Don’t throw that milk container away! Recycle it into a Halloween Treat Bucket, perfect to take along with you when you go trick-or-treating. Kids will have fun making this recycled Halloween container, and taking it along on night to collect their candy haul.

Recycled Halloween Treat Bucket Materials:

• 1 recycled milk container, washed well
• 2 sheets of orange paper (construction, card stock, or scrapbooking)
• 1 sheet of black felt or craft foam
• 2 green chenille stems (pipe cleaners)
• markers
• glue dots
• scissors
• hole-punch
• pencil

Instructions:

1. Fold a piece of paper in half and draw pumpkin stem in the top area of the paper. To draw it, make a round or oval shape, then draw a few lines going down from the side edges and the middle.

2. Draw the round part of the pumpkin around the stem, and add a few wrinkle lines coming down from the stem. Draw 3 more pumpkins the same way on your remaining orange paper. Note: make two of the pumpkins shorter, to better fit on the handle sides of the jug.

3. Cut out each pumpkin around the outline.

4. With a washable marker, draw a line around the lid area of the milk jug, and down around the front of the jug. Cut around this line with a pair of sharp-pointed scissors, leaving the handle intact. (See photo.)

5. Attach the four pumpkins to the sides of the milk container with glue dots.

6. Make a hole in one of the front pumpkins with the hole-punch.

7. Thread a chenille stem through the hole. Twist the stem to secure it to the pumpkin, and then twist it around the pencil to make the curly pumpkin vine tendrils.

8. Do the same with the other front pumpkin so it also has a chenille vine.

9. With felt or craft foam, cut pumpkin eyes, noses, and mouths to decorate your pumpkins as jack-o’-lanterns. Attach the facial features with glue dots. Alternately, draw faces on the pumpkins before you attach them to the container.

Additional Recycled Halloween Bucket Tips:

Different Decorations: Instead of jack-o’-lanterns, cut out different shapes to adorn your treat bucket. How about black cats or ghostly shapes?

For Younger Tots: Give your toddler or pre-schooler a half sheet of paper and let them draw or color. Cut scribbles into a pumpkin shape.

Personalize: Use foam letter stickers to put your child’s name on the container and keep everyone’s treat bucket straight!

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The dollar store has so many awesome Halloween decorations that are wonderful for crafting with — including foam pumpkins and skulls. Transform these dollar store finds into upscale party decor with just a few steps. I love these ideas — a foam skull vase and pumpkin candy displays. Find instructions at Persia Lou: [DIY Skull Vase and Halloween Party Decor]

Skull Vase Project Estimate:

• Foam skull, $1
• Black paint, $1
• Glass jar, on hand
• Flowers (real or fake), on hand or $1 and up

Total cost: $2 and up

The post Make Foam Halloween Decor (From Dollar Store Stuff) appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

There are so many things you can do with those little foam pumpkins from the dollar store, but this topiary has to be one of the cuter ideas I’ve ever seen. Nobody would guess it was made from dollar store stuff! Get the tutorial over at Kim Six Fix: [Dollar Store Pumpkin Topiary]

Project Materials:

• 3 foam pumpkins, $3
• Chalkboard paint, $2 and up
• Orange feather boas, $1
• Container (or urn), $1 and up
• Bamboo skewers, $1

Total: $8

Tip: Look at the thrift store for an urn-like container (you can paint one if it has the right shape), or just use a terra cotta pot.

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I love a clever Halloween pumpkin. Not that I have anything against traditional Jack-o-lanterns, of course – I just happen to have a soft spot for unique and non-traditional ideas. And these ice cream cone pumpkins by Sam at Aww, Sam are just too stinkin’ adorable! They’d be a perfect use for the multi-packs of mini foam pumpkins that you can find at the dollar store. [how to make ice cream cone pumpkins]

Project estimate:

• Small pumpkins, $1 and up
• Ice cream cone (real or fake), on hand or $1 and up
• Paint, on hand
• Adhesive vinyl, on hand or about $3 and up

Total: $1 and up!

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Halloween is just two weeks away! I usually procrastinate and find myself stuffing treat bags desperately an hour before trick-or-treating begins, so this year I decided to get an early start. I also decided that this year I am participating in the Teal Pumpkin Project. For many kids with food allergies, Halloween can be disappointing, since they aren’t allowed to eat various types of candy. To make sure these kids don’t feel left out this year, FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education) is encouraging people to place teal pumpkins outside of their doors to indicate that they have non-food treats available.

