It’s the premise of so many horror films and nightmares:  a toy coming to life as an evil creature.  There’s something about the dark that makes beloved toys suddenly seem ominous and creepy.  To play off that fear, I thought it would be entertaining to make Halloween decor that was creepy but not gory.  It’s really simple to transform an innocent plush toy into a creepy Halloween demon.

Project estimate:

• Stuffed animal, on hand or $1
• Vampire teeth, $1
• Felt, on hand
• Glue gun, on hand
• Large rhinestones, on hand or $1

Total: $1 and up

Step one:  Open the vampire teeth and trace the outline on a piece of red felt.  Cut the shape out.

Step two:  Cut a slit on the plush toy’s face where the teeth will go.  Make the cut slightly wider than the vampire teeth.  Remove some of the stuffing.

Step three:  Fold the felt in half and insert in the cut area.  Stitch around the cut area to hold the felt in place.

Step four:  Insert the vampire teeth in the mouth, and use hot glue to hold them in place.

My cute sock monkey has suddenly transformed into a monster!  To “up” the creepy factor, I glued rhinestones over his eyes.  I think I’ll make a few more like this to make a scary Halloween display.  This would also make a fun prop for a Halloween costume!  Would you want to snuggle with this creepy monkey?  :)

The post Tutorial: Spooky Halloween Plush Monster appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

We love our pal Michelle from Mich L. in L.A., who has a knack for making extraordinary jewelry out of ordinary (and often quite random) objects.  She created these wonderfully curvy jewels using something you’ve probably never considered wearing around your neck: plastic vampire teeth!  Some clever alteration and assembly totally transforms them from a cheap novelty item into a unique and elegant look.  How does she think of so many brilliant things?  [how to make vampire teeth jewelry]

Project estimate:

• Vampire teeth, $1
• Filigree shapes, $1 and up
• Head pins, on hand or $1
• Findings, on hand or $1 and up

Total: $2 and up

The post Make Vampire Teeth Jewelry appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Okay, readers, we need your brainstorming for this question from Heather:

Help! My daughter will be 14 in 2 weeks, and wants a Twilight party- I need some inexpensive ideas on what to use for decor!

Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1)

The good news is, just a few decorations go a long-long way! Here are some ideas of how to decorate cheaply for your Twilight party.

Suggestions for cheap decor:

• First of all, you have to pick up a couple bags of Red Delicious apples! It doesn’t get any cheaper than decorating with fruit!
• Pick up black and red partyware at the dollar store: tablecloths, plates, cups. Very cheap yet impactful, and a great backdrop for other decor.
• Hannah at the DSC Facebook page suggested: Glitter ’cause the vampires sparkle!

New Moon (The Twilight Saga, Book 2)

• Pick up some faux tulips from the dollar store. Custom paint some white tulips with red paint or nail polish (for a more blood-red color).
• I know roses aren’t part of the books, but if you can find red rose petals in the wedding section of your dollar store, they still might work! Or, white rose petals and give them the red paint treatment. It’d be cute to sew them into a quick garland!

Eclipse (The Twilight Saga)

• A few spools of red ribbon will tie in with “Eclipse” and also be useful for decorating for the party. Ooh, it could be cute to glue red ribbon around some black party cups.

Breaking Dawn (The Twilight Saga, Book 4)

• At the DSC Facebook page, Chris suggested: Create a chessboard feel on the tabletops by using your black tablecloth as a backdrop, and taping white cardstock squares in a checkerboard pattern across the top of the table.

• If you can find them, use a few dollar store finials painted in black and white (or white and red, like on the “Breaking Dawn” book cover) to further suggest chess. (These are some of the finials I have at my house, and they just remind me of chess pieces!)

Other Cheap Props:

• Netting is cheap at the fabric store (I found red tulle at Fabric.com for $.99 a yard, and also adds a romantic air to decorations. If you have a black backdrop, either white or red netting could be a good accent to your table decor.
• I swear by crepe paper streamers. There’s not a bigger bang for your buck! To make them more sophisticated, make these 2-layer ruffled streamers.

Twilight Food Ideas:

• Red Velvet Cake: you can get red velvet cake mix at the store. I think this is the most frugal way to make a RV cake because otherwise you have to use an entire bottle of red dye in your scratch cake!
• Ooh, it’d be cute to make cake pops, a la Bakerella. Make ’em look like apples (without happy faces)?
• Hannah suggested candy apples at the DSC Facebook page, and they would look super pretty. You can get a candy apple mix at the grocery store for a buck, or make your own.

Other Resources:

• Some good decoration ideas at this Craftster post
• Twilight Roundup at One Pretty Thing
• Another Twilight Roundup at OPT

Update:

• How Heather decorated for her Twilight party

Readers, add your great ideas in the comments! How would you decorate for a Twilight party on a budget?

The post How to Decorate for a Twilight Party? appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.