Over at Gingerbread Snowflakes, my good friend Pam has created some adorable Mushroom Canisters from recycled goods and stuff from her stash. Yes, that’s right, I said “stash.” I know I haven’t said anything about it all month, since we had our whirlwind April Stash Bust month where all I talked about was stash, stash, stash. I still need to bring you a few more stashbusting highlights, actually, now that I’m talking about stashes again. But back to the mushroom canisters! Aren’t they so cute? Pam made them out of recycled food canisters and a pattern from this ebook. Wouldn’t this be a fun summer craft for older kids? [find out more about recycled mushroom canisters]

Project Estimate:

• Recycled canister, on hand
• Stash fabric, on hand
• Stash embellishments (buttons, embroidery floss, etc), on hand
• Scissors, glue, and sewing stuff, on hand

Total: FREE

The post Recycle Canisters into an Adorable Mushroom Village appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

So does anyone else out there do seasonal craft projects and then practically forget to post about them until it’s too late? No? Guess I’m the only one. Here’s a quick and simple favor for St. Patrick’s Day, using stuff from the dollar store. You can make one of these for less than fifty cents. I made this with the little metal buckets from the wedding aisle at Dollar Tree, and I imagine this being a fun addition to your kids’ lunch or maybe a fun surprise for when they wake up on St. Patrick’s Day.  It’d also be a fun scout or classroom craft (maybe you can substitute the candy out for something else – pretend coins for learning to add and subtract with money?) I also added a printable rainbow (8 rainbows to a sheet) to make it even easier for you to craft with your kids.

You probably don’t need much in the way of instructions, but here’s the cost estimate:

Project Materials:

• Wedding favor buckets, 3 for $1
• Craft felt and/or craft foam, on hand or $1
• Bamboo skewer, on hand or $1
• “Gold” candy, $1
• Craft glue (I used Aleene’s Quick Dry or hot glue will work), on hand
• Markers, on hand
• Scissors

Total: $2 and up for 3

To make:

Cut out a band of green felt or foam (or use ribbon) that will go all the way around the top of the bucket.

Cut out a square of yellow felt or foam. Fold in half, and cut two slits (not all the way to the edge of the square). Thread band through the square “buckle.”

Glue band and buckle to top of bucket.

To make rainbow, draw a rainbow or download my printable. Color, cut out and glue to a craft foam backing.

Tape rainbow to a shortened bamboo skewer, and stick into bucket.

Fill bucket with candy (or other filling – popcorn, play money, buttons) and add a gift tag if desired (or write name on rainbow).

A few other fun St. Patrick’s Day crafts for kids:

• Rainbow Cupcakes by Kami at Make & Takes
• Another Pot o’ Gold craft with a super-adorable pipecleaner rainbow by Marie at Make & Takes
• Easy Shamrock Garland at Craft Jr.
• Unique Shamrock Hanging at Scene of the Grime

p.s. Have you heard of My Parent Rewards? I just learned about it… it’s kind of like those big local coupon books you can buy, but it’s all online. It’s a program that offers coupons, discounts, 2-for-1 deals for restaurants and more. A membership is only $20 and right now you can try it out for free for 30 days. www.MyParentRewards.com/freetrial

In my area, I found discounts like

• Get a free session of bowling with one paid session
• Free minibon with purchase of a Cinnabon
• 25% off total bill at a local sandwich place
• Free ticket to a Portland Winterhawks game with one paid admission
• Free month of martial arts lessons with first paid month
• 25% off tax prep
• Up to 50% off hotel bookings
• Printable grocery coupons

Anyway, if you want to try it out (and help support Dollar Store Crafts): www.MyParentRewards.com/freetrial

The post Make a Pot o’ Gold Party Favor (With Printable) appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

My sister just went on a trip to Senegal, Africa, and while she’s been there she has painted a 30-foot outdoor mural and done some crafts with kids at a teen center. Before she left, she asked me to help her think of some simple craft projects she could bring, so we brainstormed a few dollar store crafts that would be cheap, lightweight and fun for kids of all ages. This project is a perfect kids’ craft: one or two simple steps, and a colorful result that kids from toddler to teen can make and enjoy.

To make a bunch of butterflies, all you need are a few simple items you can find at the dollar store.

Project Materials:

• Old-fashioned wooden clothespins, $1
• Coffee filters, $1
• Crayons, on hand

Total: $2

To make, flatten the coffee filter and fold in half. Color the filter any way you want. To assemble the butterfly, slide the filter into the opening of the clothespin (scrunch if desired).

The post DSC Africa: Senegal Butterfly Craft appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Once again, Filth Wizardry shares her genius ideas with us: this time, she made a completely amazing kid-friendly embroidery kit using a surprising dollar store ingredient. Her four and five year-old daughters did a great job with this embroidery project, which a little more advanced than a lacing set, but not quite as grown up as traditional embroidery. This looks like it would be a great activity for a scout troop, or a slumber or birthday party. [click here for how to make this kids’ embroidery kit]

Project Estimate:

• Shelf liner, $1
• Yarn, on hand
• Steel yarn needles, $1.29 (at Joann)
• Optional, pony beads, $1
• Markers, on hand
• Optional, An image to trace, on hand

Total: $2.29

The post Make a Kid-Friendly Embroidery Kit appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

If you’ve waited until now to make this year’s handmade advent calendar, then you’ve probably waited too long! Don’t worry about it! You can whip up a quick advent calendar for your kiddos with just two items from the dollar store. Make one for each child in your family, or send it home with your scout troop or kids in your classroom. I used tree-shaped doilies from the dollar store (but I haven’t seen them there this year) and Christmas-themed foam stickers. If you can’t find the doily, just cut a tree out of construction paper or scrapbooking paper. Instructions at CROQzine. [how to make a quick advent calendar]

Ooh, or you could cut a tree shape out with your new Silhouette! <–enter my giveaway!

Project Estimate:

• 1 or 2 pieces of construction paper, on hand
• 1 tree doily (they come in a pack of 12), $1 or cut out your own tree
• Glue stick, on hand
• Christmas stickers, $1

Total: $1 and up

The post Make a Quick Advent Calendar appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.