It’s no secret that we love novelty silicone ice cube trays.  They come in a ton of fun shapes and are really great tools for crafting!  Sara at Tell, Love and Party came up with yet another great idea for them: custom push pins!  She used a flamingo ice cube tray for hers, but with so many different shapes of ice cube trays out there these days, there are a ton of other possibilities too.  Do you have a favorite ice cube tray shape?  [how to make novelty push pins]

Project estimate:

• Novelty silicone ice cube tray, on hand or $1 and up
• Push pins, on hand or $1
• Hot glue, on hand
• Paint, on hand
• Glitter (optional), on hand or $1

Total:  Free and up!

The post Make Novelty Push Pins appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

You know that around here we love our silicone ice cube tray crafts. So when I spotted a new one with spiders and spiderwebs on the shelf at Dollar Tree in this year’s Halloween selections, I got a little giddy – especially when I had the idea to pour the spiders with two contrasting colors of glittery resin! I’ve used these kind of ice cube trays to make resin jewelry before but this is the first time I’ve tried using multiple colors, and I am really happy with how they turned out. Watch the how-to video below!

Project estimate:

• Spider ice cube tray, $1
• Resin kit, about $5 and up
• Glitter, on hand or $1 and up
• Pin backs, on hand or $1

Total: about $6 and up

The post Make Glitter Spider Pins appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Looking for a non-candy Valentine trinket idea that’s a little more on the grown up side?  Check out these cement conversation hearts from Chelsea at Lovely Indeed!  This is yet another of the million-and-one uses we’ve seen for those silicone ice cube trays that they have for each season at Dollar Tree, and the resulting heart makes a nice little bauble to decorate your desk.  (And it even functions as a paper weight!)  [how to make cement Valentine hearts]

Project estimate:

• Cement mix, about $3 and up
• Silicone heart mold, on hand or $1 and up
• Alphabet stamps, on hand or about $5 and up
• Paint (optional), on hand or $1 and up

Total:  about $3 and up

The post Make Cement Valentine Hearts appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

It’s not too early to start thinking about Valentine’s Day – it’ll be here before you know it!  This great little 3D string art by Mona at Craft Klatch uses a candy mold as a form for making a dimensional heart, but if you don’t have a candy mold, this is yet another project you can complete using the silicone ice cube trays they sell for each holiday at Dollar Tree.  (There are lots of ways you can use those ice cube trays, and we just adore them!)   Use the finished hearts as decorative ornaments, or work them into jewelry or other projects!  [how to make a string heart Valentine ornament]

Project estimate:

• Heart mold, on hand or $1 and up
• Embroidery floss, on hand
• Liquid starch, on hand or $1 and up
• Glue, on hand

Total:  Free and up!

The post Make a String Art 3D Heart appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

• Skull ice cube tray, $1
• Resin, on hand or about $5 and up
• Glitter, on hand or $1
• Black Paint, on hand
• Bail, on hand or $1 and up

Total:  $1 and up

The post Tutorial: Make a Resin Skull Pendant appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

You know we’re big fans of the fun, shaped silicone ice cube trays that Dollar Tree carries for every holiday.  We’ve used them to make all kinds of different things!  Beth from Hungry Happenings used hers to make something we haven’t tried yet: gumdrops!  Your sweet tooth will get some serious satisfaction out of these homemade confections.  Or if you have a candy-loving friend, these would make a gift they will surely appreciate.  You can also use different combinations of colors and shapes to make gumdrops especially for other events throughout the year!  [how to make red, white, and blue gumdrops]

Project estimate:

• Star-shaped ice cube tray, $1
• Vegetable oil, on hand
• Butter, on hand
• Water, on hand
• Pectin, about $3
• Baking soda, on hand
• Sugar, on hand
• Corn syrup, on hand
• Flavored oil, on hand or $1 and up
• Food coloring, on hand

Total:  about $4 and up

The post Make Red, White and Blue Gumdrops appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

