This quick, easy project doesn’t just have to be for Valentine’s Day.  You could easily use different stamps to create custom decorative candles for your home, for parties, or for gifts.  I made several winter themed candles as gifts for my neighbors for Christmas, and they loved them!  So pull out your inks and stamps, and let’s decorate some candles!

Project estimate:

• Candles, on hand or $1 and up
• Stamps and ink, on hand
• Tissue paper, on hand
• Hair dryer or heat embossing tool, on hand

Total:  Free or $1 and up

It’s a good idea to do a few practice runs with old candles or dollar store candles.  I often find bags of new to barely used candles at thrift stores, and they are great for practicing this technique.  The candle I used in this project was purchased at Dollar Tree, and while it is a battery operated votive candle, it has a wax coating on the outside, so it works for this project.

To make your own stamped Valentine’s Day Candle:

Step one:  Cut a piece of tissue paper to fit around your candle.

Step two:  Stamp the tissue paper.  First, I covered my paper with a text stamp that has the definition of love. Then I stamped the heart image over the text.

Step three:  Wrap the stamped tissue paper around the candle.

Step four:  Heat the tissue paper with a heat embossing tool or a hair dryer.  As the wax melts, the tissue paper will seem to disappear into the candle, leaving only the image.  Be careful to keep moving your heat tool so you don’t burn the tissue paper or create uneven dimples in your candle.

If you want to, you can further embellish your candle with ribbon, string, rhinestones, etc.  I’m decorating a few candles with blue and green damask stamps to match my living room.  Which stamps are you going to reach for?  Have fun creating!

The post Tutorial: Stamped Valentine’s Day Candle appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Image by flickr user Eileen Kane. Licensed via Creative Commons.

If you have a rubber stamp collection, you know how much money you’ve invested in those little suckers! If you have spent so much money on them, it makes sense to get as much use out of your rubber stamps as possible. Well, I’ve come to your rescue, with 6 Creative Ideas for Using Rubber Stamps, that aren’t just your standard stamp on paper. (*I wrote that article as part of a paid collaboration with eBay.)

I love the idea shown above: to stamp polymer clay with a rubber stamp to create an impression. So pretty!

Do you have any new ideas for how to use rubber stamps?

Here’s another creative project I made with rubber stamps: Make Custom Stamped T-shirts

The post 6 Creative Uses for Rubber Stamps appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

I’ll be honest: I have always been better at working with paper than with fabric.  Give me a stack of cardstock and a bottle of glue and I can craft circles around most folks I know.  But give me a pile of fabric and a needle and thread and expect me to make anything presentable with it?  Yeah right!  Since that rules out quilting as a hobby for me, this idea from Mollie at Wild Olive is much more feasible for me.  She carved this wonderful little hexagon stamp out of an eraser, making a DIY tool with diverse possibilities.  You can embellish just about any flat surface with your quilt block stamp – you could even stamp on fabric to create an actual “faux quilt”!  [how to make a hexagon quilt block rubber stamp]

Project estimate:

• Eraser, on hand or $1
• Stamp carving tool, on hand or $1 and up
• Ink pad, on hand or $1 and up

Total:  Free and up!

The post Make Hexagon a Quilt Block Rubber Stamp appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

I love projects that are both easy and versatile; something with a lot of possibilities is likely to keep my attention longer.  (Yes, I have the crafty equivalent of ADD most of the time!)  Claire from Fellow Fellow made this cityscape art by cutting a stamp block (basically a blank rubber stamp) into geometric shapes.  Can’t find a stamp block?  Look for large rubber erasers to cut into shapes instead!  [how to make a stamped geometric cityscape]

Project estimate:

• Stamp block or rubber erasers, $1 and up
• Craft knife, on hand
• Ink, on hand or $1 and up
• Paper, on hand
• Frame, on hand or $1

Total: $1 and up

The post Make a Stamped Geometric Cityscape appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Project estimate:

• Ceramic pumpkin, $1
• Looking Glass Spray Paint, about $3 and up
• Clear stamp, on hand
• White paint, on hand

Total:  about $4 and up

Start by spraying the glossy ceramic pumpkin with the Looking Glass paint.  Do NOT prime it first.  In order to achieve the mirror like finish, you need a glossy surface.  Follow the directions on the can.

