Did you know there is a handy craft supply lurking in your kitchen pantry? That’s right, it’s the lowly potato. Turn a couple of potatoes into stamps for a cute geometric tote bag. This project is quick, easy, and inexpensive. I’ve shared it over at Live.Craft.Love, so check out my tutorial: [Potato Stamped Geometric Tote]

Supplies Needed:

• Canvas tote bag, $1 and up
• Potatoes, on hand
• Large knife, on hand
• Acrylic paint, on hand
• Paper plate, on hand

Total: $1 and up

The post Make a Trendy Geometric Tote Bag from Potatoes! appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Geometric patterns are all the rage in decor these days. Want to get in on the action? Over at Drawn to DIY you can find the instructions for this cute grid desk caddy. Believe it or not, this started out as a dollar store suet bird feeder! The post also includes a couple of other clever ideas for different ways to make over the same suet feeder into functional decor pieces, so make sure you check it out! [how to make a geometric desk container]

Project estimate:

• Suet bird feeder, $1
• Spray paint, on hand or $1 and up
• Scrapbook paper, on hand or $1
• Glue, on hand

Total: $1 and up!

The post Make a Geometric Desk Container appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Wreaths are the best craft – easy to make, infinitely variable, and when you’re done, you have a cool decoration to adorn your home or your front door. Over at Live.Craft.Love, I posted instructions for how to make this eye-catching geometric wreath that is made by painting wooden circles with hand-mixed shades of acrylic paint. Set aside an evening or a crafternoon to make this one – you can thank me later! Instructions here: [geometric decor painted wood wreath]

Materials you can find at the dollar store:

• Wreath form, $1
• Acrylic paint pots, $1
• Burlap ribbon, $1
• Hot glue gun & glue sticks, on hand
• You will also need: 12 wooden craft circles, 2 for $1, $6 total

Total cost: $9

The post Make a Geometric Painted Wood Wreath appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

I’ve been busy bringing color to the gray days of winter with my two projects for the Live.Craft.Love blog – DIY Wooden Geometric Wall Art and a Bungee Bling Necklace. Do you need to add some color to your days too? Go check these projects out!

DIY Wooden Geometric Wall Art

I love these wooden canvases – I have been using them for all kinds of fun art projects around my home, from making cute baby photo art, to letting my children paint on them for an instant gallery of kid art. For this project, I layered colored vellum onto the wooden canvas to create these colorful modern pieces of wall art.

Bungee Bling Necklace:

Bungee cord is a fun material to use in jewelry making, and these large hole Mix & Mingle beads just slip right on to create a perfectly easy jewelry project. This would be a fun one for teens to make!

The post 2 Colorful Craft Projects for Spring appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

If you are a washi tape collector, chances are you have more of the stuff than you know what to do with.  Know the feeling?  Here is a creative use you might not hav thought about – use washi in varying widths to stencil fun and funky patterns!  Over at the blog Ludorn you can find these snazzy geometric coasters.  The instructions are in German, but the concept is straightforward enough that the photos should be enough to get your on your way.  [how to make geometric washi stenciled coasters]

Project estimate:

• Cork coasters, $1 and up
• Washi tape, on hand or $1
• Paint, on hand or $1 and up

Total: $1 and up

The post Make Geometric Washi Stenciled Coasters appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Deca-what, himme-who?  We know it’s a mouthful, but we swear they’re real words!  Decahedron is the shape of the parts of the mobile, and himmeli is the style of folk art that this project emulates.  Not only does Aunt Peaches explain how to make this fun, geometric design, she also does a wonderful job of breaking down the vocabulary!  (It’s like two lessons in one!)  [how to make a decahedron himmeli mobile]

Project estimate:

• Straws, on hand or $1
• Wire or thread, on hand or $1

Total:  Free and up

The post Make a Decahedron Himmeli Mobile appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Bright colors and bold geometric patterns always go well together.  It’s like a one-two punch of attention-grabbing fun!  With a little bit of tape and some bright spray paint, Allison from Dream a Little Bigger turned a plain glass jar into this show-stopping piece for her countertop.  She used a large apothecary jar, but you could do this with any glass container.  I think it would look incredible filled with brightly colored candy peeking out through the clear stripes between the blocks of color!  [how to paint a geometric apothecary jar]