Since I know several kids with severe food allergies, I a definitely participating in this project. And the dollar store is the perfect place to find non-food Halloween treats! I recently went shopping for items to fill up my treat bags. Watch the video above to see what I got, or keep scrolling for photos!

A teal skeleton – I’m using him to decorate my teal pumpkin!

A bowl for my allergy-friendly treat bags.  It’s the closest to teal I could find at Dollar Tree!

Plastic treat bags, and teal ribbon to tie them shut.

Pencils

Foam stickers

Skull rings

Glow bracelets

Erasers

Temporary tattoos

Stickers, stickers, and more stickers!

Are you participating in the Teal Pumpkin Project?  What are you handing out in your non-food treat bags?  Share your ideas in the comments!

The post Haul Video: Non-Food Halloween Treats for the Teal Pumpkin Project appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Wrapped pumpkins make great fall or Halloween decor. Here’s how to make one on the cheap with dollar store items!

One of the items I was most excited to see in this year’s Halloween selections at Dollar Tree was a selection of cute scarves – so of course I had to pick up a couple of them! I also grabbed a handful of foam pumpkins because they always sell out fast, and as I was unpacking my bags when I got home I was struck with an idea. Why not wrap one of the pumpkins up in one of the scarves? I’m super happy with how it looks and, as an added bonus, if I ever want to disassemble it I only have to untie a few knots and it will come apart with ease!

Watch the video to see how I did it, or keep scrolling for the written step-by-step!

Project estimate:

• Foam pumpkin, $1
• Scarf, $1
• Burlap or scrap fabric, on hand or $1 and up
• Ribbon, on hand or $1
• Dowel, on hand or $1
• Clothespins, on hand

Total:  $2 and up

Lay out the scarf and place the pumpkin about 1/4 of the way from one of the ends.  Wrap the scarf around the pumpkin and gather the ends at the top of the pumpkin.

There will still be some of the pumpkin showing on the sides; to cover it, turn the pumpkin 90 degrees and wrap it a second time so that the pumpkin is complete covered with the scarf.  Adjust the edges of the scarf as needed to make them lay flat on the contours of the pumpkin.

Twist the gathered ends of the scarf together and tie an overhand knot to secure the scarf to the pumpkin, making sure to pull the knot tight.

To embellish the stem, tie a strip of burlap or scrap fabric around the knotted ends to resemble leaves; to make the curly vines, use green ribbon to make korker ribbon.

Creating korker ribbon is easy:  Wrap the ribbon around a wooden dowel and secure the ends with clothespins, then place it on a cookie sheet and bake at 275 degrees for about 30 minutes.  Once cooled, remove the ribbon from the dowel and it will stay in a spiral!

Tie a couple of pieces of korker ribbon around the stem and your pumpkin is ready to display!

The post Tutorial: Scarf-Wrapped Pumpkin appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Need some ideas for fall wreaths? We’ve got you covered! Many of these tutes use a Styrofoam wreath form, but you can get the same effect by cutting 3-4 doughnut shapes from corrugated scrap cardboard and gluing them together. Cheaper and plastic free!

1. Yarn Wreath – This project calls for Styrofoam balls, but you could also use crumpled balls of paper as the base to save a buck.

2. Candy Corn Wreath – Candy corn is my favorite Halloween candy, so you know that I’m digging this cute fall wreath!

3. Burlap Bubble Wreath – I love the organic look of this wreath. And you can make one in 15 minutes!

4. Wheat and Berries – The big, chevron bow makes this wreath so soft and welcoming!

5. Pumpkin Wreath – Little handmade stuffed pumpkins replace the traditional flowers or bow you find on most fall wreaths.

6. Sunshine Wreath – Gathered twigs and fabric rosettes make a beautiful starburst wreath for fall.

7. Mini Pumpkin Wreath – Real mini pumpkins are the stars of what’s basically a wreath-meets-fall-diorama.

8. Recycled Sweater Wreath – Cut up some old sweaters to make the rosettes on this pretty fall wreath.

9. Wooden Hexagon – You need some power tool skills to make this fall wreath, and I love the unconventional shape of it.

10. Rake Wreath – Did your rake head pop off while you were cleaning up leaves? Don’t toss it! Turn it into a very cute fall wreath instead.

