Do you want to impress someone with a wonderful handmade gift, but you’re on a budget? Here’s the perfect solution: make a candy bouquet! Use dollar store candy and supplies to make an inexpensive, yet very impressive bouquet, made up of your gift recipient’s favorite sweet treats. 

Anyone can make a candy bouquet! It is a simple and clever craft, and looks so impressive once it’s done.

Project estimate:

• Floral foam, $1
• Glass container, on hand or $1
• Assorted candy, $1.00 and up
• Bamboo skewers, on hand or $1
• Hot glue, on hand
• Basket filler, $1

Totals: $3 and up

How to Make a Candy Bouquet Video Tutorial:

Read on for written instructions for how to make a candy bouquet:

1. Cut the floral foam to fit the inside of the container.  Floral foam is very easy to cut. You can simply use a knife to slice to cut to the right size.

2. After the foam is on place put basket filler on top.  You may chose to glue it in place.

3. This is the fun part!  Using the glue gun place a small amount of glue on the candy and place the skewer flat on the glue.

Cut skewers with utility scissors to make them different lengths — this makes a more pleasing bouquet!

4. Once it has cooled, arrange the candy skewers in the container.  Continue placing the candy in the container until you have the desired look. Trim skewers if necessary to give the bouquet a range of “flower” heights!

The wonderful thing about candy bouquets is they can be given to anyone.  They can be a birthday present, boss gift, husband gift, graduation gift (slip some gift cards in  between the candy), Mother’s Day (place flowers randomly around the candy), a treat for someone in the hospital, etc.  You name it!  Another great gift for someone with a flower allergy!  Wedding center piece?? You decide!

What do you think? Could you make a candy bouquet? (We think so! They are so easy and fun!)

Did you enjoy this? Try to Make a Candy Wreath next!

Pin It: How to Make a Candy Bouquet

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This hair bow organizer is a pretty way to keep little girl’s hair bows neatly organized. It makes a great gift, too!

I found the wooden bow at Goodwill for just $1, but I have seen similar items in the unfinished wood section at most craft stores.  The secret to getting a glittery finish without glitter shedding everywhere is to use glitter paint! You get all the sparkle and shine of glitter without the mess.

Project estimate:

• Wood Bow, $1
• Glitter Paint, on hand
• Ribbon, on hand
• Tulle, on hand or $1

Total $1 and up

Step one: Paint the bow with a base color, then begin painting layers of glitter paint. I used DecoArt’s glitter paint, but you can make your own if you prefer. The best way to get an even, glittery finish is to apply several light layers of paint, letting each layer dry before applying the next one.

Step two: Cut a piece of ribbon to the desired length. Trim the ends and seal them by heat setting them or with fabric glue, like I did. Glue the ribbon to the back of the bow.

Step three: Cut strips of tulle and glue them to the back of the bow. I added 15 ribbons of tulle to create a full tutu-like effect.

I nailed a sawtooth hanger to the back to make the bow hanger easy for my gift recipient to hang.  I’ll be giving this bow organizer as part of a baby shower gift.  It will decorate the package like a bow, but also doubles as part of the gift!  All the mom-to-be has to do is clip her little one’s hair bows to the ribbon.  If you wanted to personalize this gift even more, you could add the little girl’s name to the ribbon.  Have fun crafting and creating!

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I’m going to warn you right now that this project is addictive!  Once you get the hang of it you won’t want to stop making these beautiful wire wrapped bead rings.  They’re quick to make, and I ended up making almost a dozen in just an hour.  This project would make a pretty last minute Mother’s Day or Teacher Appreciation day gift. This is also a great group project for tweens and teens to make.

I used $1 bead bags and wire that I found in the craft section of Walmart, which makes this project really affordable for large groups.

Project Estimate:

• Beads – $1
• Craft Wire – $1
• Ring Sizer (optional) – on hand or $2.50

Total:  $2 and up

Step one:  Cut a 12 inch length of craft wire and place the bead in the center.

Step two:  You can use a ring sizer if you have one, or use a dowel rod or other cylindrical object.  Place the bead on the ring sizer and wrap each wire around it once.

Step three:  Take the ring off the sizer.  I tried to do this next step on the sizer and the wire kept sliding off the bead.  I got much better results when I took the ring off the sizer.  Begin wrapping each of the wires around the bead, kind of like winding the hands on a clock.  I went counterclockwise, but you could go either direction.

