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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Project estimate:

• Blanket, $1
• Wash clothes, $1 for pack of 4 (I used 2 packs)
• Fusible Web (like Wonder Under), on hand or $2 and up
• Iron, on hand
• Black paint, on hand

Total:  $3 and up

Step one:  Iron the fusible web onto the back of the wash clothes.

Step two:  Use a template to trace the ghosts, PacMan, eyes, and circles on the paper part of the fusible web.

Step three:  Cut out all the pieces, remove the paper backing, and arrange on the blanket.

Step four:  Once you’ve arranged the pieces, iron them on.

Step five:  Use paint to make eyes on the ghosts.

If this blanket will get handled and washed quite a bit, you’ll probably want to stitch around the edges of the appliques to reinforce them.  I think this would make an adorable photo prop, or just a fun play mat for baby to lounge on in style, like my hip nephew Marcel is doing here.

The post Tutorial: Retro PacMan Baby Blanket appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

When I was a kid, I got a huge tub of perler beads (AKA “melty beads”) and several peg boards for Christmas. I spent hours carefully crafting shapes and patterns. These earrings from The Thinking Closet are a great throw back to crafting in the 90’s! Plus they only take a few minutes to make are a great way to get kids involved in crafting. [how to make perler bead earrings]

Project estimate:

• Perler beads craft kit, $1 and up
• Jump rings, on hand
• Earring hooks, on hand
• Pliers, on hand
• Iron, on hand

Total: $1 and up

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I love old rotary phones.  I love their squat, curvy look, the clickity-click sound they make when you spin the dial, and even the loud, fire-alarm-like ringer.  But I’m a cell-phone-only girl, so my lack of a land line means I have no use for one.  That is, unless I were to tear one apart and make this awesome rotary phone purse from Chica and Jo!  They even provide a printable pattern to cut out the shape of the bag.  Look for old rotary phones at thrift stores (it doesn’t even have to work!); for the body of the purse, if you don’t have leather or vinyl laying around, you could use a thrifted garment or a dollar store vinyl tablecloth.  The finished purse definitely makes a statement, and the rotary dial even still works!  How cool is that?  [how to make a retro rotary phone purse]

Project estimate:

• Printable pattern, free
• Rotary phone, about $5 and up
• Vinyl or leather, on hand or $1 and up
• Sewing machine, on hand
• Purse clasp, $1 and up
• Ribbon, on hand
• Glue, on hand
• Cardboard, on hand
• Lining fabric, on hand or $1 and up

Total:  about $5 and up

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I recently received a box in the mail from a scrapbook supply company called Vintage Street Market. It was an exciting box to open because they make some very interesting products, including one thing that immediately got my gears turning that’s called Tinted Tape. It is scotch tape that is printed with different designs, including a style that mimics the yellowed look of aged tape. Seeing this tape made me want to find some old photographs to tape down!  However I don’t have any vintage snapshots laying around, so I decided to use a free photo editing website called Picnik to create my own retro-looking photos. (That’s right, no fancy software required!) Read on to see how it’s done.

Project estimate:

• Digital image, on hand
• Picnik online photo editor, free
• Vintage Street Market “Aged” Tinted Tape, $4.95
• Paper, on hand

Total:  $4.95

First, choose a photograph to use.  (It should be a digital image, so if you’re using a physical copy of a photo you will need to scan it into your computer.)  I used this shot of my husband and I taken on our honeymoon.

Go to the Picnik website and upload your photo to the editor.  To upload, click on the “Upload Photo” button and select your image.  Once uploaded, your image will appear in the photo editing dashboard.

From the menu near the top of the screen, click on the “Crop” button.  From the drop-down menu, choose the option to crop the photo to a square shape.  Drag the box on the screen around the portion of the photo you’d like to use, then click “OK” to save.

Click on the “Create” tab at the top of the page, then select the “Effects” option.  Scroll down the menu in the left-hand side until you find an effect called “1960’s.”  Click on this effect and the colors in your photo will change slightly, giving it the look of an old photograph.  Adjust the intensity of the effect with the slider bar if desired, then click on “Apply” to save the changes.

Optionally, you can also use the text tool to add a date stamp to the corner of the photo.  Once you’re done editing the photo, choose the “Save & Share” tab to download the finished photo to your computer.

