Dollar Tree is a great source for plain ol’ school and office supplies, but what if you are looking for supplies with a little more personality?  Well, you can always give those plain supplies a makeover!  Over at I Heart Naptime, Courtney gave some dollar store clipboards a school-themed makeover using vinyl and her Silhouette.  If you don’t have a vinyl cutting machine, you can also get the same look with a stencil or by painting the design freehand.  And as a bonus, the back side of each clipboard is actually a chalkboard!  [how to make a back-to-school clipboard]

Project estimate:

• Clipboard, $1
• Vinyl, on hand or about $3 and up
• Chalkboard paint, on hand or about $3 and up

Total:  $1 and up

The post Make a Back-to-School Clipboard appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

I was so excited when I was walking down an aisle at Dollar Tree and saw a display with multiple colors and patterns of decorative tape. Decorative tape, also known in the crafty world as washi tape, is a pretty patterned masking tape that is easy to apply to anything (and just as easy to remove when you’re done!) Look below to find five crafts I made using the different styles  of tape I bought!

I had to pick up a roll of every style of decorative tape Dollar Tree had and can’t wait to see if they come out with any more.  This is the best price I’ve seen for washi tape, so thanks, Dollar Tree! If you were to purchase similar tape products from your local craft store a roll would cost about three times more.

I also recently learned about Dollar Tree’s Value Seekers Club, a free monthly program that provides a website full of crafts, recipes, décor, tips, contests, insider information, frugal fun ideas, and more! Just sign up for this free club at Dollar Tree’s website: Value Seeker’s Club.

Dollar Tree Value Seekers Club’s free content changes every month. This month there are tons of fun Halloween-themed ideas, as well as a fun article with five ideas for using decorative tape. I was inspired to try some of the ideas I found, and I even came up with a few of my own:

1. Washi Tape Idea: Decorative Pencil Holder (with Matching Pencil)

Project estimate:

• Terra cotta pot, $1
• Decorative tape, $1
• Craft paint, on hand
• Pencil, on hand or 10 for $1
• Rice, on hand

Total: $2 and up

Using this super cute terra cotta pot, a little paint, decorative tape and some rice, I was able to make a cute pencil hold which could also be used as a planter.  I couldn’t resist making a pencil to go with it.  Two strips of tape place over an average every day pencil made it so fun and cute.

My ten your old daughter tried to steal it before I could take a picture!

2. Washi Tape Idea: Decorate a Candle

I have purchased many candles from Dollar Tree and have them all over my house.  After I added come decorative tape and a burlap scrap I had, the candle has transformed in a piece my neighbors and friends all admire.

3. Washi Tape Idea: Decorate a Clipboard

I bought the clipboard because I needed it, but I was really uninspired by how plain it was.  The decorative tape has made it an item I absolutely love!

4. Washi Tape Idea: Cute Notebook

I have a addiction to cute, little items I find at Dollar Store! I usually just fill up my cart so I have a stash of dollar store stuff to work with. Once I brought home this cute decorative tape, I was able to transform a simple pocket note book into an adorable, useful object.

5. Washi Tape Idea: Sweet Wooden Box

I also added a couple of contrasting tapes to a small wooden box, turning it into something I am proud to display in my home.

I had so much fun working with this pretty decorative tape. Dollar Tree has many decorative tape styles not shown here. Once you get started covering stuff with decorative tape, you won’t be able to stop.

Value Seekers Club Giveaway! $100 Dollar Tree Gift Card

It’s easy to enter this giveaway — simply sign in with your Facebook account to easily enter to win one a $100 gift card to Dollar Tree!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don’t forget to check out Dollar Tree Value Seeker’s Club, become a member and get instant access to more decorative tape ideas, as well as a bunch of other great projects! And check out the dollar store crafting projects my fellow bloggers have come up with:

The post 5 Dollar Store Crafty Ideas for Decorative Tape appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

I was doing my normal cruising around the Dollar Store when I came across a small cutting board made by Better Crocker.  I was so excited to make something with it!  I brought it home and made a super cute clipboard for my kitchen.