Project estimate:

• Large glass jar, on hand or $1 and up
• Masking tape, on hand or $1
• Plastic bag, on hand
• Spray paint, on hand or $1 and up

Total:  Free and up

The post Paint a Geometric Apothecary Jar appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

After spending a few years surfing around blogland, I am thoroughly convinced that you can make jewelry out of just about anything.  Natalie  at Creme de la Craft recently made a project that demonstrates that theory; she used drinking straws as a material for making a stunning necklace and bracelet set!  I love the bright, bold, retro look of the neon colors (I am, after all, a child of the 80s) and the chunky, modern vibe of the geometric shapes.  And I love that I already have everything I need to make them in my craft room cupboards!  [how to make neon drinking straw jewelry]

Project estimate:

• Drinking straws, on hand or $1
• Spray paint (optional), on hand or $1 and up
• Paper, on hand
• Glue, on hand
• String, on hand

Total:  Free and up

The post Make Neon Drinking Straw Jewelry appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

No matter how small your budget, this is a diamond necklace you will be able to afford!  It was designed by Clemence of Oh the lovely things, who also made a printable template you can use to make your own diamond shape!  The shape is cut from scrap leather; if you you don’t have any bits of leather laying around, look for cheap leather items (or fake leather items!) at thrift stores.  You could also make them in many other shapes, or make them out of any suitable materials you happen to have laying around.  [how to make a geometric diamond necklace]

Project estimate:

• Scrap leather, on hand
• Paint, on hand or $1 and up
• Diamond printable, free
• Awl or nail, on hand
• Chain, on hand or $1 and up

Total:  Free and up

The post Make a Geometric Diamond Necklace appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

I like to keep a stash of handmade greeting cards on hand at all times so that I’m always prepared for last-minute events.  (Or for when I wasn’t prepared!)  My stack of general purpose cards has nearly depleted, so I’ve been on a kick to whip out some new ones.  I wanted to use up some odds and ends of paper left over from other projects, up some pretty colors from the scrap pile and came up with this easy geometric design based on fish scales.  Here’s how it’s done!

Project estimate:

• Paper, on hand
• Circle punch or template, on hand
• Glue stick, on hand
• Paper cutter or scissors, on hand
• Rubber stamps, on hand

Total:  Free

Cut a piece of paper to 8 1/2″ by 5 1/2″ to use as the base of the card.  (I used black.)  Cut a second piece that is 5 1/2″ by 4 1/4″.  The color of this piece doesn’t matter because it will be completely covered when you’re done.

Punch or cut circles of paper in various colors.  I used a 2 inch circle punch and ended up needing 20 circles.

Glue a row of circles to one of the short edges of the 5 1/2″ by 4 1/4″ piece of paper.  Place them so that they hang over about halfway off the sheet.

Add a second row of circles, offsetting them so that they are between the circles in the previous row.

Continue adding rows of circles until the entire piece of paper is covered.

Flip the sheet upside-down and trim the excess from the overhanging circles to that the piece is rectangular again.

Glue the sheet of overlapping circles to the front of the card base.

I decided to put the word “hi” on the front of my card, but you can use any images or words you want.   (Yes, you are reading the price tag correctly on those alphabet stamps.  $1.25 for the whole set!  I got 2 different fonts, plus a large acrylic block ($2.50 versus the usual $10) and a few sheets of different flowers and flourishy embellishments.  Best. Score. Ever!  If you’re ever in Traverse City, Michigan, Dollar Zone is incredible!)

Make sure you press firmly and evenly when you stamp since you’re working on an uneven surface.  I always use clear stamps because I can really see what’s going on, and it helps a ton on projects like this!  If you’ve never tried them, I highly recommend them!

Try making variations on this card by using larger or smaller circles, different shapes (perhaps diamonds or snowflakes), adding patterned papers to the mix, or using various ways to embellish the card instead of rubber stamping.  Really, the circles are a jumping-off-point for a zillion different designs!

The post Make a Colorful Scales Greeting Card appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.