Can you guess the secret ingredient that I used to make this custom 3D notebook for my son?

This year for Christmas, I made custom journals for my kids.  They were definitely a hit!  The “secret ingredient” for this project was a plastic shield from the toy section that had a crest on it.  Disassembled, the crest from the shield makes a great 3D embellishment for the cover.  After a little bit of a paint treatment, the cheap look of the plastic is transformed into an heirloom-quality gift!

Project estimate:

• Binder, sketch book, journal, etc., $1 and up
• Toy shield with 3D decoration,  $1 and up
• Hot glue, on hand
• Tissue paper, on hand or $1
• White glue, on hand
• Paint, on hand
• Plastic shopping bag, on hand

Total:  $2 and up

Remove the 3D decoration from the shield with a pair of pliers. Hot glue it to the front cover of the book.  Use a book with a stiff, heavy cover for the best results.

Wad the tissue into tight balls and straighten them out. Tear them into 3″x3″ pieces. Slip the book, except for the top cover, into the shopping bag to prevent it from getting damaged.

Add 1 part water to 5 parts white glue and mix it together. Sparingly dab the glue mixture onto the 3D decoration in a small area and put on a piece of tissue paper.

Continue doing this until the entire decoration is covered.

Using the same technique, cover the rest of the book top. By the time you have finished doing that, the decoration should be dry enough to add another coat of tissue to. IMPORTANT: Any thing plastic must be covered with the glue and tissue. Sanding isn’t necessary.

When the area is completely dry, it will be shiny. Now you can paint it, I used an acrylic paint I purchased from the dollar store. Use the main colour and let completely dry.

Mix a small amount of white to your main colour. Put a very small amount on a sponge brush (I used the same brush for the entire project) and dab off the excess on a piece of newspaper. Lightly brush up and down to highlight the 3D decoration. If you get too much in a spot, paint it black and start again.

The post Tutorial: Custom 3D Notebook appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

I love hanging toys for babies, the kind that you can velcro around a car seat handle or anything else it will fit around, and nearly every infant I’ve ever met loves them too.  I have to confess that my sewing skills aren’t the greatest (actually, calling them “skills” is kind of a long shot), but I figured that this kind of toy ought to be something I am capable of whipping up on my own.  Not only was I successful, but it actually turned out pretty cute – and if I can do it, anyone can!

Project estimate:

• Baby washcloths, $1
• Sewing machine and/or needle and thread, on hand
• Polyfill, on hand or about $3
• Velcro, on hand or $1
• Template, free

Total:  $1 and up

You can use any soft fabric for this project; I chose to use baby washcloths because I love the colors and they are made from a very soft material.  Fleece would also work well.

Choose a shape – something simple like a star or heart works best – and make a paper template.  I just found a star graphic that I liked and printed it out in the appropriate size.  Remember that your finished shape will be smaller than the ones you initially cut because of seam allowances, so keep that in mind as you are coming up with a template.  Use the template to cut two of the same shape.  I used two different washcloths so the star is a different color on each side, but you can of course do two of the same if you prefer.

Pin the two shapes together.  If your fabric has a front side and a back side, make sure that you pin the shapes with the fronts facing each other.  My washcloths were fuzzier on one side and I wanted that side to face outward on the final project, so at this point in the project I pinned them with the fuzzy sides facing in.  Sew most of the way around, leaving about a 1″ to 2″ unsewn area at what will be the top of the toy.  (I left one of the points of my star unsewn.)  Use that gap to flip the shape right-side-out.

Stuff the shape with Polyfill.  To make a strip for hanging the star, I cut up another washcloth to make a long strip about 3″ wide and 12″-ish long.  (This is also a great time to dig into those fabric scraps!)  Fold the strip in half lengthwise and sew along the long edge to form a tube; also sew one of the short edges to make a finished end.  Turn the strip right-side-out through the unsewn end.  Pin the unsewn end of the strip into the gap at the top of your shape and carefully hand-sew around the rest of the shape, tucking in the raw edges as you go.

Sew a small piece of velcro to the strip for hanging, placing the two parts of the velcro in such a way that when you wrap the end of the strip around something, it forms a loop.  Ideally I would have used white velcro, but the black is what I had on hand, so I just went with it.

The finished toy is ready to entertain baby on the go!  You could even make fun variations on this project – try adding a squeaky insert inside the toy so that it makes noise when you squeeze it, or add elastic to the hanging strip to make the toy bouncy.  There are so many possibilities!

