, and the excess around the top edge will fold to the inside of the box.  (If you’re not happy with how the inside edge of the contact paper looks, you can glue a length of ribbon around the edge to hide it.)

Since the paper I used to cover the tops of my boxes was a little bit see-through, I painted them white before applying the paper so that the original graphics would not show through.  If you are using heavier paper, you can skip this step.  I chose some wrapping paper left over from making a mini album because a) I already had it on hand, and b) the pattern vaguely reminded me of shingles.  Cut the paper to size and use Mod Podge to adhere it to the roof.

Cut a piece of felt the same size as the bottom of the box.  Brush a layer of Mod Podge onto the bottom of the box and cover it with the felt.  This will also cover the excess contact paper that is wrapped around the bottom edge.  Avoid pressing or rubbing the felt more than necessary; if the glue soaks all the way through the felt it will cause the felt to lose its soft texture.  To keep it firmly in place while the glue dries, you can place the box on a piece of wax paper or freezer paper and fill it with something heavy – I used a bag of river rock pebbles as a weight.

Once all of the glue is dry, you can add embellishments if you wish.  Add flowers, butterflies, little birds…  Or just leave them as they are!  (Bonus: since my boxes are three different sizes, they will nest inside of each other so if I put them in storage, they take up less space!)

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This DIY dollhouse is an absolute work of genius!  Designed by Rena at Crafts Unleashed, the whole thing folds down for easy storage.  And the best part?  One of the walls is actually a box, which can hold all of the dollhouse furnishings and occupants.  That makes this dollhouse 100% portable!  Send it off to slumber parties, bring it along when you go to Grandma’s house, or fold it down to save space in a bedroom that isn’t large enough for a traditional dollhouse.  Brilliant!  [how to make a portable dollhouse]

Project estimate:

• Cardboard boxes, on hand
• Scrapbook paper, on hand or $1 and up
• Glue, on hand
• Dollhouse furniture, on hand or $1 and up

Total:  Free and up

Have you seen the dollhouse furniture at Dollar Tree?  (You can even refinish dollar store dollhouse furniture to give it more style!)

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Valentine’s Day isn’t the only holiday swiftly sneaking up on us – Mardi Gras will also be here before you know it!  This year Fat Tuesday falls on February 12th, just before cupid declares open season on hearts.  Aunt Peaches decided that a mashup of the two days was in order, resulting in what she aptly calls a “Jambalaya Box.”  (If you’ve been looking for an excuse to buy yourself a heart-shaped box of chocolates and devour the whole thing…  Here ya go.)  [how to make a Mardi Gras heart box]

Project estimate:

• Heart-shaped box, $1 and up
• Mardi Gras beads, $1 and up
• Other beads and embellishments, on hand or $1 and up
• Glue, on hand

Total:  $2 and up

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The other day I was walking through the Valentine’s Day aisle at Dollar Tree. Despite having been up and down that aisle a dozen times in the past couple of weeks, this time something jumped out at me that I hadn’t paid much attention to before: some cardboard “mailboxes” for collecting Valentine cards. When I first saw them, immediately thought of fast food kids’ meal boxes. Then I thought… Why not? So I brought them home and transformed them! There is something about putting a meal in a box with a fun little toy that makes it more exciting and special, right? Here is how I did it!

Project estimate:

• Valentine mailbox kit, $1
• Cardboard, on hand
• Glue, on hand
• Washi tape, on hand or about $1.50 and up
• Other embellishments, on hand

Total: $1 and up

Each kit comes with a box and a sheet of stickers.  I set the stickers aside for a future project, but you could also use them to decorate your box in the final step!

First, assemble the boxes. You will notice that the cardboard is a little flimsy, so before you fill it up you will want to reinforce the bottom of the box.

Trace the bottom of the box onto a piece of cardboard (I used a cereal box out of the recycling bin); cut and glue the cardboard into the bottom of the box.

Since the boxes were originally intended for holding cards they have a slot on each side at the top. Cover the slot by gluing or taping a piece of paper the same color as the box over the slot from the inside.

Cover the outside of each slot with a strip of washi tape, then add a strip of washi tape around the bottom as well. If desired, add more embellishments to the box. I kept it fairly simple, adding a paper doily to one box and labeling the other with scrap paper and some foam letter stickers. There is plenty of room inside for a whole meal plus a special treat!

The post Tutorial: Valentine’s Day Lunch Boxes appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

My favorite thing about crafting with dollar items is that you can start with something basic and turn it into something with a lot more “wow” factor.  I found some plain craft wood boxes (complete with a magnetic closure!) at my Dollar Tree and purchased several.  Boxes are a great basic crafting item to have in your stash!

I’ve been having fun crafting with a new product called “Bling on a Roll”.  It’s a mesh that is covered in glittering fake “diamonds”.  It comes in several different widths and colors.  While I like rhinestones, I just don’t have the patience to glue each and every one to a project, so I don’t use them.  I fell in love with this product because I can just cut the mesh to fit the area I want and glue it on quickly.   I used two packs of bling on a roll to turn my plain box into a glittering jewelry or gift box.

Find the Bling on a Roll at our favorite online craft store: Consumer Crafts!

Project estimate:

• Wood Box, $1
• Bling on a Roll, $1.97 and up
• Mini Spindles, $0.77
• Paint – on hand
• Mod Podge or glue  – on hand

Total:  About $4 and up

How to make your blinged out box:

Step one:  Paint the box and 4 spindles.

Step two:  Cut your bling on a roll so that it fits the cover of the box.  Paint Mod Podge onto the cover of the box and press the bling onto it.

Step three:  Paint Mod Podge on the edges of the lid.  I used a single strand of bling on a roll so I had to wrap it around four times.

Step four:  Glue the spindles onto the the base of the box to make legs.

Your blinged out box is complete and ready to be filled!  It would hold a gift card perfectly, or you could fill it with chocolate to give as a Valentine’s gift.  My three year old daughter let out an audible gasp when I told her that I’d made a jewelry box for her.  She immediately filled it with wood craft stars.  Later she emptied it so she could fill it with rolly pollies she had collected from the yard.  At least those bugs get to hang out in a posh looking box!

Consumer Crafts is having a Back to Basics sale until Feb 4th, so you can stock up on all their cool basics — stuff like those big paper mache letters, Mod Podge, and more. Their prices are fantastic already, and you get a discount the more you spend, so check them out:

I wrote this post as part of the Blueprint Social Influencer Network. The opinions in this post are my own.

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