Print and cut out your image.  (I resized mine to 4 inches before printing to make it closer to the size of a standard photo.)

Now the photo is ready to be taped down with the Vintage Street Market aged-look tape.  Some ideas include scrapbook layouts or personalized Christmas cards, or you could even tape the photo to a 5″ x 7″ piece of paper and put it in a frame.  Use the Tinted Tape on the corners of the picture to complete the vintage look.

Thanks for the inspiration, Vintage Street Market!

disclosure: Vintage Street Market sent me some of their products to try free of charge; all opinions are 100% mine.

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Brass starbursts are a retro home decor item repopularized by designers like Kelly Wearstler and Jonathan Adler. You can make your own shimmery accessory for less than $2 with dollar store playdough, barbecue skewers and gold spray paint.

Project estimate:

• 1 package of Dollar Tree craft dough, $1
• 1 package of bamboo skewers, $1.50
• Gold spray paint, on hand or $1 and up

Total: $2.50 and up for two starbursts

You will need a package of mini craft dough tubs, which I found at The Dollar Tree in the toy section. Skewers can be found at most grocery stores.

For each starburst, open two mini tubs of dough. Combine the two pieces of dough and roll into a ball.

If you want to hang your starburst on the wall, take one of the tubs and turn it over. Heat a nail over a flame and punch a hole in the bottom of the tub. Wiggle around to make a large enough hole for hanging on a nail later.

Stick the dough ball into the tub and push in firmly.

Working from the center outward, insert barbeque sticks pointed side down.  I used about 50 sticks per starburst.

Set the starbursts aside and allow the dough to harden. The dough may crack while drying but the sticks will hold in place. (If you’re worried, just squirt some glue in the crack and allow to dry.)

Spray the starbursts with gold spray paint.

Allow to dry and then enjoy your dollar store decor.

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Vintage, retro things have always caught my eye. That’s what drew me to this awesome record album cover box made by Leah at Zombies Wearing Helmets.  I’ve used covers to make notebooks before, but I like this idea even better!  It makes a great catch-all for random clutter (perhaps that stack of craft magazines next to your couch) and would also be a great housewarming or graduation gift for someone with nostalgic design sensibilities.  I see stacks of albums every time I go to Goodwill, and it’s also yard sale season, so finding just the right covers to make your box should be a snap.  [how to make a record album cover box]

Project estimate:

• 5 record album covers, on hand or about $5 and up
• Drill, on hand
• Twine or other lacing material, on hand or $1 and up

Total:  Free and up

The post Make a Record Album Cover Box appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

This clip reminds me of Dia de los Muertos, perhaps because of the combination of roses and bones. This project by Donna is a romantically spooky addition to your Halloween wardrobe!

Pumpkin Hair Clip by Angela at Treasures for Tots: $.50

Angela made these embroidered hair clips for her little one. I love the details: the ribbon stems, the triangular sequins for eyes. Cute!

PacMan Barrettes by Quest for DIY Glory: $.50

Lydia made some retro-cute hair barrettes with PacMan ghosts, and all her friends love ’em! You can also use googly eyes for the eyes (my personal favorite eye choice!)

The post Reader Roundup: Halloween Hair Barrettes appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

I love a good starburst, and especially love the mid-century look of the George Nelson Ball Clock, which inspired my entry in Craftster’s latest Craft Challenge: Drinking Straw Makeover. I used drinking straws along with recycled milk jug lids to make this playful decoration, which would be a cute addition to a kid’s room or playroom ( milk lids attached to the ends of the straws remind me of Tinker Toys!), or your room if you like bright colors! This would also be so cute as a clock, just add a clock-making kit to your materials list (or tear up a dollar store clock and attach it to your styrofoam disc).

We always have drinking straws on hand, and I have this recycled stuff hoarding problem (it’s all for crafting, I promise!), so I was super excited to use up some of my milk lids. I have a few more ideas for milk lids, but sometimes the ideas are more plentiful than the time to carry them out (did I tell you I’m having a baby on 10/10?). The idea for this project was simple, but the materials provided me with a medium challenge in making it work!

I had everything on hand I needed for this project, but you might need to pick up one or two things to make it work for you. You’ll need about an hour to put it all together. (I included foam stickers in my supplies photo because I thought I was going to incorporate them into the design, but I ended up not using them).

