Do you love the retro look? So does Morena at Morena’s Corner, who came up with this clever way to repurpose an old alarm clock! Using a clock from Goodwill and an unfinished wooden box, she created this absolutely adorable purse. If you make this for yourself you might even want to grab several clocks because as soon as your friends see it, they are all going to want one! [,how to make an alarm clock purse]

Project estimate:

• Alarm clock, about $1 and up
• Wooden box, about $5
• Paint, on hand or $1 and up

Total: about $6 and up!

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What’s the time? It’s time to do Decoden! I used some of the supplies from my Epic Jewelry Haul to make this easy Decoden clock. The secret ingredient? Mod Podge Collage Clay – so easy to use. This was my first time using it and it worked like a dream. Now I want to decoden all the things!

Project estimate:

• Clock, on hand or $1 and up
• Mod Podge Collage Clay, about $8
• Embellishments, on hand or $1 and up

Total: about $8 and up

Start by applying dabs of Collage Clay around the edge of the clock face.

Press embellishments (such as these flower cabochons) into the collage clay.

Continue adding clay and embellishments until the entire edge of the clock is covered.  Decoden is definitely a more-is-more kind of medium, so go crazy!

The post Tutorial: Easy Decoden Clock appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

When her kids insisted on getting these plain clocks for their rooms, Katie from Sweet Rose Studio felt stuck. How was she going to make something so homely look adorable? With a little thought and some basic scrapbooking supplies, the clock was transformed into something fit for a princess. [how to make a cute clock with scrapbook paper]

Project estimate:

• Wall clock, $1 and up
• Scrapbook paper, on hand
• Pencil, on hand
• Craft knife, on hand
• Glue, on hand
• Number stickers, $1 and up
• Rhinestone, on hand or $1 and up
• Craft paint, on hand
• Paintbrushes, on hand

Total: $2 and up

The post Make a Cute Clock with Scrapbook Paper appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

How do you celebrate on New Year’s Eve?  Whether you are having a gathering of your peers or just hanging out at home with your family, this idea from Amy at The Idea Room is a great way to add a little excitement to the evening!  After making a bag to represent each hour leading up to the new year, she wrote out a list of activities and put a slip of paper with each activity into a bag.  As the current year draws to a close, a bag is opened at each corresponding hour, and everyone participates in the activity enclosed.  This is a great idea for parties of all kinds because the activities can be adjusted so that they are appropriate for whatever group of people is playing along!  [how to make New Year’s Eve countdown bags]

Project estimate:

• Paper bags, on hand or $1
• Printable clock face, free
• Glue, on hand

Total:  Free and up

The post Make New Year’s Eve Countdown Bags appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

The secret to creating truly realistic dollhouse miniatures is all in the details.  But that doesn’t mean you need to be an incredible artist to create them!  Some clever repurposing and use of materials can yield surprising results, allowing you to make tiny things that look very convincingly like their full-size counterparts.  This tiny wall clock started out as a button, dressed up with a free printable clock face and hands salvaged from a broken watch.  The look is completed using resin, which gives the illusion of a plastic cover over the face of the clock.  Added together, all of these details make it look exactly like a real wall clock!

Project estimate:

• Button, on hand
• Printable clock face, free
• Watch hands, on hand or $1 and up
• Mod Podge, on hand
• Glue, on hand
• Resin, on hand or about $8 and up

Total:  Free and up

Your button should be large and have a lip around the outside edge.  This is important because the lip will hold the resin in for the last step!  My button started out black, but I used spray paint to make it off-white instead.

Use your computer to resize a clock face image to fit inside the lip of your button and print it out.  (I found my clock face printable at The Graphics Fairy.)

Glue the clock face to the front of the button.  Seal the surface with several coats of Mod Podge.

Carefully glue the watch hands to the face of the clock using a tiny dab of glue.  To make placing the hands easier, try using tweezers.

Mix a small amount of resin according to the directions on the package.  (I use EnviroTex Lite.)  Pour it into the face of the clock, being careful not to overflow the lip around the edge of the button.

Allow the resin to cure in a warm, dry place on a level surface for at least 24 hours.  Once the resin is cured, the clock is ready to hang on your dollhouse wall!

