Give your shoes a temporary kitty makeover! Heather used electrical tape to make adorable cat faces on the toes of a pair of plain flats to dress them up. This is a great way to add a little bit of fun to your outfit, while still leaving your favorite flats wearable for other occasions. When you’re done, simply peel off the tape and the shoes go back to their original state.

Project estimate:

• Shoes, on hand or $1 and up
• Electrical tape, on hand or $1

Total:  $1 and up

Apply strips of tape to cover the toes of the shoes. Cut little slits in the edge of tape to make it go on more smoothly over the curved surface.

Cut and apply two triangles for the ears.

Cut facial features out of colored tape and add them to the shoes.

Don’t forget to add pupils to the eyes!

Once the faces are complete, just add feet!

The post Tutorial: Kitty Face Shoes appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

When you get done wrapping up your Christmas presents this year, save the big cardboard tube – you can use it to make this cute reindeer hobby horse! Kate at The Craft Train designed it using a variety of things you probably have around the house. You could also use this basic idea to make unicorns or any other manner of recycled hobby horses. [make a recycled reindeer hobby horse]

Project estimate:

• Wrapping paper tube, on hand
• Paper plates, on hand or $1
• Brown paper bags or brown kraft paper, on hand or $1
• Recycled cardboard, free
• Craft foam, on hand or$1
• Bells, $1 and up
• Markers, on hand
• Duct tape or electrical tape, on hand
• Bakers twine or string, on hand
• Ribbon, on hand

Total: $1 and up!

The post Make a Recycled Reindeer Hobby Horse appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Got duct tape? That’s the main ingredient in this adorable rain cloud mobile! So grab a roll, along with some cardboard out of your recycling bin and a Sharpie, and watch Heather’s video to see how to make your own. Not into videos? Keep reading for written instructions!

Project estimate:

• Duct tape, on hand or $1 and up
• Cardboard, on hand
• Marker, on hand
• String, on hand
• Tape, on hand

Total:  Free and up!

Draw a cloud and raindrop shapes on a piece of cardboard.

Flip the cardboard over and cover the back side with duct tape.

Cut out the cloud and raindrop shapes following the lines you drew.

Draw a faces on the could and raindrops .

Connect the pieces by taping them together with string on the back side.

Hang it up and enjoy your handiwork!

The post Tutorial: Duct Tape Rain Cloud Mobile appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Whether you’re in it for the novelty or the practicality, soap on a rope is a classic gift – and it’s handy to have around!  See how I turned a few bars of dollar store soap into a jumbo-size bar of DIY soap on a rope, using all materials from the dollar store!

Mine went into use immediately – my husband was so happy to see it that he grabbed it and started using it before I could even get a good finished photo of it!  Ooops!

Project estimate:

• Twine, on hand or $1
• Soap (I used Irish Spring), $1 and up
• Travel soap container, $1
• Packing tape, on hand
• Funnel, on hand
• Wooden skewer, on hand
• Glass or cup, on hand

Total:  $2 and up

With wire cutters, cut an opening in the end of the soap container. It should be large enough that a funnel can fit inside it. Tape the soap container along the edges and then from side to side. Place it in a cup so that it stands upright.

Grate the Irish Spring and place it in a sauce pan, add 2 tablespoons of water. On low, melt the soap. You can also do this in the microwave but with microwaves having different wattages, I feel more comfortable sharing the stove top method.

After the soap has melted, pour it into the soap container using the funnel and skewer if it gets clogged. Gently tap the cup on your counter so that air bubbles can be released. Do this a lot!

Once the container is completely full, cut the desired length of twine. Stick the two ends of the twine about 4 inches into the hole. Let set for 48 hours.

Remove packing tape and carefully remove the soap. Let set another 48 hours before using.

(My hubby actually grabbed the bar I made and started using it before I had a chance to take finished photos of it – but you can imagine what it looked like!)

The post Tutorial: DIY Soap on a Rope appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

It’s one of those always-in-stock-at-the-dollar-store items that you know must have many crafty possibilities: the weekly pill box.  Those seven little slots are just right for holding all kinds of little odds and ends.  But have you ever thought of using them to give a gift?  Beckie at Infarrantly Creative whipped up a free Mother’s Day printable that turns one of these medication dispensers into a candy dispenser instead, complete with quotes about motherhood to tuck into the bottom underneath the treats.  [how to make a Mother’s Day pill box gift]

Project estimate:

• Pill box, $1
• Printable, free
• Double-stick tape, on hand or $1
• Candy, on hand or $1 and up
• Twine (optional), on hand or $1 and up

Total:  $1 and up

The post Make a Mother’s Day Pill Box Gift appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Nothing says “cozy” in the winter quite a like a big, chunky cable knit sweater.  So when Barb at The Everyday Home decided to add some seasonal flair to her decor, she decided that dressing a lamp shade in a sweater would be a great way to do it – and she was right!  Using a thrift store sweater she gave the lamp shade a makeover in just minutes.  It’s a great way to cover up a shade that is stained or dented, and when spring come you can remove the sweater just as easily.  [how to make a no-sew sweater lamp shade]

Project estimate:

• Lamp shade, on hand 0r $1 and up
• Sweater, on hand or $1 and up
• Tape or hot glue, on hand

Total:  Free and up!