Project Estimate:

• 5″ Styrofoam disc, 2 for $1
• Drinking straws, big package for $1 or on hand
• 12 recycled milk lids, on hand
• A piece of scrapbooking paper, on hand
• Hot glue, on hand

Total: $.50 and up

Preparing Your Supplies:

Milk Lids: If your family drinks as much milk as ours does, it won’t take too long to save up enough lids for this project. If they don’t, you can use juice lids, soda bottle lids, wooden discs, or round game pieces (like checkers!). If you don’t use any of these things, ask a friend to save them for you, or raid a public recycling bin (like at school, work, etc). If you go with milk or other food lids, be sure to wash them very well in hot, soapy water, and let them dry thoroughly before you begin. You can paint the lids in any color, if you like.

Straws: If you have bendy straws, cut them off at the bendy part.

Styrofoam Disc: Trace the disc on the wrong side of the scrapbooking paper and cut it out. Glue it to the disc. I used Elmer’s glue.

Use a pencil to poke 12 holes in the side of your disc. I drew a grid on the back of the disc to help me space the holes.

Gluing plastic to plastic:

Drinking straws will melt and warp if you use a hot temp glue gun, and possibly even with a low temp gun. I put a dot of glue on the milk cap, let it cool for a second, and then held the uncut end of the straw up to the glue dot for 15-20 seconds to help it set.

Once the “lollipops” are made, attach them to the disc:

Hot glue will melt styrofoam as well, and any ensuing fumes aren’t healthy! To avoid this problem, squirt a glob of hot glue on the other end of the straw, and allow it to cool somewhat, about five seconds. Stick it into the hole in your disc, and hold it there for 15-20 seconds to help it set.

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I’m a fan of retro-styled starburst mirrors, and I just knew I could make one on a dollar store budget! I’ve seen these all over the place, from design magazines and blogs to my grandma’s house, and the starburst is a motif I definitely respond to. Pottery Barn has one for sale right now that is $449.

I got styrofoam discs (6 for $1 – in the floral section) and bamboo skewers at my dollar store. I had to get a few things at other stores. I picked up metallic spray paint for about $3 at a local big-box store, and four packages of round mirrors at my local craft store. The mirrors were less than $1 a package, and I got three sizes: .75 inch (2 packs), 1 inch, (1 pack), and 2 inch (1 pack). You can also pick up a convex mirror (find it in the auto parts section, sold as a blind-spot mirror) if you like the look, for the center of the starburst.

Project Estimate:

• Styrofoam disc, 6 for $1
• Bamboo skewers, $1
• Metallic spray paint, $3
• Round mirrors, 4 packages at $.99 each
• Pretty coordinating cardstock, on hand
• Craft glue, on hand (I used Aleene’s Quick Dry Tacky Glue)
• Duct tape, optional

Total: $8.95

Pottery Barn currently has a starburst-style mirror for sale for $449. It’s much larger and a bit more ornate than my version, but you could definitely go this route if you wanted to! Just increase the number of skewers you use and overlap the mirrors more. I would also get some scrapbooking paper and cut out little circles to frame the mirrors. (I wanted to do that for my project, but I don’t have large round craft punches, and I’m not precise enough to cut good circles out by hand!)

To Make:

1. Gather desired number of skewers and divide in half. Take half of them and trim about 2″ off.
2. Push skewers into round edge of styrofoam disc, alternating between longer and shorter skewers.
3. Spray paint skewers with metallic paint (try to avoid spraying styrofoam as it can be damaged/melted by spray paint).
4. If you are framing the little mirrors with scrapbook paper, cut out circles and glue to mirrors while paint is drying.
5. When paint is dry, glue mirrors onto skewers using craft glue.
6. (Optional) Once the glue starts to take hold, you can turn starburst over and tape the backs of the mirrors onto the skewers to make them more secure. This is for the “oh ye of little faith” crafters–I’m in this group!
7. Cut out a large circle of cardstock for the center of the starburst. I traced mine with a tuna can. You can use any round thing to trace, just make sure it’s larger than your center mirror (and your styrofoam disc–you want to cover that up).
8. Glue larger mirror to cardstock, then glue to styrofoam.

To hang, you can just put a small nail in the wall and push the styrofoam into the nail.

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