Step four:  Leave about an inch of wire on each side.  Wrap that bit of wire around each side of the bead.  I found this step easier to do with jewelry pliers.  I then pressed the end of the wire in firmly with the pliers, or you could cut the end if it is sticking out.

Aren’t these wire wrapped beads pretty?  Don’t get discouraged if the first few don’t turn out perfectly.  I had to make several before I got the hang of it.  Once you figure it out you’ll be hooked!  Then you can start experimenting with different sized beads and with putting more than one bead on the wire.  Have fun crafting and creating.

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Moms often receive flowers for mother’s day, but who’s to say dad wouldn’t enjoy a plant for father’s day?  My husband enjoys cooking and using fresh herbs, so I thought it would be fun to make him a father’s day gift that could live on the counter, look good, and still be useful.  I went with mint because of the lovely smell and the fact that it can do well in a container, so I themed the free printable tag to match the plant.

Project estimate:

• Mason Jar, on hand or $1
• Twine, on hand or $1
• Rocks, on hand or $1
• Mint Plant, $2.50
• Printable, free

Total:  $2.50 and up

Step one:  Fill the bottom third of the jar with rocks.  I used a bag of river rock purchased at Dollar Tree.

Step two:  Add potting soil, if needed, and then the mint plant.

Step three:  Wrap the lip of the jar with twine.  I found three rolls for $1 at DT.

Step four:  Print out the free printable (reduce or enlarge it to the desired size), trim the tag, and use twine to tie it to the jar.  (Download the full-size image here.)

Now dad has a lovely mint plant he can keep close by when he makes his mojitos!  This would also make a great teacher present or housewarming gift for a new neighbor.  You could easily replace the mint plant with any other herb or plant that does well in a container.  Going green with your gift giving is always appreciated.

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Who doesn’t love a chalkboard?  You can frame it, hang it, use it as a photo prop, create wall decor, make a sign…the options go on and on!  I decided to use four large crayon pencil banks from Dollar Tree to make a fun chalkboard for my kid’s art center.  It makes a fun piece of wall art, and doubles as a place for them to doodle.

Project estimate:

• Crayon Banks (4), $4
• Frame, $1
• Chalkboard, $1
• Paint, on hand
• Glue gun, on hand

Total:  $6

Step one:  Remove the stickers from the banks and paint them.  To create an ombre effect, I painted the first bank Turquoise Blue and the last one white.  For the second crayon, I mixed 3 parts blue with 1 part white.  The third bank was 1 part blue mixed with 3 parts white paint.  To keep the paint from peeling off, seal it with a spray on sealant finish after they are dry.

Step two:  Paint the frame.  I mixed one part blue with one part white to maintain the ombre effect I wanted.

Step three:  Hot glue the 4 crayons together.  Glue the chalkboard to the frame, and glue that onto the banks.

You can hot glue ribbon to the back to hang your chalkboard.  Since school is almost out, I decided to use mine as a photo prop for now.  This would be a cute way to record first and last day of school memories.  You could also make a few of these as gifts for teachers.  They’d be really cute hanging out side a teacher’s room with the name and grade written on it.  How would you use your colorful crayon chalkboard?

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Mother’s Day is coming up, and I bet the special women in your life would love a hand made gift!  Inspired by Anthropologie, these stamped fabric gifts are quick to make and easy to customize for the recipient.  (And why not make a few for yourself to keep, too?)

If you’ve tried painting on fabric before, you know that paint tends to leave either a slick or scratchy feel to the finished product.  That’s why I’ve never tried to put paint on towels or cloth napkins…who wants to feel that when you’re trying to clean up?  This fabric paint is different, and, like the name says, really is soft.  I wish you could reach through your monitor and touch it.  It’s unbelievable soft and you can’t even feel the paint at all!  I think the finished project looks professional, thanks to rubber stamps and the special paint finish.

Project estimate:

• Towel or cloth napkin, $1 and up
• SoSoft fabric paint, $1.86
• Rubber stamps, on hand
• Foam spouncer, on hand

Total:  $2.86 and up

Step one:  Place the fabric on a smooth, hard surface.  Iron before stamping if needed.

Step two:  Use the spouncer to apply paint evenly to the stamp.

Step three:  Press the image onto the fabric.  It might be a good idea to practice a few times on scrap fabric to get the feel for how much pressure to put on the stamp and how much paint to use.

Step four:  Reapply paint to the stamp with the spouncer, and repeat as desired.

Let dry, then it’s ready to use.  The paints dry very quickly, and they don’t require heat to set.  No ironing…yay!