The post Make a No-Sew Sweater Lamp Shade appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Did you enjoy shark week as much as we did?  Sad it’s over?  Well, we have one more shark-y tutorial for you!  Jeanette from Paper Plate Shark Jaws and Off the Cuff Cooking joins us again today for a fun, Sharknado-inspired mobile.  Whip out your favorite pair of scissors and read on to find out how to make your own!

Project estimate:

• Paper plates, on hand or $1
• Chopsticks or skewers, on hand or $1
• Paper clips or string, on hand or $1
• Shark printables, free (see below)
• Tape, on hand
• Glue, on hand

Total:  Free and up!

Start by gluing three paper plates on top of each other, covering adequately so they adhere to each other completely.

While they are drying, you can begin cutting out all the sharks from the print-outs.  Leaving a little white space around each shark makes them easier to cut out, and at the very least leave a little white area near the top middle of each shark where you will punch through a small hole for a paper clip or thread to be strung.

When the paper plates have completely dried, make a one-inch cut perpendicular to the edge of the plate toward the center, and from that end-point, start cutting a spiral into the middle of the plate.  Each pass around the plate should be leaving a coiled strip that is about 1/2″ wide.

After you are done with the cutting, tape or glue the initial opening cut back together.  Next, tape or hot glue one bamboo chopstick across the middle top of the plate, and then repeat with the other chopstick, but do it from the underside of the top circle, so they make a cross.  You will use this to hang it from a string or hook later on.

Now, punch a hole in each shark-cut out near the top with a thumbtack, and then bend your paper clips into S-shapes.  Attach one paper clip to each shark.  Also punch 12 evenly spaced holes around the spiral-loop that you cut out from the paper plate.  Lastly, hook a shark onto each hole around the loop, and attach a string at the crossed bamboo sticks to hang it!

Naturally, there must be a disclaimer that this is only for decoration, and has small paper clips which are choking hazards for small children.  Take care not to hang it near youngsters.  (Or use embroidery floss or string instead of paper clips if you intend to hang this in a kids room.)

Click on the shark image below to enlarge, then right-click to save it to your computer for printing.

More shark crafts:
Follow Mrs. Greene’s board Shark Week! on Pinterest.

The post Tutorial: Sharknado Paper Plate Mobile 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 you’re into anything that has to do with photography, Photojojo is an amazing site full of DIY tips, tricks, and projects for all aspects of picture-taking.  This idea reminds me of the old slide shows that people used to put together for loved ones – remember those?  Next time you go on a vacation or dig up a bunch of old family photos, you too can have a slide show…  Using your smartphone!  How seriously cool is that?  All you need is about $1 worth of materials and a blank wall, and it’s like you’ve got a little movie theatre in your pocket!  (Got Netflix on your phone?  Grab some popcorn and have a movie night!)  Projectors are also handy when you are trying to enlarge an image for a project, such as painting a logo on a wall.  This might be the handiest use for a cardboard box you’ve ever seen!  [how to turn your smartphone into a projector]

Project estimate:

• Smartphone, on hand
• Magnifying glass, $1
• Cardboard box, on hand
• Paper clip, on hand
• Black paint, on hand or $1
• Electrical tape, on hand or $1

Total:  $1 and up

The post Turn Your Smartphone into a Projector appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Last summer I performed an experiment. I wanted to hang some paper lanterns out in my garden, but I didn’t want to have to worry about bringing them indoors every time it rained, which around here can be frequent and with little warning. I started to wonder if there was any way to make them a little more weatherproof. The idea actually first popped into my head when I was planning my wedding (which was outdoors) and found myself worrying that while a little rain wouldn’t make me or my dress melt, it might make my decorations come crashing down. I tried a couple of different things to make them stand up to the rain last summer, and I can report that after using this method, my lanterns hung in my garden for the entire summer, and through a few monsoon-like storms, before they finally fell apart in the fall. If you can make them stand up to such rigorous testing, they will surely last all the way through a damp wedding ceremony as well! Here’s how.

Project estimate:

• Paper lanterns, $1 and up
• Clear spray paint, on hand or $1 and up
• Clear packaging tape, on hand or $1 and up

Total: $1 and up

First, assemble the lantern by unfolding it and inserting the bracket into the inside. Hang the lantern up somewhere and give it a few good coats of clear spray paint. This won’t make the paper completely waterproof, but it will help to keep the lantern from being saturated by rain.  (Be aware that the spray paint may slightly darken the color of the lantern; keep this in mind if you want your lanterns to be specific shades, like for a wedding.)

Once the spray paint is dry, remove the bracket.  The lantern should hold its shape on its own.  It is very important that you remove the bracket.  When the paper gets wet and then dries it will expand and contract; if you leave the bracket in the lantern, it will slip out of place when the paper is wet and then, when the paper dries, it will force the ends of the bracket up through the paper and poke holes.  I found this out the hard way.

Not all paper lanterns are created equally, so yours may be different, but I did identify one more weak point on the dollar store lanterns.  See these little pegs?  They are what holds the lantern to the plastic bit at the top where it hangs.  This is also where all of the weight of the lantern is supported.  It’s light when dry, but the combination of weight and weakness caused by wetting the lantern means that this point is in danger of ripping out and making your lantern fall.

Solve this problem with a couple of small pieces of packaging tape.  Use the tape to cover both the pegs and the surrounding cardboard.

Now hang your lantern and enjoy, resting easy in the knowledge that a little bit of wet weather won’t ruin your party!

The post How to Make Paper Lanterns Weather Resistant appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.