Last week, I went crazy and made several DIY salt and sugar scrubs with ingredients from the dollar store, and I gotta tell you, I smell DELICIOUS this week! If you are a coffee lover like me, you will love this 5 Minute DIY Coffee & Coconut Sea Salt Scrub Recipe! It is so easy to make, and has several benefits for your skin – exfoliating, polishing, and moisturizing! The coffee additive is supposed to help tighten and tone skin, and it also removes pesky odors (so it’s great next to your kitchen sink for after you’ve worked with smelly ingredients.)

Find my article telling you how to make it over at eBay: [5 Minute DIY Coffee & Coconut Sea Salt Scrub Recipe]

The post 5 Minute DIY Coffee & Coconut Sea Salt Scrub Recipe appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Handpainted mugs make great Christmas gifts. Is there a tea or coffee lover on your list? Try this technique and make them something extra special! This stunning floral design by Alison at iLoveToCreate is easier than you might think. (Note that this particular project is done with special mugs and paint markers that are food-safe. If you use other glass paint markers that are not food-safe, you should be mindful of the placement of the flowers and keep them away from the rim where your lips will touch, just in case! You can find more details about the food safe paint pens on the tutorial page.) [how to make painted marigold mugs]

Project estimate:

• Mug, on hand or $1 and up
• Ceramic paint markers, about $3 and up

Total: about $3 and up

The post Make Painted Marigold Mugs appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

It has been chilly on and off here in Atlanta, and I have been seeing pictures of snow all over my friends’ Facebook pages. Nothing warms me up on a cold morning like a hot drink, and I hate when my warm cup of coffee goes almost instantly cold in the fall and winter. These DIY coffee cozies are a great way to use scrap or stash fabric. Make them for yourself, or whip some up to gives as gifts!

1. Knit Cozy – Grab this free pattern and whip up cute cozies in your favorite colors.

2. Coffee Cozy and French Press Cozies – Stitch up matching cozies to keep your French press coffee warm from carafe to cup.

3. Button Cozy – Raid your button stash for this cute, simple reusable coffee cozy.

4. Cat Cozy – Wrap your cup in a kitty hug. Download the free pattern for this cute felt coffee cozy.

5. Pencil and Paper Cozy – These would make a great teacher gift.

6. Ruffle Cozy and Gift Card Holder – Include some coffee with that coffee cozy. This ruffled cozy has a space where you can tuck in a gift card to your favorite local spot.

7. Fox Cozy – Grab the free pattern for this super cute fox-themed coffee cup cozy.

8. Hope Mug Cozy – Paper coffee cups aren’t the only ones that go cold in winter. If you use this free pattern, the pattern creator asks that you donate a dollar to St. Jude Children’s Hospital to help fight childhood cancer.

9. Custom Sized Mug Cozy – Mugs come in many sizes, and this tutorial shows you how to create a custom cozy for your favorite one.

10. No-Sew Coffee Cozy – Felt and hot glue are the keys to this simple coffee cozy tutorial.

The post 10 DIY Coffee Cozies for You or for Gifts appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

I love a hot drink as much as Carrie Poppy, but those fancy coffee and tea drinks are crazy expensive. You can save a lot of money this fall and winter by making your own hot drinks at home. Bonus: since you’re cooking from scratch, you can control the ingredients. That means you can make your hot drinks healthier than the coffee shop variety, too!

1. Pumpkin Spice Latte – A homemade pumpkin spice latte is cheaper and healthier than the coffee shop variety.

2. Mexican Hot Chocolate – Cocoa, schmocoa. Mexican hot chocolate is like cocoa on deliciousness steroids. Deliciousness steroids are a thing, right?

3. Salted Caramel Frappuccino – Don’t spend $5 or $6 at the coffee shop on a sugar drink when you can make a healthier, less pricey version at home that’s arguably more delicious! x

4. Turkish Coffee – You normally need a special pot to brew Turkish coffee, but you can do it at home in a saucepan with this technique.

5. Hot Buttered Rum – Okay, so this isn’t a coffee drink. But what’s better than a cozy mug of booze on a chilly fall evening?

6. Homemade Chai Tea – Make spicy, sweet chai at home with this hand-mixed chai recipe. Just steep it until it’s nice and strong, then add your milk and sweetener of choice.

7. Peppermint Drinking Chocolate – Is it too soon for pepperminty hot drinks? I say never!

8. Homemade Pour-Over – A Chemex is a bit of an up-front investment, but if you think about how many expensive pour-overs you’d have to buy to break even, you end up saving money in the end.

9. Homemade Frothed Milk – Whether you choose soy, almond, cow, or coconut milk, a little frothing elevates a regular cup of coffee to fancy coffee level. And you can froth your own in the microwave! What! Shake some cinnamon on top, and call it an Americano.

10. Mulled Cider – Are you tempted by pricey mugs of mulled cider? Here’s how to mull your own with made-from-scratch mulling spices.

The post 10 Homemade Hot Drink Recipes for Fall appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

So I was in the coffee drive-thru the other day, and after I got my drink, I looked down at the receipt and realized I had just paid $5.25. For ONE DRINK. In an effort to save money this summer (while still staying caffeinated), I decided to start bringing my own cold coffee drinks from home. I went to the dollar store to look for a reusable to-go cup, and I found four different cups I liked.

