Want to up your jewelry-making game? This bead-wrapped wire heart pendant from Lisa Yang is a great project for those who have a little experience working with wire and want to learn a fun new technique. Once you master the beading technique, you can use this to give a fancy edge to all kinds of crafty projects! [how to make a bead-wrapped wire heart pendant]

Project estimate:

• Wire, on hand or $1 and up
• Beads, on hand or $1 and up

Total: Free and up!

The post Make a Bead-Wrapped Wire Heart Pendant appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

The first thing that drew me into the post about making lovely jewelry like this out of a plastic hair comb was the fact that the first word of the post is “dude.”  I call people dude all the time, and I’m so glad I’m not the only person out there who has Keeanu Reeves-like tendencies when it comes to my vocabulary!  Once I scrolled past the opening line, I sat and stared at the photos for a moment, completely dumbstruck.  I would have never thought to cut up a hair comb and use it in beaded jewelry!  Bah-rilliant!  That Michelle from Mich L. in L.A. blows me away, coming up with unique way to repurpose things post after post.  What will she come up with next??  [how to make plastic hair comb beaded jewelry]

Project estimate:

• Plastic hair comb, $1
• Wire cutters, on hand
• Wire, on hand
• Jewlery pliers, on hand
• Beads, on hand

Total:  $1

The post Make Plastic Hair Comb Beaded Jewelry appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Do you think candy is dandy?  Sarah from Stepping Thru Crazy does.  She loves candy (and crafting) so much that she even saves her candy wrappers, collecting enough to fill a Ziploc bag.  To use some of them up, she came up with the idea to decoupage them onto plain beads, perfect for making sweet custom jewelry.  From preschoolers to grandmothers, anyone with a sweet tooth is sure to appreciate their own candy wrapper jewelry!  (Thanks to DSC reader Kristi for showing us this link via our Facebook page!)  [how to make candy wrapper beads]

Project estimate:

• Candy wrappers, on hand
• Wooden beads, on hand or $1
• Mod Podge, on hand
• Paintbrush, on hand
• Chopstick or skewer, on hand

Total:  Free and up

The post Make Candy Wrapper Beads appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Take dollar store Mardi Gras beads and add a cheesy brass Williamsburg chandelier light fixture plus a little spray paint, and what do you get? Laura from Style-For-Style‘s dramatic beaded chandelier. She was kind enough to share her amazing makeover when she saw the beaded chandelier I posted the other day. I think hers looks easier and better – win win! Check thrift stores, garage sales, or Craigslist for the chandelier (or maybe you already have one in your garage). Her advice is to skip the wire (that I used) and just go with hot glue. [click here for the beaded chandelier instructions]

Laura also made this super-dramatic chandelier with the plastic beads. [click here for this chandelier]

Project Estimate:

• Chandelier, on hand or $10 and up
• 2 packs of plastic Mardi Gras beads, $2
• Hot glue gun and sticks, on hand
• Spray paint, $1 and up

Total: $3 and up

Other resources:

• Flea market chandelier by casasugar
• Red chandelier at design*sponge (by SmittyBaby)
• A little different, but still awesome: ribbon and bird chandelier by Living with Lindsay

The post Make a Beaded Williamsburg Chandelier appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Kristin at Craft Leftovers posted a great tip about making your own “waxed linen” thread. You can use waxed linen-type thread for a variety of crafting projects, such as book binding, jewelry making, and braiding. It’s also a great tool for kiddos to use in beading because you don’t have to have a needle to easily thread it through beads. Make it in a variety of colors using these [instructions found at Craft Leftovers]

Project Estimate:

• Embroidery Floss, $.25
• Candle, $1 or on hand

Total: $.25 and up

The post Make Your Own “Waxed Linen” Thread appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.