Whether you ‘re ready or not, back-to-school time is creeping closer.  It’s not to early to start preparing!  DSC Reader Victoria is headed back to college this fall and her wardrobe needs a facelift.  But, like most college students, she’s looking to revamp it on a tight budget.  She sent us this question:

I’m going back to school in about a month (I will be a sophomore in college) and I need to upgrade my wardrobe. Can you find some new accessory or clothing crafts?

We love inexpensive fashion projects!  We put together a roundup of seven different wardrobe re-dos a while back.  Our friends Jen and Amy also have a new blog called Refashion Files that is entirely dedicated to reconstructed clothing.  (Check it out here!)

We know our readers enjoy these kind of projects as well, so we’re posing the question to you!  What are your favorite fashion crafts and DIY fashion blogs?

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We’ve had a lot of container-related questions the last couple of weeks! The latest comes to us via our Facebook fan page from reader Holli R.  She’s got a collection of yet another kind of container: spice jars!  She writes:

I recently revamped my spices and got containers for them all. Any suggestions on what to do with the empty McCormick containers? Most of them are an inch tall, but there are four or so 4-inch ones.

The little spice containers are so cute — and a good size for holding glitter.  And they’ve got a uniquely handy feature that other containers don’t: a shaker top!  What do you think?  How do you reuse your old spice containers?

[photo by cohdra @ morguefile.com]

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Oh, Christmas cards.  How I love to receive you in the mail, and how I hate to throw you away when the new year rolls around!  It’s bad enough tossing out pretty cards with scenes of snowy trees or glittery angels or jolly snowmen, but then there are the photo cards.  I mean, how can I bring myself to throw out a picture of my cousin’s two little boys in their John Deere pajamas, or of dear friends I haven’t seen in years grinning together in goofy his-and-hers holiday hats?  On our Facebook wall, reader Julie S. wants to know what she can do with them.  She writes:

I got a lot of photo holiday cards this year. Mixed with last year’s, my refrigerator is packed! Any ideas, aside from just putting them in a photo book, for a craft that I can make out of them?

Do you save photo Christmas cards from year to year? Do you have any crafty ideas for them?

[photo by Flickr user blush printables, Creative Commons]

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Baby food jars are pretty useful, which is good because they’re one of those things that accumulate by the dozens!  They’re particularly great for us crafty folk, who tend to have large collections of tiny objects that need to be sorted and stored.  But what if you only have the jar, not the lid?  Over on our Facebook page, reader Jessica C. explains her conundrum:

What can I do with baby food jars that have no lids? They were used to make picture magnets way back, and now I just have jars.

The first thing that comes to mind is using them to make votive candle holders. What do you think? How would you use baby food jars that are missing their lids?

[photo by Flickr user jencu, Creative Commons]

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We love questions about recycled crafting.  They really make you put on your thinking cap!  This one comes to us from reader Launna, who e-mailed us to get some ideas.  She says:

I have several empty Play-Doh containers. What could I make with them instead of taking them to the trash? I have seen the recycled Play-Doh container wreath, but what else can I or we make with these?

Have you made anything out of old Play-Doh containers?  If you had a collection of them, what would you do with them?

[photo by Flicker user GIANTsqurl; Creative Commons]

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Have you ever rescued something from the trash because you knew that there had to be something you could do with it — surely something better than sending it to the landfill — but you just weren’t sure what that something was?  (I’m totally guilty of that on multiple counts!)  We got an e-mail from reader Dawn, who needs some post-trash-picking inspiration.  She writes:

I recently rescued a stack of blank white 9″ wide x 7 3/4″ tall envelopes from the trash at work, but I don’t know what to do with them. Any ideas? All of the searches on the internet I have done on envelopes are how to make your own, not crafts to do with existing ones. I have about 45 of them.

Alright, clever readers.  If you has a big ol’ stack of large envelopes in your craft stash, how would you use them?

[image by cohdra @ morguefile.com]

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Some things are just too good to toss in the trash, even if you’re not sure yet what you’re going to do with them.  On our Facebook page, reader Jennifer S. posted a photo and asked us a question about some trash just waiting to become treasures.  She writes:

Our family loves clementines and I probably buy 2 boxes a week once the come into season and drop in price. But we end up with a ton of these wooden boxes. I know they have craft potential, but just can’t find it. What are some creative ideas to do with these? I’m completely willing to take them apart.

If you had a growing collection of these wooden orange crates, how would you use them?

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Drawers are such a challenge, aren’t they?  They’re great for holding all of those little odds and ends that would otherwise get lost around the house, but if your drawers are in disarray, items can still be just as difficult to find.  Over at the DSC Facebook Fan Page, reader Leslie asks:

Does anyone have any cheap/easy ways to organize dresser drawers? My drawers aren’t very deep. Would using cardboard as separators work?

A couple of readers have offered suggestions already.

• Kat says, “Try some small boxes, and use the lids, too! Easy found at the dollar store! I do it, especially for my sewing desk, for all those little whatnots and thingamajigs I can’t afford to lose!”
• Kelly suggests,”You could use cereal boxes, snack boxes or even shoe boxes. Just cut them to size.  You could even wrap them in contact paper to make them stronger.”

What do you use to organize your drawers?  Do you have any suggestions?  Please share them!

Photo by Flickr user jeamac, Creative Commons

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At our Dollar Store Crafts Facebook page, Rhonda suggested:

• You could spray paint them (maybe a low-key metallic finish?) and turn it into a pendant. You could weave fine ribbon through the holes or use jump rings to add charms.

And my comment:

• It reminds me of one of those little discs they use for beading & then put on earrings or cocktail rings.

I bet Mich L. in LA would do great things with this goodie!

So, creative readers, what would you do with this little thing?

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Hi everyone, I’m new to the site. I need some ideas please! I’m an oncology social worker and we are hosting a luncheon at our cancer center for breast cancer survivors. We have decorative boxes and we’re trying to come up with a way to showcase them as either a centerpiece or general decor. They have a floral pattern and are about the size of a shoe box. Other than stacking flowers or candles on top, which seems to be done to death, does anyone have any more creative ideas? I’d appreciate any input that I can get! Thanks! – Abigale in the Dollar Store Crafts Community

Hi Abigale! Thanks for joining us and asking your question! I don’t know exactly what your boxes look like, but I found this pretty floral box project (photo above) over at Bump Smitten: Floral Containers. I think it’s pretty and would make a cheerful centerpiece.

Other centerpiece ideas:

• Mini Candy Buffet: Fill the boxes with smaller paper bowls filled with a variety of candies for a mini candy buffet. Provide small paper cups and spoons so guests can serve themselves.

  

• I LOVE this pink tree branch centerpiece found over at Hostess With the Mostess! So elegant. Use your box for the foundation of the tree.

  
  

• Wheat Grass Centerpiece – I usually see wheat grass decor in the spring, but it would be an unexpected, yet very appropriate symbol of life for breast cancer survivors any time of year. You will need to start your wheatgrass about a week before your luncheon. You can plant it in dollar store disposable baking foil pans (choose a size that is small enough to fit inside your box.) You just have to buy a bag of hard spring wheat at the grocery store (it’s in the healthy food aisle, or the hot cereal aisle. A common brand is Bob’s Red Mill.) and plant it into potting mix. This image is from DIY Wedding.

Hope that will get you started! Readers, please add your ideas in the comments!

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