The dollar store is one of my favorite places to pick up inexpensive seasonal crafting items.  A perennial favorite across all seasons is their glitter table scatter. Over on Creative Green Living, I show you how to take some wired burlap ribbon and combine it with Valentine table scatter to make a cute bunting perfect for a mantle, door, or mirror.  [how to make an easy burlap and glitter valentine heart banner]

Project estimate:

• burlap ribbon, $1
• Glitter heart table scatter, $1 and up
• Scissors, on hand
• Jute twine, on hand or $1 and up
• Hot glue gun & glue, on hand

Total: $3 and up

The post Make a Dollar Store Valentine Bunting appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

I’m always on the look out for easy kids crafts and this definitely fits the bill! Haeley from Design Improvised was playing around with pipe cleaners when she came up with this cute idea to link pipe cleaner hearts together. The look is adorable and the process is easy enough that even little kids can get in on the action! [how to make a pipe cleaner heart garland]

Project estimate:

• Pipe cleaners, on hand or $1 and up
• Scissors, on hand

Total: Free and up!

The post Make an Easy Pipe Cleaner Heart Garland appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Keeping kids who are cooped up indoors entertained is a perennial parenting challenge. Luckily you only need to look as far as your recycling bin for hours of entertainment! Heather wrote a great post on Home Made Simple teaching us how to make a drum, rain stick, tambourine and more from items you already have on hand! [how to make DIY Musical Instruments]

Project estimate (for drum):

• Large can, on hand
• Newspaper, on hand
• Craft paint, on hand
• Paintbrush, on hand
• Scissors, on hand
• Craft felt, on hand
• Rubber bands, on hand
• Pencils, on hand

Total: Free!

The post Make Recycling Bin Musical Instruments appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

If you made our patriotic windsock project from yesterday, you’re going to have some plastic tablecloth strips leftover. Don’t want to toss them in the trash?  Use them to make this festive last minute wreath! Even if you didn’t make the windsock, this wreath is a quick and easy project.

Project estimate:

• Paper plate, on hand
• Red rectangular tablecloth, $1
• White rectangular tablecloth, $1
• Blue rectangular tablecloth, $1
• Scissors, on hand
• Metallic star shape, $1
• Star shaped noise maker, $1
• Hot glue gun and glue, on hand

Total: $5 or less

 Step 1: Cut Tablecloths.

Cut the tablecloths into long strips that are 1.5 inches wide.

 Step 2: Make the wreath.

Cut a circle out of the middle of your paper plate. (Don’t worry. It doesn’t have to be perfect.) If your plate is thin, you may want to stack 2-3 plates together.

 Take one of your tablecloth strips and fold it  into a shorter strip that is about 8 inches long and trim the ends through the loops so that you have a small bundle of 8 inch plastic strips.

 Tie the bundle around the paper plate and then pull the pieces apart to fluff them.

 Continue tying small bundles of strips around the plate, alternating colors between red, white and blue. To make the colors stand out more, I tied two bundles of each color at a time.

Step 3: Make the center.

Cut the stars off of the noisemaker. Cut the tab off the bottom as well.

 Center a red star from the noise maker in the middle of your metallic star cut out (these came in packs of 5 at my local dollar store) and attach with hot glue.

Use hot glue to attach the points of the star to the wreath before hanging on your door!

The post Tutorial: Patriotic Wreath from Picnic Supplies appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

I love the classic looks of American patriotic crafts – red, white and blue streamers, sparkles and stars make my heart happy. So of course this craft is full of these! Reading the supply list might make one think you’re getting ready for a picnic but with a little help from scissors and glue you can turn your picnic supplies into a fun patriotic porch decoration!

Project estimate:

• Rectangular plastic table cloth in red, $1 and up
• Rectangular plastic table cloth in white, $1 and up
• Rectangular plastic table cloth in blue, $1 and up
• Plastic juice pitcher lid, on hand or $1 and up
• Three star shaped noise maker necklaces, $3 and up
• Scissors or rotary cutter and mat, on hand
• Hot glue gun and glue, on hand
• Pipe cleaner, on hand or $1 and up

Total: $6 and up

 Step 1: Cut tablecloths into strips

Use scissors or a rotary cutter (not your fabric one!) and mat to cut tablecloths into 1.5 inch strips. I cut the white tablecloth lengthwise and the colored tablecloths widthwise. Craft tip: Don’t unfold the table cloth all the way. Leave it partially folded while cutting and unfold the strips as you go.