The post Tutorial: DIY Hanging Soft Toys appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

My iPhone is one of my most important possessions – it goes everywhere with me and serves so many different purposes that it’s indispensable! But you know what would make it even handier? A tripod! Shannon from eat.sleep.MAKE. made one for herself using the back half of a plastic dinosaur and I could not be more delighted with her design. Not only is it functional and inexpensive, it’s also freakin’ hilarious! [how to make a dinosaur phone tripod]

Project estimate:

• Plastic dinosaur, on hand
• Caulk, about $5 and up
• Suction cup, on hand or $1

Total: about $5 and up

The post Make a Dinosaur Phone Tripod appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Alright, so the 6-for-a-buck compasses from the party favors section of the dollar store aren’t the most accurate.  But then again, what do you expect for 16 cents apiece?  While they might not be the most practical purchase, they can still make a fashion statement!  Stephanie at Henry Happened figured out a quick and easy method for turning them into necklaces, which would be perfect as favors at an outdoor-themed party or as a sleepover activity.  (Heck, they’re even cute enough for kitsch-loving adults to wear!)  [how to make a kids compass necklace]

Project estimate:

• Compasses, $1
• Paperclips, on hand or $1
• Glue, on hand
• Chain or string, on hand or $1

Total:  $1 and up

The post Make a Kids Compass Necklace appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

I’ve loved Anthropologie for a long time because they provide me with an endless source of inspiration.  Feeling uncreative?  Spend ten minutes surfing their website and you’ll be cured.  Earlier this year I had the opportunity to set foot in one of their brick and mortar locations for the first time and it was even more incredible!  While Anthro’s “party animal” necklace set isn’t too steeply priced at $38 each, Beverly from Flamingo Toes knew that she could create an inspired necklace for cheaper.  Her necklaces look so much like the originals that you’ll have trouble telling the difference, and you can whip them up at a fraction of the cost!  [how to make an Anthro-inspired party animal necklace]

Project estimate: 

• Toy animals, $1
• Embellishments, on hand or $1 and up
• Jewelry findings, on hand or $1
• Chain, on hand or $1
• Glue, on hand

Total:  $1 and up

The post Make an Anthro-Inspired Party Animal Necklace appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

With the third Toy Story movie still fresh in recent memory and rumors of a fourth film floating around the internet, it’s a pretty safe bet that the now-16-year-old franchise isn’t going anywhere.  The movie brought cowboy play back into popularity with American children, who will be giddy when they see these DIY hobby horses by Dutch blogger Hetty from lightbluegrey.  Make one as the ultimate accessory for a cowboy Halloween costume, or as an everyday plaything for your favorite little cowpoke!  [how to make a sock hobby horse]

Project estimate:

• Sock, on hand or $1
• Broom handle or dowel, on hand or $1 and up
• Thick yarn or mop head, on hand or $1 and up
• Rope, on hand
• Belt or scrap leather, on hand or $1 and up
• Felt, on hand
• Polyfill, on hand or about $3
• Key rings, on hand or $1
• Buttons, on hand

Total:  Free and up

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

Faux food gifts are a fun idea that’s been floating around out there for a while.  You’ve probably seen diaper cakes or sock cupcakes, but here’s a new twist!  Jolene from Creative Dollar used an assortment of baby essentials to create “sushi”, which she presented all wrapped up on a plate.  Hers was a baby girl gift and included hair bows; for boys, you could use more socks or other small soft goods instead.  Sushi-loving moms-to-be will love this creative presentation!  [how to make a sushi baby shower gift]

Project estimate:

• Onesies, $1 and up
• Washcloths, $1 and up
• Fish toy, $1 and up
• Baby socks, $1 and up
• Plate, $1 and up
• Black plastic table cloth, $1
• Rubber bands, on hand
• Scotch tape, on hand
• Chopsticks, on hand or $1

Total:  $6 and up

The post Make a Sushi Baby Shower Gift appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

We hope you’ve enjoyed our sharktastic week of crafts!  I know crochet is a topic we don’t often talk about here, but in my webby wanderings searching for things to share, I found a few free sharky crochet patterns that I just love!  I have a soft spot for crochet; I’ve tried a lot of different craft mediums starting with decoupage in elementary school and working all the way through the spectrum to my most recently learned craft, making lampwork glass beads, but crochet is the one thing I’ve consistently come back to over and over.  If I could only do one craft for the rest of eternity, that’s the one I would choose!  But, I digress.  As promised, here are three shark projects to hook into.