Project estimate:

• Cutting board, $1
• Paper, on hand
• Clothes pin, on hand
• Hot glue, on hand
• Ribbon, on hand

Total: $1 and up

First cut paper to fit board.  Using a glue gun attach to board.  Cut ribbon to fit over clothes pin and glue down.  Glue clothes pin to top center of cutting board.  Hang on the wall and your done!

The post Tutorial: Cutting Board Clipboard appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

This is such a fun sparkly idea: embellish clipboards with sparkly and shiny goodies by Teresa Collins. This looks like a great girls’ night out craft. You can use just about anything to embellish a clipboard this way, so if rhinestones and pearls aren’t your thing, just substitute your favorite things and make a completely unique clipboard just for you. How cool would it be to use some old broken junk jewelry? [how to make a blingy clipboard] [via pinterest]

Project Estimate:

• Clipboard, $1
• Glue, on hand
• Various rhinestones and sparkly embellishments, $1 and up

Total: $2 and up

The post Make a Blingy Clipboard appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

(chalkboard chair) by  Pretty Ditty

Gather ’round my friends. It’s time once again for another installment of chalkboard ideas. Don’t deny it, you love all these great chalkboardy-type projects. I love ’em too! If you need even more chalkboard inspiration, check out our first and second chalkboard roundups.

But first, a chalkboard memory. When I was a little girl, my grandma’s house had a 70s-style rec room in the basement with a pool table, and a classroom-size chalkboard mounted low on the wall where all the littles could draw on it to their hearts’ content! What a smart grandma! Okay, on to the chalkboard paint ideas:

Chalkboard-labeled Canisters: FREE
Well, they’re free if you already have the paint! Get the details on how to make these recycled canisters at Craft-Werk.

Framed Chalkboards: $1 and up

Cute favor idea for a party, or just fun to scatter around your house to allow for random creativity. Find out more at create.love.grow. [via]

Twig-Framed Chalkboard: Free and up

Melissa combines woodland sensibilities with a chalkboard for a great project! Learn how at Under Construction.

Chalkboard Clipboard: $1

This is cute and useful! You can get a clipboard at the dollar store, and embellish with stuff from your stash. Add a stripe of chalkboard paint to make it even more useful! Details over at From Glitter to Gumdrops. [via]

Chalkboard Pot Teacher’s Gift: $.33 and up

Cute idea for Teacher Appreciation Day (or end of the schoolyear gift): paint a small terracotta pot with chalkboard paint, and include a nice note and seed packet. Great idea from Leo on the Loose. [via]

Chalkboard Chair Makeover: $1 and up

Thanks to reader Andi for heads up on these amazing chalkboard chairs at Pretty Ditty. These are so cool! More at Pretty Ditty.

The post Roundup: Even More Chalkboard Paint Ideas appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

After I sent out the super secret swap envelopes to the lucky ten, I arranged with Alison from How Does She? to swap secret envelopes with her. She sent me an envelope, and I sent her one.

I packed her envelope with super random odds & ends (the only things I can remember at the moment are papier-mache suitcases and a bag of buttons), and she sent me some seriously cute supplies – most of them are things I have never worked with before! Perfect! Check the photo at the top of the post to see what she sent me. Those wordy things are vinyl!

So, I am doing what some of you are doing – using an envelope of randomness to jumpstart my crafting! Check back with me at the end of the month to see what I came up with!

p.s. Here are some of my favorite Alison projects (all made with dollar store stuff!!)

Four Dollar Frames

Classy Dollar Store Teacher Appreciation Gift

Cute Clipboards

Alison does a lot with custom-cut vinyl! Here’s a dressed-up dollar store container and her Vinyl Info

The post I Swapped a Secret Envelope with How Does She? Alison appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Project Estimate:

• chipboard restaurant coasters, free
• medium size binder clips, $1.50/dozen
• scrapbook paper scraps, on hand
• ribbon scraps, on hand

Total:  $1.50 and up for 12!

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