The post 10 Fall Wreaths to Make This Weekend appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Yesterday at Dollar Tree I grabbed several of the little foam pumpkins.  I’m not sure what I am doing with them yet, but I bought them as soon as I saw them because the good holiday stuff usually sells out pretty fast, and I didn’t want to miss out on them!  So now I’ve been keeping an eye out for pumpkin inspiration, and that’s how I came across this gorgeous wood slice pumpkin by Kim at The Kim Six Fix.  Isn’t it fab?  She found wood slice vase filler that worked perfectly for this project, so you don’t even have to worry about sawing twigs yourself!  [how to make a wood slice pumpkin]

Project estimate:

• Foam pumpkin, $1
• Wood slice vase filler, about $2 and up
• Twine, on hand or $1
• Glue, on hand

Total:  about $3 and up

The post Make a Wood Slice Pumpkin appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

I love a hot drink as much as Carrie Poppy, but those fancy coffee and tea drinks are crazy expensive. You can save a lot of money this fall and winter by making your own hot drinks at home. Bonus: since you’re cooking from scratch, you can control the ingredients. That means you can make your hot drinks healthier than the coffee shop variety, too!

1. Pumpkin Spice Latte – A homemade pumpkin spice latte is cheaper and healthier than the coffee shop variety.

2. Mexican Hot Chocolate – Cocoa, schmocoa. Mexican hot chocolate is like cocoa on deliciousness steroids. Deliciousness steroids are a thing, right?

3. Salted Caramel Frappuccino – Don’t spend $5 or $6 at the coffee shop on a sugar drink when you can make a healthier, less pricey version at home that’s arguably more delicious! x

4. Turkish Coffee – You normally need a special pot to brew Turkish coffee, but you can do it at home in a saucepan with this technique.

5. Hot Buttered Rum – Okay, so this isn’t a coffee drink. But what’s better than a cozy mug of booze on a chilly fall evening?

6. Homemade Chai Tea – Make spicy, sweet chai at home with this hand-mixed chai recipe. Just steep it until it’s nice and strong, then add your milk and sweetener of choice.

7. Peppermint Drinking Chocolate – Is it too soon for pepperminty hot drinks? I say never!

8. Homemade Pour-Over – A Chemex is a bit of an up-front investment, but if you think about how many expensive pour-overs you’d have to buy to break even, you end up saving money in the end.

9. Homemade Frothed Milk – Whether you choose soy, almond, cow, or coconut milk, a little frothing elevates a regular cup of coffee to fancy coffee level. And you can froth your own in the microwave! What! Shake some cinnamon on top, and call it an Americano.

10. Mulled Cider – Are you tempted by pricey mugs of mulled cider? Here’s how to mull your own with made-from-scratch mulling spices.

The post 10 Homemade Hot Drink Recipes for Fall appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

1. Shrinky Butterfly Necklace by Mark Montano

First, one of my favorite dollar store crafters uses one of my FAVORITE craft supplies: Mark Montano (the king of crafts), made a gorgeous butterfly statement necklace using my favorite kids’ craft supply: Shrinky Dink plastic!

2. Cat Ears Headband by DIY Doyenne

We think this cat ear headband is cute for Halloween and beyond! Your teen will LOVE to sport it any time of the year. From DIY Doyenne Margot Potter and her daughter Avalon.

3. Fall Burlap Wall Art from Handmade Happy Hour

Then my pal Cathie Filian from Handmade Happy Hour stitched up this cute and rustic Fall wall decor. Yay for acorns & Mod Podge!

4. Sequined Pumpkin from Jaderbomb

We love this sophisticated sequin pumpkin from the JADERBOMB blog – this pumpkin decor goes beyond Halloween and straight through Thanksgiving, and even into the winter holidays. You can make it with a dollar store foam pumpkin, too!

5. Steampunk Vial Earrings by Morena, here at Dollar Store Crafts!

Finally, don’t miss Morena’s excellent Steampunk dollar store craft project this week — dollar store steampunk? Yes please!

Bonus: Dia de los Muertos Story by Kathy Cano-Murillo

Celebrate Dia de los Muertos with a creepy tale from CraftyChica.com, who creates great crafts AND writes great stories.

The post Five Fall Crafts & a Story! appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.