Choose a small, clear stamp to use.  Pour a very small amount of paint (I used Martha Stewart Glass Paint) onto a plate and dip your stamp in it.  Blot the stamp on a piece of paper to remove the excess, then stamp onto your pumpkin.  I had to “rock” my stamp to get it all on the curved surface.  Repeat until the pumpkin is covered.

Your etched mercury glass pumpkin is ready for display!  You will need to handle it gently, as the paint can be scratched off because the surface wasn’t primed. If you have a spray on gloss sealer you could use that to finish the project.   Have fun creating!

Looking for more pumpkin crafts?

The post Tutorial: Etched “Mercury Glass” Pumpkins appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

I’ve been needing new light switch plates in my house for a long time, but since they have to meet two strict standards to be considered – they have to be pretty and very cheap – covering all of my switches has been a long, slow process.  It’s pretty easy to find inexpensive plates for single switches, but when it came to the triple switch in my kitchen, I had a little more of a challenge.  Then one day I found a wooden triple switchplate at the Habitiat for Humanity ReStore for a quarter!  It had a beat-up, dark finish, but I liked the shape of it, and I really liked the price, so it came home with me.  Inspired by a vintage cast iron light switch plate, I gave it an embossed makeover.  Believe it or not, the dimensional designs on the surface were made using rubber stamps!  Head over to Decor Hacks to see how it was done.  [how to make a vintage-inspired light switch plate]

Project estimate:

• Light switch plate, on hand or $1
• Sandpaper, on hand or $1
• Spray primer, on hand or $1 and up
• Paint, on hand or $1
• Rubber stamps, on hand
• Pigment ink pad, on hand or about $3 and up
• Embossing powder, on hand or about $2 and up
• Heat gun or blow dryer, on hand

Total:  Free and up

The post Make a Vintage-Inspired Light Switch Plate appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Now that the holidays are nothing but memories and piles of recycling, there is one important thing left to do:  send thank you notes!  Nothing lets a gift-giver know that you truly appreciated their gesture like a handmade card expressing your gratitude.  You can make your own cards even of you don’t have a lot of spare crafting time with simple, creative designs.  This card uses a circle punch to make a quick and easy window in the front of the card, which you can use to express any sentiment you like, including a heartfelt “thanks.”

Project estimate:

• Card stock or paper, on hand or $1
• Large circle punch, on hand or about $5 and up
• Rubber stamp, on hand or $1 and up
• Ink pad, on hand or $1
• Colored pencil (optional), on hand
• Masking tape, on hand or $1
• Glue, on hand

Total:  Free and up

Cut and fold a piece of card stock to use as the base for your card.

Decide where you want the window to be on the front of your card and use the circle punch to make a hole there.

If desired, line the inside of the card with a different paper.

Stamp your “thanks” stamp (or whatever you want to say) and use the circle punch to punch it out.  You can use the same color as the front of the card, or use a contrasting color.  Just make sure that your stamp ink will show up on the paper you choose!

Line the circle up with the hole in the front of the card, making sure the text is straight.  Use a piece of masking tape on the front of the card to keep the circle in place.

Apply glue to the back of the circle, then press the card closed.  Carefully remove the masking tape and open up the card; the circle should stay put on the inside of the card.  I also added some colored pencil to give it a little extra oomph!

Finish the card by adding a personal greeting inside.  (If the interior of your card is patterned or dark colored paper, you may want to add a lighter colored journaling block to make sure your message is easy to read.)

The post Make a Circle-Punched Holiday Thank You Card appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Project estimate:

• Kraft paper, $1
• Date rubber stamp, on hand or $1 and up
• Ink pad (if date stamp is not self-inking), on hand or $1 and up

Total: $1 and up

The post Make Date Stamp Custom Wrapping Paper appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.