The post Make a Miniature Dollhouse Wall Clock appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

This is one of those projects that flies straight past clever and all the way up the scale to brilliant.  It’s a clock and a daily schedule all in one!  Delia from delia creates originally made this projects around back-to-school time, but it’s perfect to make any time.  (Get it?  Any time?  Yuk yuk yuk.)  No one in your household will ever have an excuse to forget an appointment or meeting ever again!  [how to make a dry erase clock]

Project estimate:

• Dry erase  board, $1 and up
• Clock kit, about $4 and up
• Vinyl numbers or number stickers, on hand or $1 and up
• Drill, on hand

Total:  about $5 and up

The post Make a Dry Erase Clock appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Martha Stewart has 700+ new uses for old things on her website. I decided I’d share my favorite double-duty decorating ideas so you don’t have to spend hours looking through them!

1.	Vase as Picture Frame Display family photos inside tall cylindrical glass vases of various sizes for an unexpected arrangement on a bookcase or mantel
2.	Paper Doily as a Cake Decoration You baked the cake. Now you’re expected to frost it, too? Take a break from the sticky stuff and use a doily to stencil on a pretty sugar topping. Press a doily flat on top of a round cake and, using a fine-mesh sieve, sprinkle confectioners’ sugar liberally over the surface. Use two hands to carefully remove the doily post-dusting.
3.	Cookie Cutter as Candle Stencil Repurpose mini alphabet cookie cutters as monogramming tools for pillar candles. Hold the candle steady, position the letter, and tap it lightly with a hammer. Do just an initial or go wild and spell out MR AND MRS or MERRY CHRISTMAS.
4.	Picture Frame as Dry-Erase Board Let’s see—you need milk, eggs…and something to replace the stark white memo board that’s sucking all the style from your otherwise charming kitchen. Frame a pretty piece of fabric or paper, then write temporary to-dos on the glass with a dry-erase marker.Note: Melinda did this for multiple to-do lists. One for individual tasks, one for joint tasks with her husband, one for the crafts she’s started or needs to start, and one for her work projects. Have fun with what you put behind the glass – use scrapbook paper, wallpaper, or put a fancy title on top so you know what each board is for!
5.	Brooches as Refrigerator Decoration Instead of tossing out seldom worn or broken brooches, remove the pins with a wire cutter, glue a magnet to the back of each, then use them to mount postcards, children’s artwork, or this week’s grocery list.
6.	Wallpaper as Clock Customizer Remove the clock’s plastic front or back and detach the hands from the battery mechanism. Using the existing face as a template, trace the outline on the back of a piece of wallpaper. Apply a multipurpose adhesive to the original face, then affix the new one. Reassemble and hang for a unique design that makes a statement time after time.
7.	Clothespin as Holiday Card Display Adhere a wide grosgrain ribbon to the wall with double-sided mounting tape, then attach holiday cards up and down it for a jolly–and changeable—seasonal exhibit. Both regular-size and mini clothespins will work.Note: You can do this for any occasion where you receive cards, or display photos for a birthday celebration.
8.	Toothbrush Holder as Vase Display individual blooms (peonies and ranunculus work well) in each hole and fill with water for a foolproof, evenly spaced arrangement.Note: Have fun with the toothbrush holders – reuse what you have, pick out pretty ones from your local Target or Wal-Mart, pick some up from a thrift or antique store, or paint and decorate Dollar Store finds!
9.	Permanent Marker as Lampshade Decoration To customize a standard linen shade, trim the seamed edges with a permanent marker in a shade that matches your decor. If you don’t have a steady hand, use painter’s tape to outline the area to be colored.Note: Have fun with colors, metallic markers, stencils and more!
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10.	Linen Napkin as Photo Album Cover When the rest of the set is too stained to use, salvage a cloth napkin by turning it into a slipcover for your store-bought brag book with a length of ribbon and some fabric glue.
11.	Shoes as Growth Chart Record how quickly your child has grown by lining up shoes in a shadow box and labeling them with the appropriate ages. This growth chart is way prettier than pencil marks on the wall.
12.	Tape as Plaster Securer Keep a plaster wall from chipping when you hang a picture by placing a small piece of tape over the spot where you plan to hammer in the nail

Want to see all of Martha’s ideas? Visit her Double-Duty Decorating Ideas index.

Do you have any favorite ways to re-use things you already have to decorate your home? Share it in the comments below!