 Step 2: Glue the white strips onto the juice lid

Fold the long strips from the white tablecloth in half. Stagger the “legs” of the fold a bit and then attach to the juice lid with hot glue. Be sure to use a low temp glue gun or use a chopstick to help you press the tablecloth into the glue to avoid burns. Attach folded strips all the way around the lid.

 Step 3: Attach red and blue strips to lid

Unfold the full length of the red and blue strips and glue them in an alternating pattern on top of the white folded strips all the way around the lid.

 Step 4: Add stars

Cut the sparkly stars from the noise makers. Save one of the beaded strings they are on to use as a hanger and set aside.

 Put hot glue on the back of the extension that was used to hold the stars onto the noise maker and glue the stars around the top edge.

Step 5: Make a hanger

Cut one of the beaded necklaces into thirds. Use hot glue to attach the beaded strips to the top of the juice lid.

 Hold the three beaded strands together so that the windsock hangs level. Secure strands with a pipe cleaner. Don’t forget to make a loop in the top of the pipe cleaner for hanging. Trim excess beads if needed.

Step 6: Hang it outside!

The post Tutorial: Festive Fourth of July Windsock appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Green and recycled crafts are kind of my specialty. Any time you can turn a can destined for the recycling bin a into a cute and useful item for your home is a win all around! Maiko from Maiko Nagao makes it easy: she even provides you with a free printable to help make your cans cute for free! [how to make tin can desk organizers]

Project estimate:

• Empty can, on hand
• Free printable from Maiko Nagao, free
• Scissors, on hand
• Tape, on hand

Total: Free!

The post Make Tin Can Desk Organizers appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

If your jewelry lives in a disorganized pile that looks more like Medusa’s head than a department store, then this craft is for you! Keeping your jewelry organized means it will be easier to find and less likely to sustain damage from being scratched and tugged on. Plus keeping your jewelry on display helps make you more fashionable by inspiring you to accessorize every day. Heather teaches us how in her tutorial over at Home Made Simple. [how to make a jewelry organizer tray]

Project estimate:

• Recycled box, on hand
• Cardboard tubes, on hand
• Paint, on hand or $1 and up
• Felt, on hand or $.50 and up
• Craft glue, on hand
• Scissors, on hand

Total: Free and up!

The post Make a Jewelry Organizer Tray appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

From Mother’s Day to baby showers, spring time seems to be full of parties and celebrations. This Anthropolgie-inspired garland from Chickabug is perfect for all kinds of festivities. I love that it does double duty as both a decoration and a gift. Make this for mom on mother’s day and fill it with handwritten love notes from kids. Or set it up at a baby shower and let guests write advice for the mom-to-be and clip it on. [how to make a clothespin backdrop]

Project estimate:

• 200 wooden clothespins, $7 and up
• Paint in yellow and grey, on hand or $4 and up
• Clothesline, $1 and up
• Cork board, on hand
• Push pins, on hand
• Scissors, on hand

Total: $8 and up

The post Make an Anthro-Inspired Clothespin Backdrop appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Now that it’s warming up and the sun is coming out, are you dying for a new pair of specs? If you already have a pair of sunglasses that works with your face shape, keep your oldies but give them a fashion makeover with Mod Podge. Shannon from Mod Podge Rocks teaches you how to make over your glasses two different ways to get that custom look you crave. [how to customise your sunglasses with Mod Podge]

Project estimate:

• Sunglasses, on hand or $1 and up
• Scrapbook paper, on hand or $1 and up
• Mod Podge, on hand
• Foam brush, on hand
• Scissors, on hand
• Glitter, on hand or $1 and up
• Dimensional Magic, on hand

Total: Free and up!

The post Make Customized Sunglasses with Mod Podge appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Milk jugs are one of those items that are super easy to recycle without a second thought. If you can give it new life before plunking it in the recycling bin you save energy and reduce pollution even more! Heather teaches us how to transform a discarded milk jug into a useful scoop on Home Made Simple. Be sure to scroll to the bottom to read six more ways to re-use plastic jugs as well! [how to make a scoop from a milk jug and 6 more plastic jug crafts]

Project estimate:

• Empty milk jug, on hand
• Permanent marker, on hand
• Craft knife, on hand

Total: Free!

The post Make a Scoop from a Milk Jug (and 6 other creative ways to reuse milk jugs) appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.