Every summer party needs ice cream, right? Make this cool treat the star of the show with an adorable ice cream cone banner! Kimberly at Bugaboo City created a free pattern that you can download to make your own. If you are a scrapbooker or enjoy other paper crafts, you probably even have enough odds and ends in your scrap pile to make at least a few cones! [how to make a paper ice cream cone banner]

Project estimate:

• Printable pattern, free
• Paper, on hand or $1 and up
• Glue, on hand

Total: free and up!

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National Ice Cream Month may be drawing to a close, but it’s pretty much always a good time for ice cream so we are going to keep in celebrating until the very end!  This fun ice cream garland from Karin and Freja at The Crafty Swedes very cleverly uses parts of a recycled egg carton to create cones – genius!  Go grab all of your yarn scraps and you’ll have your own adorable garland whipped up in a jiffy.  [how to make a pom pom ice cream cone garland]

Project estimate:

• Yarn, on hand or $1 and up
• Egg carton, on hand
• Paint, on hand or $1 and up

Total:  Free and up!

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Deck out your next barbecue or pool party in fresh, fruity style with these DIY fruit slice balloons!  These mylar balloons in bright solid colors got a sweet makeover at Balloon Time, using tissue paper and a few other basic supplies to transform them into wow-worthy party decor.  Use this method to create other motifs as well, not just fruit.  The possibilities are limited only by your imagination!  [how to make fruit slice balloons]

Project estimate:

• Mylar balloons, $1 and up
• Tissue paper, on hand or $1
• Black vinyl or paper, on hand or $1 and up
• Spray adhesive, on hand or about $3 and up

Total: $1 and up

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You only need two supplies to make these sweet gold-on-gold paper lanterns for between $1 and $3!

A while back I picked up a couple of 10″ gold paper lanterns at Dollar Tree.  I got pretty excited about them because I usually only see 8″ lanterns there; not only were these bigger (though without built-in lights), the more subdued color gave them a totally different vibe. I’ve always loved tone-on-tone color schemes, so when I came across a gold paint pen, I thought that the two items combined could look pretty neat.  And I love how it turned out!

Project estimate:

• Gold paper lantern, $1
• Gold paint pen, on hand or about $2 and up

Total:  $1 and up

This is seriously the simplest project of all time.  First, you’ll want to open up the lantern and insert the center support.  It’s much easier to drawn on the lantern when it’s assembled!

Follow the instructions on your paint pen.  You’ll probably need to shake the pen well, and if it’s a brand new pen, depending on the brand, you will probably have to prime the tip to get the paint flow started.  Then, just start drawing!  I used dots because they are simple.  Even though the lantern is fully stretched, the wire inside makes the surface uneven, so the simpler the design, the less likely the wire will interfere with your drawing.  Of course, you can draw anything you want!

I just kept adding dots until I was happy with how the lanterns looked.  Add as much or as little embellishment as you like!

Remember that most paper lanterns are not meant for outdoor use (at least, not for rainy weather); however there are a couple of things you can do to prolong the life of paper lanterns outdoors.  This is especially handy of you are planning a wedding or other outdoor event where damp weather is a possibility!

The post Tutorial: Gold-on-Gold Paper Lanterns appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Need easy, inexpensive decor for your Superbowl party?  Jessica from Mad in Crafts made this stamped football table cover using stuff you can find at the dollar store.  And when the party is over, you just crumble it up and throw it away – now that is post-party cleanup that I can handle!  Watch the video below to see how it’s made, or click through to Jessica’s blog to read more about it.  [how to make a stamped football table cover]

Project estimate:

• Kraft paper, on hand or $1
• Craft foam, on hand or $1
• Cardboard, on hand
• Glue, on hand
• Paint, on hand or $1 and up

Total:  Free and up!

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If you’re throwing a Halloween party, chances are you’ve already got balloons and crepe paper streamers on your shopping list.  Make sure you grab some googly eyes too, because then you’ll be able to make these adorable mummy balloons from Haeley at Design Improvised.  Make sure you stop by her blog and check out her entire series of balloon decorating ideas – this mummy is just one character in a whole cast of Halloween balloon monsters, and they’re all just as cute and easy as this one!   [how to make mummy balloons]

Project estimate:

• Balloons, on hand or $1
• Googly eyes, on hand or $1
• Crepe paper streamers, on hand or $1
• Glue, on hand

Total:  Free and up!

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When it comes time to throw a party on a budget, decorations don’t get much cheaper than these fabulous recycled newspaper pom poms!  At DIY Candy, Jacy shows how to turn a stack of old news into new baubles with just a little bit of folding and cutting.  In addition to making great decorations on their own, you could make a garland out of them, use them to embellish your gift wrapping, or even as decorations on a Christmas tree!  [how to make newspaper pom poms]

Project estimate:

• Newspaper, on hand
• String, on hand

Total:  Free!

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When it comes to cheap fabric with an interesting pattern, bandanas are one of my favorite go-to items.  Over at 30 Handmade Days, Landee used a stack of bandanas to make an adorable bunting!  It would be great for a western-themed party, or use specific colors to make it work for various holidays or occasions.  Or make one just because they are so stinkin’ cute!  [how to make a bandana bunting]

Project estimate:

• Bandanas, $1 and up
• Twine or rope, on hand or $1 and up
• Hot glue, on hand

Total:  $1 and up

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Try this clever idea for your next barbecue!  Kelly from Studio DIY took plain, yellow mylar balloons and, with the help of a little tissue paper, turned them into floating hamburgers!  They would make a great, whimsical addition to a birthday party, a family reunion, or any other gathering where you plan to break out the grill.  Or make them as a silly gift for a burger-loving friend!  [how to make hamburger balloons]

Project estimate:

• Mylar balloons, $1 each
• Tissue paper, on hand or $1
• Glue, on hand

Total:  $1 and up

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So, you’re throwing a party on a budget, but you don’t want to use cheap plastic tablecloths.  Solution?  You could always follow the example of Haeley at Design Improvised who turned  inexpensive canvas drop cloths from the hardware store into adorable table linens!  The project was so easy that her young daughter even did much of the painting.  You could also use a variation on this idea to make other matching linens, or even a coordinating photo booth backdrop!  [how to make a polka dot tablecloth]

Project estimate:

• Canvas dropcloth, about $5 and up
• Paint, on hand or $1 and up
• Foam spouncer, on hand or $1

Total:  about $5 and up

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