The post 12 Double Duty Decorating Ideas appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Reader Jennifer asked over at the Dollar Store Crafts FB page:

School starts for my daughter next Monday, so what crafty gift should we make this year? She will be going into the 1st grade. I still don’t know who her teacher is, male or female, I haven’t a clue!

Quick Teacher’s Gift Ideas:

Well, first of all, if you don’t know who the teacher is, it’s best to adhere to a neutral type of gift. Think hostess gifts that will apply to anyone (or the kinds of gifts you give neighbors at holiday time!). Most people appreciate a gift of food, a plant, or a flower arrangement.

• Back to School Flower Arrangement by One Charming Party (shown above). This charming flower arrangement is simple: a recycled glass jar with a ribbon, a glass cup inserted inside to keep the water separate, and a package of plastic letter magnets. The flowers can be purchased or picked out of your garden.

• Pencil Flower Pot by Sassy Sanctuary. Hot glue pencils to a flower pot and add a bow (and possibly a cute sign). Pencils are super cheap this time of year, or find them at the dollar store year-round.

• School Supply Clock by Plucky Momo (head’s up, autoplaying music). This is an idea that would work for just about any teacher, any gender, any grade. Modify a clock by adding the teacher’s name and school supplies where the numbers belong. Also, find some GREAT tips for making a clock like this over at Crafty Lady Lindsay.
• Many More Teacher’s Gift Ideas here at Dollar Store Crafts

Readers, what would you suggest as a great gift for this teacher?

The post Question: Teacher’s Gift Ideas appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

If you’ve never checked out The Art Annex, it’s a great site full of kid- and teen-friendly projects.  That’s where site owner and curator Doris shares a tutorial for turning a plain little alarm clock into an adorable “night owl” clock using that ever-so-versatile supply, craft foam!  You could also make a variety of other animals to suit your child’s interests (or your own!), including dinosaurs, teddy bears, unicorns…  Anything, really!  [how to make a night owl alarm clock]

Project estimate:

• Alarm clock, on hand or $1 and up
• Craft foam, on hand
• Googly eyes, on hand
• Glue, on hand
• Scissors, on hand

Total:  Free and up

The post Make a Night Owl Alarm Clock appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

This magnetic clock sticks to your fridge and lets you place moveable magnets at different times to help remind you of upcoming events. In case all the magnets get bumped or swiped off the fridge, there are fixed indicators on the clock face to help you reestablish time easily.

This project uses images found on the internet to create the event decals, you can use the template I’ve provided in this page or you are welcome to use it as a template to make your own. All items are available at your local Dollar Store but may also be hiding around your house or crafting area. My magnetic sheet had an adhesive top, which allows it to be stuck to items and instantly become magnets.

Project Estimate:

• analog desk clock ($1.50)
• magnetic sheet ($1.00)
• printer + paper (on hand, or you can hand draw)

Total $2.00

Start by disassembling the analog clock. most types of small analog clocks are a compact clock built into a larger framework to show the time. There are usually seams along the back or edges of most clocks which allow them to be opened easily.

When the clock mechanism has been removed measurements need to be taken for a new clock face.One that is more compact than the large plastic housing it was removed from. This will allow us to tell the time regardless of magnet decal location.

Start by carefully removing the hour, minute and second hands from the clock. Then measure from edge to edge, giving yourself a slight ‘fudge-factor’. This will allow the new paper clock face to overhang from the rest of the clock and gives it a cleaner look. For reference, my clock measured 6.5cm x 6.5cm (2.5″ x 2.5″).

After measuring the clock face, looked online for a square clock faces copied the image to any photo editing software. Then I looked for small event-specific icons to represent reminders, for good measure I also made icons with numbers. I used these numbers for time but they can represent anything.

The template shown above is scaleable to A4 sheet sizes (8.5″ x 11″). If you want to use my template just right-click the image and ‘save as’ to your computer. Print out on a regular sheet of printer paper and stick to your sheet magnet, then cut out each individual decal.

Next, cut a square of sheet magnet the same size as the clock for the back. Before you stick the magnet to the back of the clock, cut an opening for the reset dial. Also, you want to leave the protective backing on a portion of the magnet which will go over the battery compartment. This will allow maximum magnetic coverage and contact with the fridge, but still allow the battery compartment to be accessible.

All that’s left is to set the time and stick it to your fridge! Position the numbers and event decals wherever you want for a quick daily reminder of events for that day.

Have fun!

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