I worried that detailed stamps might not work with the fabric paint, but I think they produced better results than the simpler stamps.  I’m crazy about these pretty birds!  Doesn’t it make a lovely pattern? And I was able to make towels and napkins that coordinate beautifully!  The SoSoft Paint is perfect for wearable projects, too, like these socks that I painted.  They’d be great for baby items, like bibs, since there will be no scratchy, flaky paint to worry about.  Have fun crafting and creating!

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As a gal who loves everything retro and vintage, one of my go to hair accessories is a wire headband.  Ever seen one?  It’s kind of like a scarf with wire in it, and you can wrap it around your head in a variety of ways to make an adorable fashion statement.  (Or just hide the fact that you didn’t have time to do your hair!)  These headbands are very simple to make, and you can make them quickly with items from the dollar store!

Project estimate:

• Tie, $1
• Floral wire, on hand or $1
• Needle and thread, on hand

Total:  $1 and up

Step one:  While you could use fabric scraps and sew, I saved time by using fun ties purchased at Dollar Tree.  I measured around my head and added 8 inches, then measured the tie and cut off the wide end.

Step two:  Cut the floral wire two inches longer than the length of the headband.  Wrap the ends of the wire into circles so there are no sharp ends.

Step three:  Slip the wire into the tie, starting at the uncut end.

Step four:  Fold and stitch the ends of the tie shut so the wire can’t slip out.  I made points on my shamrock headband, and left flat ends on the Valentine headband.

This is such a quick, simple project when you use a tie!  The floral wire was enough to make two headbands, and I made both of these in less than 15 minutes.  I’ll be stalking the dollar store for other colors of ties to make more headbands.  Just wrap and twist one around your head, and you’re ready to put your best face forward!

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Between food allergies, concerns about kids hyped up on sugar, and schools outright banning Valentine candy, sometimes it’s just best to give non-edible treats to your classmates and friends. Here are 10 sweet ideas that won’t break the bank!

Valentine Wands and Printable from U Create

Valentine Ruler Gifts from Pretty Handy Girl

Sweet Valentine Bubbles from Dollar Store Crafts

Pom Pom Monsters from Create.Craft.Love

Pixie Dust Necklaces and Printable Tags from Dollar Store Crafts & Creative Green Living

Hand Stitched Bookmarks and Printable from Thirty Handmade Days

Measuring Cups and Printable Gift Tag from Dollar Store Crafts

DIY Scratch Off Valentines and Free Printable from Dollar Store Crafts

Glittery Cupcake Jar Candles from Mrs. Greene

Bent Wire Heart Earrings from Wobisobi

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If you haven’t noticed yet, I like shiny things.  The quickest way to up the glam factor on an inexpensive item is to make it shine with paint or with bling.  I decided to transform my office supplies quickly and inexpensively by using bling on a roll, a mesh that has rhinestone like “stones” on it.  The mesh makes for a quick and inexpensive way to “bling” ordinary items.

Project estimate:

• Stapler, on hand
• Tape Dispenser, on hand
• Bling on a Roll, $2.00 and up
• Glue, on hand

Total: $2.00 and up

Step one:  Cut a strip of bling on a roll to fit one side of the stapler.

Step two:  Put glue (I used E-6000) on the side of the stapler and adhere the bling.

Step three:  Repeat until all sides are covered.  You can fill gaps by cutting individuals facets off the mesh and gluing them on.

If your glue is taking too long to dry or the bling is slipping, use a dot of hot glue to hold the bling mesh in place while the glue dries.

I think my desk supplies look so much more chic now!  Why not start the new year with a bling and a bang?  It would be fun to make a few of these to slip on co-workers desks over the holidays, so they can start the new year with some sparkle and a smile.  Next on my bling list:  my pencil holder!

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Whether you need stocking stuffers or gifts for your daughter’s besties, these easy DIY tutorials help you churn out impressive looking gifts that tween girls are sure to love!

Manicure Gift Set by Rhonda on Dollar Store Crafts

Gem Cluster Hair Pins from Mined Strawberry

Handmade Bookmarks from Skip to My Lou

Bent Wire Earrings from Wobisobi

 Pixie Dust Necklace by Carissa on Dollar Store Crafts

Friendship Bracelet Kit from Two Oh Two Seven

DIY Ponytail Holders from SheKnows

Sparkly Strawberry Lipbalm from Torie Jayne

Rainbow Bobbypins from Club Chica Circle

Wire Hearts Ring from Stepping Through Crazy

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