When Karen from Karen’s Knittin’ Crap went looking for a stuffed shark toy crochet pattern, she couldn’t find one that she liked.  So, after some trial and error, she came up with this little guy!  He’s just the right combination of cute and scary!  [shark amigurumi crochet pattern]

This shark hat pattern by Andrea of Drea’s Crochet reminds me of the dead fish hat that I made for my brother last Christmas.  That pattern was very easy and suitable for even a beginning crocheter, so this one ought to be pretty simple as well.  Not to mention hilarious!  [shark hat crochet pattern]

Can you ever really be too old for a cute pair of mittens?  I vote no!  These shark mittens by Annette Hynes are freakin’ adorable, though more advanced because they are worked in Tunisian crochet to give them a knit-like look.  To download the pattern, scroll down the page and click the link to the .pdf  file underneath the thumbnail picture of the mittens.  [shark mittens crochet pattern]

More shark crafts:
Follow Mrs. Greene’s board Shark Week! on Pinterest.

The post Shark Week Crochet: 3 Free Shark Crochet Patterns appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Melinda and Rhonda both love their pets, so they decided to make them toys. After all, toys aren’t just fun for pets, they provide hours of amusement for owners too!

[See all the submissions from Iron Craft]

Our IC13 Submissions:

Rhonda Greene’s Submission: Sushi Roll Cat Toy

Rhonda’s kitties love to play. The have a ton of toys, but it seems that they can never have enough. (Probably because they are so good at hiding them behind appliances and underneath furniture.) So she made them a felt sushi roll!  See more pictures of the toy and her adorable baby playing with it (and learn how she made it) on her blog.

Melinda Hileman’s Submission: Lucet-Made Cat Toy

Melinda decided to braid Bailey a new toy with a lucet. [See more info and photos]  She also made Bailey a Medical Alert tag with Shrinky Dinks (he has diabetes). Last year, she made a plastic canvas “No Begging Zone” sign to keep her dog out of the kitchen (it worked!).

Did you submit a craft for the 13th Iron Craft challenge? Share yours in the comments section!

The post Best in Show (Iron Craft Week 13) appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

After finishing last week’s miniature merry-go-round tutorial, I decided to keep going on a carnival theme and create a companion piece for it.  I had an idea for a ferris wheel but it still needs some work (and parts shopping); bumper cars seemed like too much trouble; a roller coaster was far too ambitious of a project.  But what about concessions?  I mean, who’s ever heard of a carnival without cotton candy?

Project estimate:

• Cardstock, on hand
• Paper labels, on hand or $1
• Circus-y letter stickers or computer font, on hand or free
• Bamboo skewers, on hand or $1
• Plastic bags, on hand
• Felt scraps, on hand
• String, on hand
• Glue, on hand

Total: Free and up

Start by making the sign for your cotton candy stand.  I made mine using an embossed paper label left over from my north pole street light project, but you could easily make your own out of scrap paper or print out a sign shaped piece of clipart on your computer.  I cut the paper label in half and used scrapbook lettering stickers in a circus-like font that I happened to have on hand.  If you don’t have whimsical stickers, you can also print out the wording on the computer using one of the free circus fonts listed at the end of this tutorial.

Cut a strip of cardstock that is just taller than the “candy” half of your sign.  Glue the sign to the strip of cardstock at the center as shown, so that the top of the sign lines up with the top of the strip.  This will be the front of the cotton candy stand.

Fold back the cardstock strip at the ends of the sign to create the sides of the cotton candy stand.

On both sides, measure back an equal distance from the first fold and create a second fold.  You should now be able to glue the ends of the strip together at the back to make a rectangular shape.

Cut a pair of bamboo skewers to about the height you want the finished cotton candy stand to be.  Glue the skewers to the inside of the front of the rectangle as shown.  Make sure the skewers are positioned so that they extend beyond the top of the rectangle, not the bottom.

Glue the other ends of the skewers to the back of the “cotton” part of the sign.

To make the bags of cotton candy, start by trimming the corner off of a plastic bag (such as a zipper bag or sandwich bag).

Stuff a small scrap of pink (or other pastel color) felt into the corner of the bag.  Twist the open end to close.

Secure the bags shut with a little bit of string (I used embroidery floss) or wire.  Repeat until you have the desired number of bags of cotton candy.

Use string or thread to tie the bags together in groups of two or three bags.

Glue the ends of the string or thread to the back of the “cotton” part of the sign, just to the inside of the bamboo skewers.  When the glue is dry, flip it right-side-up and you’re done!

Here are links to a few free fonts that would work well with carnival or circus themed projects:

• Action Is
• Action Is Shaded
• Alpha Fridge Magnets
• Balls on the Rampage
• Big Apple
• Carnival MF
• Chipperfield and Bailey

The post Make a Miniature Cotton Candy Stand appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.