Take these elephant and dinosaur toys from the dollar store and use them to make some fun photo holders to display on your desk, shelf or playroom. Add a dash of whimsy to any room. You’ll be surprised at the way these clever photo holders are constructed, so check out how easy it is to make this dinosaur photo frame craft!

Hi there! Katie here today from Punk Projects! I love using inexpensive items in my crafting. If it involves upcycling, I’m all for it! I took a trip to the Dollar Tree to get some inspiration for today’s post and I found these awesome plastic toys.

Supplies Needed:

Project estimate:

• Toy animals, $1
• Flat magnets, on hand or $1
• Super glue, on hand or $1
• Craft knife or box cutter, on hand

Total:  $1 and up

1. Decide on your animals. I loved the brontosaurus, and the elephant is for a friend.

2. Use a craft knife to cut through the animal. Most plastic animals have a seam where they were put together, cut on that seam and it will be easier. Just don’t cut yourself.

3. Once you have your animal cut in half, trace around him onto a magnet.

4. Cut out 2 magnets for each animal.

5. Go around the cut edge of your animal with super glue and glue your magnet to it.

6. Let it dry completely.

Once your magnets have been glued on and dried, slide a photo in between the animal piece and stand him back up! I love these little dinosaur photo frames!

What do you think? Would you make a dinosaur photo frame craft for yourself, or for a friend?

Pin the Dinosaur Photo Frame Craft:

I’m Katie, a lover of anything artsy. I doodle on everything I can get my hands on, however my favorite projects are scrapbooking, restyled/upcycled crafts and sewing. I write my blog, Punk Projects, where I post tutorials, inspiration and other fun things as well as designing custom shoes in my etsy shop.

You can also find me here on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

The post Tutorial: Toy Animal Photo Holders appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

I remember doing yarn painting projects like this one from Kate at Picklebums when I was a kid. this, however, is a much less messy version that the watered-down-white-glue method of my youth! The secret is using contact paper or another self-adhesive surface. You get all the fun of this classic kids craft without the headaches of the cleanup! It’s a great project for a summer day or for a scouting group. [how to make yarn paintings]

Project estimate:

• Yarn, on hand or $1 and up
• Contact paper, $1 and up

Total: $1 and up!

The post Make Yarn Paintings appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

I’ll admit it: when this post from Diane of Homan at Home popped up in my RSS reader, I did a quick double-take, and then clicked out of a combination of equal parts amusement and curiosity. I mean, an Easter Bunny centerpiece made out of a roll of TP? It’s kinda brilliant, and pretty hilarious. She even provides a printable of the ears and nose, so you can easily put these together at the very last minute. It would also make a really cute project for kids! [how to make a toilet paper Easter bunny]

Project estimate:

• Toilet paper, on hand
• Paper, on hand
• Printable bunny ears and nose, free
• Googly eyes, on hand or $1
• Marker, on hand
• Glue, on hand

Total: Free or $1!

The post Make a Toilet Paper Easter Bunny appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Bored kids? Here’s a fun and delicious project! Use two simple ingredients to make this edible play dough from Justine at The Typical Mom and watch the boredom melt away. Then spend the afternoon creating – and subsequently eating – all kinds of creations! [how to make two ingredient edible play dough]

Project estimate:

• Marshmallows, on hand or $1
• Powdered sugar, on hand or $1 and up
• Food coloring (optional), on hand or $1 and up
• Non-stick spray, on hand or $1 and up
• Wax paper or parchment paper, on hand or $1 and up

Total: Free and up!

The post Make Two Ingredient Edible Play Dough appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

We love creative snack ideas. Healthy snacks are so much better when they’re fun, right? While some fancy food designs we’ve seen are complicated and time consuming to assemble, this apple turtle snack from Rebecca at Simple As That is quick and easy! It takes just a few minutes to put together, and is guaranteed to induce smiles at snacktime! [how to make an apple turtle snack]

Project estimate:

• Apples, on hand or $1 and up
• Grapes, on hand or about $2 and up
• Peanut butter, on hand or $1 and up
• Candy eyes, $1 and up

Total: $1 and up!

The post Make an Apple Turtle Snack appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

When you get done wrapping up your Christmas presents this year, save the big cardboard tube – you can use it to make this cute reindeer hobby horse! Kate at The Craft Train designed it using a variety of things you probably have around the house. You could also use this basic idea to make unicorns or any other manner of recycled hobby horses. [make a recycled reindeer hobby horse]

Project estimate:

• Wrapping paper tube, on hand
• Paper plates, on hand or $1
• Brown paper bags or brown kraft paper, on hand or $1
• Recycled cardboard, free
• Craft foam, on hand or$1
• Bells, $1 and up
• Markers, on hand
• Duct tape or electrical tape, on hand
• Bakers twine or string, on hand
• Ribbon, on hand

Total: $1 and up!

The post Make a Recycled Reindeer Hobby Horse appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

With Halloween right around the corner, it’s the perfect time to make this fun Frankenstein t-shirt! Amanda at Crafts by Amanda created the face by tracing circular objects and using a ruler to draw straight lines. No fancy-schmancy artistic skills needed! And once Halloween is over, it’s adorable for year-round wear too. [how to make a Frankenstein t-shirt]

Project estimate:

• Green t-shirt, on hand or $1 and up
• Fabric paint, on hand or about $3 and up
• Objects to trace, on hand

Total: Free and up!

The post Make a Frankenstein T-shirt appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

If you’ve bought Legos lately, you know they can get a bit pricey – especially for sets that include specialty pieces.  But if you have a vinyl cutting machine, you can whip out your own custom blocks for much less than retail!  Carolina at 30 Minute Crafts created a cut file that gives tiny details to plain Lego blocks, turning everyday pieces into custom bits for special projects.  Head to her blog for the details, and to download the cut file for yourself!  [how to make custom Lego blocks]

Project estimate:

• Lego blocks, on hand
• Peel-and-stick vinyl, on hand or about $5

Total:  Free and up!

The post Make Custom Lego Blocks appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Did you ever make spin art as a kid?  It ‘s just the right amount of random and messy and bright that make it amazingly fun!  You can easily make your own spin art using one simple tool from the kitchen – a salad spinner!  Over at DIY Candy, Cheryl shared this easy method.  You’ll probably want to reserve the spinner strictly for craft purposes once you’ve used paint inside of it, but the good news is that so far this summer I have seen approximately 1,329 of these things at yard sales for cheap, and I often see them on the shelf at Goodwill.  [how to make DIY spin art]

Project estimate:

• Salad spinner, on hand or $1 and up
• Paper plates, on hand or $1
• Paint, on hand or $1 and up

Total:  Free and up!

The post Make DIY Spin Art appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Who doesn’t love kid art?  Heather recently took the artwork of her son’s third grade class to a new level with this fun quilt idea!  In addition to being a great classroom activity, you could also have your child do an entire quilt themselves over time.  If you have a large family, each grandchild could make a square to present as a fabulous gift for grandparents!  Or for a smaller-scale project, you could do a table runner, placemat, or wall hanging using the same technique.  See how to make one over at iLoveToCreate.  [how to make a kid art collage quilt]

Project estimate:

• Fabric, on hand or $1 and up
• Fabric glue, on hand or about $3 and up
• Fabric markers, on hand or about $2 and up
• Sewing machine, on hand

Total:  Free and up!

The post Make a Kid Art Collage Quilt appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.