I always end up buying too many candy canes.  I eat my fill of them through the holidays, but somehow there are always still an handful of them floating around the house come spring.  If you are looking for a creative and delicious way to use up your extras, Carolyn from Carolyn’s Homework has a sweet suggestion: turn them into minty sugar cubes!  The pretty pink color is perfect for Valentine’s Day (which will be here before you know it!) and they’re a fun and fancy way to add a little flavor to your coffee, tea, or hot chocolate.  (Tea party, anyone?)  [how to turn leftover candy canes into minty sugar cubes]

Project estimate:

• Candy canes, on hand
• Food processor, on hand
• Sugar, on hand
• Candy molds or ice cube trays, on hand or $1

Total:  Free or $1

The post Turn Leftover Candy Canes into Minty Sugar Cubes appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

I love silicone ice cube trays, especially the skull one that we’ve featured a few times.  With Halloween but a fortnight away, I decided to pull mine out and make something with it.  I wanted to use it for one thing we haven’t talked about using with ice cube trays yet:  resin!  These glittery skulls are mounted as tack pins, but you can also use them as necklace pendants, magnets, glued to candle holders, or anything else you see fit!

Project estimate:

• Skull ice cube tray (or any other silicone mold), on hand or $1
• Resin,  on hand or about $8 and up
• Glitter, on hand or $1
• Fake button pins, $1

Total:  $1 and up

Start by mixing up a batch of resin according to the directions on the package.  While you are stirring your resin, dump in some glitter.  I used 2 little pots for one tray, one red and one pink.

Carefully pour the glittery resin into the skull molds.  Try not to overflow the molds or make any drips between the skulls.  (I’m kind of a messy crafter, so not dripping is probably the hardest part of the project for me!)

Let the resin cure for about 4 hours, so that it is tacky but not completely hardened.  Then it’s time to add the pin backs!  The pin backs on my skulls are actually those fake button pins.  You know, of the “my-pants-don’t-fit-properly” variety.  I have several packages of them laying around, so I decided to finally use them for something! Gently press a button into the back of each skull.  The backs should work into the resin just a little, but not sink in too far.  If your pin backs are sinking, carefully remove them and let the resin cure a little bit more before trying again.

Wait at least a full 24 hours before you remove the skulls from the mold.   The skulls might resist at first, but carefully bend and work the silicone tray and they will pop out.  You might need to bend back the tray and kind of pry the skulls to remove them, but they will come out, I promise!

If  you have any excess resin on the edges of any skulls, use sharp scissors or a craft knife to trim  it off.  Your skull pins are ready to wear!

The post Make Glitter Skull Pins appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Before Dollar Tree packs away all of their summer merchandise and replaces it all with back-to-school, autumn, and (dare I say it?) Christmas stuff, you may want to check for sand molds.  Beth from Hungry Happenings has a great use for them: making molded marshmallow treats!  You could also use the fun shaped ice cube trays that Dollar Tree has been carrying for every recent season to make smaller, bite-sized versions.  Can you think of anything else you could use for making these besides sand molds and ice cube trays?  Please share; we love brainstorms!  [how to make molded marshmallows]

Project estimate:

• Sand mold, $1
• Marshmallows, on hand or $1
• Food coloring, on hand
• Flavor oils (optional), on hand
• Butter, on hand
• Powdered sugar, on hand

Total:  $1 and up

The post Make Fun Molded Marshmallows appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Holy heat wave!  Are you keeping cool in your corner of the world?  If you’re suffering under oppressive heat and stifling humidity, keeping the kids entertained without overheating means ruling out a long list of potential activities.  Here’s a fun idea from Tricia at Sweeter Than Sweets that your little ones will love: rainbow ice!  She and her 2-year-old daughter played with some in their water table and had a blast.  If you don’t have a water table, a storage tub or other large, shallow container works just as well!  Her secret ingredient is coloring pellets meant for bath water, which work perfectly for this project.  And unlike food coloring, which can require some scrubbing to get completely off the skin, the bath pellet colors wash off easily when you’re done playing!  [how to make rainbow ice]

Project estimate:

• Crayola Color Bath Dropz, about $5
• Water, on hand
• Bowls, on hand
• Ice cube trays or other molds, on hand or $1
• Freezer, on hand

Total: about $5 and up

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