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.

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Are you a saver of cardboard tubes? If so, then this idea is just for you! Helena from Crafts and Creativity used an empty TP tube to create a cute little cardboard rocket. This is a great project for Memorial Day or the 4th of July, or for anytime if you have an aspiring astronaut or astronomer! This is also a great stashbusting project – make a pile of paper scraps and let your imagination run wild. [how to make a cardboard tube rocket]

Project estimate:

• Cardboard tube, free
• Paint, on hand or $1 and up
• Scrapbook paper, on hand or $1
• Glue, on hand

Total: Free and up!

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No tea party is complete without some treats, right? That’s why you need these paper cookies from Kate at The Craft Train! “Bake” them up once and nibble on them over and over. These would also be great for your favorite little baker to have in their play kitchen, or for any kid who loves both sweets and imaginative play! [how to make paper cookies]

Project estimate:

• Cardboard, on hand
• Cookie cutters, on hand or $1 and up
• Cotton balls, on hand or $1
• Tissue paper, on hand or $1
• Kraft paper or brown paper bag, on hand
• Construction paper, on hand or $1
• Glue sticks, on hand
• Mod Podge, on hand
• Glitter, on hand or $1

Total: Free and up!

The post Make Paper Cookies 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.

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.

Got a baby shower or kid’s birthday party coming up? Free plushie patterns to the rescue! You can stitch up a 100 percent unique gift for your favorite kid.

1. Owl Softie – Are owls still cool? I hope so, because my two-year-old sure thinks that they are. Craft Foxes has a super cute owl pattern that I really want to make for my guy.

2. Whale – For the little Raffi fan in your life – make him his very own Baby Beluga with Craftiness is Not Optional’s free pattern!

3. Seahorse – The seahorse is one of my favorite undersea creatures, and this free pattern from We Lived Happily Ever After is just precious.

4. Blast Off Rocket Ship – What kid doesn’t like to play with rocket ships? Sew Grown’s pattern is so sweet and simple.

5. Ships Ahoi – Sew and the City shows you how to make your own custom pattern for a fleet of plush sailboats.

6. Sock Dragon – Monkeys, schmonkeys! Craft Passion shares her template for sewing up a colorful sock dragon instead!

7. Elephant – Made by Enginerds has a great pattern for making your very own elephant.

8. Giant Loch Ness Monster – This is another great one from We Lived Happily Ever After. Stitch up a Nessie that’s as big as your kid!

9. Zipper Mouth Crocodile – I remember having a stuffie with a working zipper as a kid, and hiding treasures in there was the best. Sew Mama Sew shares this zip-mouthed crocodile stuffie from the book Flip Dolls.

10. Puppy – This plush pup from More Softies Only a Mother Could Love sits up on its hind legs!

The post 10 Free Softie Sewing Patterns appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Let’s all say it together now:  “Awwwwwwww!”  I mean, seriously, how adorable are these hamster hacky sacks?  Instructables user miss_who whipped them up using kids-size socks!  Of course, you caould also use adult-sized socks to make a larger version as well.  Since each hacky sack only takes one sock, this is a great project for odd socks that you may have laying around.  (And who doesn’t?!)  [how to make hamster hacky sacks]

Project estimate:

• Sock, on hand or $1
• Felt scraps, on hand
• Needle and thread, on hand
• Rice, on hand or $1

Total:  Free and up!

The post Make Hamster Hacky Sacks appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Rawr!  How awesome are these felt-and-clothespin dinosaurs by Amanda at Crafts By Amanda?  And thanks to the free pattern she has provided, you can whip up your own with just a couple of basic supplies.  You could even adapt this idea to make zoo or farm animals, monsters, or anything else you can dream up!  [how to make clothespin dinosaurs]

Project estimate:

• Clothespins, on hand or $1
• Paint, on hand
• Felt, on hand or about $0.30 and up
• Dinosaur patterns, free
• Marker, on hand
• Hot glue, on hand

Total:  Free and up!

The post Make Clothespin Dinosaurs appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Sock monkeys make perfect presents for little ones. With so many fun sock patterns to choose from at the dollar store, you’ll be sure to find a sock that will match the tastes of the kiddo or parents! Just keep in mind that button eyes should only be used on monkeys given to older children who no longer put things in their mouths. For a baby-appropriate sock monkey, simply draw or stitch the eyes on with embroidery floss instead. [how to sew a sock monkey]

Project estimate:

• 1 pair of socks, $1 and up
• Felt scraps, on hand
• Buttons, on hand or $1
• Embroidery floss, on hand or $1
• Polyfill stuffing material, $3 for a large bag
• Batting scraps, on hand or $1 and up
• Sewing machine, on hand

Total: $4 and up

The post Make Your Own Sock Monkey 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!

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