I’ve always loved the look of 3D tin stars, which is what these paper stars remind me of.  Morena from Morena’s Corner made a short video showing how to make them, and you won’t believe how easy they are!  Once you see how simple the process is, you’ll be making pretty paper stars to embellish everything in sight.  They’re great as hanging decorations like these, or glue them onto nearly anything else you can think of – you can even coat them with some Mod Podge to stiffen them up a bit for adding them to things like picture frames or jewelry!  [how to make 3D paper stars]

Project estimate:

• Paper, on hand
• Glue, on hand
• Ribbon, on hand

Total:  Free!

The post Make 3D Paper Stars appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Hi there! My name is Becky Striepe, and I am a freelance writer and vegan crafter who’s life’s mission is to make green crafting and vegan food accessible to everyone! You can find my craft projects and recipes on my site, Glue and Glitter. I am super excited share a project today that uses two of my favorite reclaimed craft supplies: junk mail and fallen tree branches.

Does it feel like no matter how hard you try, junk mail still finds its way to your mailbox? I know the feeling! The major culprit around our house lately has been unwanted credit card offers. The upside to all of that unwanted mail is that companies are basically sending you free craft supplies every day! Rather than toss all of that junk mail into the bin, you can use your crafty skills – and some fallen branches from around the neighborhood – to make a decorative junk mail tree.

Project estimate:

• Fallen tree branches, on hand
• Mason jar or medium vase, on hand or $1
• Junk mail, on hand
• Markers (optional), on hand
• Needle and thread, on hand

Total:  Free and up

Fill the mason jar or vase about 2/3 with rocks coffee beans, dried beans, or rice to weigh it down.  Arrange your branches in your vase. This will help you decide how many cranes you want to fold. For my arrangement, I have 3 branches and am thinking that 6 cranes will do the trick.

Decorate your paper. This is optional. You can use your junk mail as-is, but if you want a pop of color on something black and white, like the paper that I chose, use your permanent markers to draw some kind of repeating design. I went with chevrons, but you could do stripes, polka dots, flowers – anything kind of small and repeating works well. Think about the designs you’ve seen on store bought origami paper to get an idea of what would translate to all of that folding.

Cut your squares. Origami paper is square, so you want perfect squares here, too. You don’t need a ruler to make a perfect square, though! Here’s my favorite square-making trick: Grab the top left corner of your piece of paper, and fold it up and over to the right, until the left side of the paper lines up with the right side. Crease, cut, and voila! You have a square!

Now, it’s time to fold your cranes. I like these instructions. There are diagrams and a video, so no matter how you learn, they’ve got you covered.

Once the cranes are all folded, it’s time to string them up. To string them, you first want to decide how you want them to hang. Cut your embroidery thread to the length you need, leaving a few inches to tying knots. Tie a knot in one end of the thread and thread the other through your needle. If you flip one of your cranes over, you’ll see that it has a teeny, tiny hole in the bottom, right in the center. You want to gently press your needle straight up through that hole and through the paper that’s opposite it.

Tie your threaded crane to your branch. Repeat with the rest of the cranes, arranging them however you like.

The post Tutorial: Junk Mail Paper Crane Tree appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Origami was one of my first crafty loves as a child.  My family hosted some Japanese students who were on a summer cultural exchange program, and one of the girls gave me a big package of pretty papers and showed me how to fold them into various simple shapes.  Ever since then, folded paper has occupied a very special place in my crafty heart.  Heidi from Hand Occupied enjoys origami too, as she demonstrates with this patriotic star tutorial.  Make a single star to hang on your front door to welcome guests, or make a whole bunch and string them into a festive garland!  [how to make patriotic origami stars]

Project estimate:

• Paper, on hand or $1
• Scotch tape, on hand
• Needle and thread, on hand

Total:  Free and up

The post Make Patriotic Origami Stars appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Do you have extra wrapping paper laying around?  I always end up with partial rolls left over after buying them to wrap one gift; a friend’s wedding, a coworker’s baby shower, or some other occasion comes and goes and my wrapping paper collection grows and grows.  Short of wrapping everything in sight, how do you use up some of that stash that’s lurking at the back of your closet?  Rena from The Cheese Thief used long, skinny strips of wrapping paper to fold origami stars that she filled with treats, making fun and super-duper cheap party favors.  Even if you have to go out and buy paper, you can make dozens of these in any theme for just a few bucks!  [how to make extra large star party favors]

Project estimate:

• Wrapping paper, on hand or $1
• Treats, $1 and up

Total:  $1 and up

The post Make Extra Large Star Party Favors appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

If you should happen to find yourself stuck behind your desk waiting for something-or-another and trying not to lose your mind from boredom, Heather from Shades of Tangerine came up with a whole set of crafts using things that are probably already hanging out in your drawers!  She made bunny rings, Easter stickers, and a cute little origami basket to hold everything, all using common office supplies.  [how to make Easter gifts from office supplies]

Project estimate:

• Brads, on hand or $1
• Paperclips, on hand
• Sharpie, on hand
• Highlighters, on hand
• White out, on hand or $1 and up
• Pens, on hand
• Address labels, on hand or $1
• Post-it notes, on hand or $1
• Hole punch, on hand

Total:  Free and up

The post Make Easter Gifts from Office Supplies appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

No, these beautiful stars aren’t made out of glass.  Or crystal.  They’re not even acrylic.  They are actually made out of recycled cellophane!  (Are you having the same OMG moment that I had when I saw them?)  Rena from The Cheese Thief folded the glass-like stars using strips cut out of the packaging from some note cards.  Imagine the strung across your windows, used as wedding decor, or with many strands hung vertically on a wall for a photo booth backdrop.  Or wrap them around your Christmas tree!  [how to make a recycled cellophane origami star garland]

Project estimate:

• Cellophane, on hand
• String, on hand or $1

Total:  Free or $1

The post Make a Recycled Cellophane Origami Star Garland appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

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You don’t have to spend money on expensive designer paper cupcake liners (although, it sure is a fun way to waste money!) — you can create your own beautiful designer liners with pretty origami paper. Jenn from Rook No. 17 shares this great idea on her blog. What other kinds of paper could you use to make cupcake liners? If you are nervous about cooking with not-made-for-cooking paper, how about using parchment paper to bake the cupcakes in, and then slipping them into these cups after they’re baked? Jenn tells us how to do both [at Rook No. 17 – check the links below for specific info]

1. How to make parchment paper cupcake cups (this shows the technique for making both projects)
2. Make origami paper cupcake liners

Project Estimate:

• Origami paper, $1
• Muffin tins, on hand
• Drinking glass, on hand

Total: $1

The post Make Origami Paper Cupcake Liners appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Wow, amazing! This German Star wreath by Linaloo is made of recycled newspaper, and is oh-so-amazing! It might just unseat last year’s Origami Ball Wreath for folded paper holiday brilliance! I want to try it. Linaloo says each star takes about fifteen minutes to fold, and the entire wreath took her about two hours folding time. I’d say that’s a good investment for such a stunning end result! [click here for the german star wreath tutorial]

Project Estimate:

• Recycled newspaper or other paper, on hand

Total: FREE

p.s. Don’t forget to enter my giveaway and also enter your handmade wreath in the Handmade Wreath Contest!

The post Recycled Newspaper German Star Wreath appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Dress up your holiday table for no extra money by using this pretty origami fold for your paper napkins.

Fall Wreath by Lindsay at The Phenes Update: $4

Lindsay took some dollar store stuff and transformed it into a couple of wreaths and some other cute fall decorations. Check them out at her blog!

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