Each cup is very different! I am obsessed with personality types, so I started to imagine what each beverage would say about its owner’s personality.

But before I get to the personality types, here’s my plan for saving money on iced coffee: One carton of International Delight Iced Coffee is less than $4, and contains eight 8-oz servings per container. That’s less than $.50 a serving!

Saving Money on Iced Coffee Project:

• One reusable to-go cup from the dollar store, $1
• A cup of International Delight Iced Coffee, less than $.50

Total cost: $1.50 (but you only have to buy a reusable cup once!)

Which refreshing coffee drink are you?

Which drink best describes you? I’ve paired a reusable to-go cup from the dollar store with four different flavors of International Delight Iced Coffee. Here’s how I imagined these drinks’ personalities:

Sophisticated Sweet Cream Latte

You are an elegant wine to-go cup filled with Cold Stone Sweet Cream Iced Coffee! You are mature, pulled together, and you have great manners. Your approach to life: smooth with a hint of sweetness.

Sporty Caramel Macchiato Light

You are a tall sports bottle filled with Caramel Macchiato Light Iced Coffee! You are energetic, disciplined, and aren’t afraid to work hard. You keep friendships light, yet you have a lot of depth.

Classic Iced Mocha

You are a reusable coffee house to-go cup filled with Mocha Iced Coffee! You are dependable, a loyal friend, and have great taste. You are an original and don’t jump on trends until they have proven to have staying power.

Funky Cookies ‘n Creme Coffee

You are a colorful mason jar mug (with a silly straw!) filled with Cookies ‘n Creme Iced Coffee! You are whimsical, creative, and always looking for the next party. You won’t settle for simple, when more is always more fun.

International Delight Iced Coffee Tumbler Sweepstakes!

International Delight is giving away 100 Iced Coffee tumbers a week!

Just visit the International Delight Facebook page to enter.

While you’re on their Facebook page, you can also print coupons and find out where to buy International Delight products.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of International Delight. The opinions and text are all mine.

The post Which Refreshing Coffee Drink Are You? appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

I’ve long been a fan of using popsicle sticks in craft projects, so it’s no surprise that back in my days of working at a coffee shop I actually bought a whole box of wooden stir sticks from my employers.  And when I saw this awesome container made out of them, I immediately added the project to my ever growing to-make list.  However, you don’t have to go out and buy them in order to have enough for this project; each time Scott from What I Made grabbed himself a cup of coffee, he saved his stir stick instead of throwing it in the garbage.  If you are as addicted to the stuff as I am, you’ll have a collection of them in no time!  (If this project looks familiar, you might have seen it when it was featured in Make Magazine!)  [how to make a coffee stir stick container]

Project estimate:

• Coffee stir sticks, on hand
• Wooden beads, on hand or $1
• Soda can, on hand
• Wire, on hand or $1
• Glue, on hand or $1 and up

Total:  Free and up!

The post Make a Coffee Stir Stick Container 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.

Resin has always been on my crafting bucket list, and I was so excited this week when I finally got to try my hand at resin crafting, courtesy of ETI Environmental Technology, the makers of Envirotex Lite Resin. I’m a huge coffee fan, so I made a coffee bean storage jar with real coffee beans embedded in resin in the lid. Don’t worry if you’re not a fan of coffee beans – this technique would make the cutest storage for all your craft supplies. Simply embed bits of whatever you are going to store inside the jar – beads, buttons, candy sprinkles, etc.

This is a great beginner resin project because you are using a small amount of resin on a small object, and you just have to pour the resin in and not worry about unmolding (like with resin jewelry).

Resin Embedded Coffee Bean Storage Jar

Project Materials:

• Glass storage jar with glass lid, $1 and up (I bought mine at Michael’s for about $5)
• Envirotech Lite 2 part resin
• Whole coffee beans (about 1/4 cup)

Resin mixing supplies:

• 2 mixing cups, flat bottomed and smooth-sided
• Flat wooden mixing stick, like a large popsicle stick
• Paintbrush (that you will never use again)
• Disposable gloves, latex or nitrile
• Contact paper to protect your work surface

If you will need to move your project out of the way while it cures (which I did because I have three curious little boys!), you might want to prepare a movable work surface that you can keep your project on. I used an old cutting board covered in freezer paper. I read somewhere that Contact paper is a great surface protector, and that resin peels right off the surface after it dries.

To Make:

1. Make sure jar is clean and dry. My jar was a square-topped Anchor Hocking jar. The lid has a slight indent at the top, which is perfect for holding embedded items. Pour coffee beans onto the top of the lid to determine how many to use. You want them to be relatively flat and spread out because the top of the lid is pretty shallow. Remove the beans from the lid and put aside. (Oh, and THEN make sure the lid is clean again!)

2. Get all supplies ready to use so they will be easy to reach while you work. You will just be working with the lid, so put the jar aside.

3. Mix resin according to package directions. You will need about 1-2 ounces of resin for this project, depending on the size of your lid.

The instructions for Envirotech Lite tell you to mix equal parts of the resin, and mix in one cup for a full minute, scraping the sides and bottom to be sure they get very well mixed. Then transfer to a second mixing cup and mix for an additional minute.

4. Put coffee beans in first mixing cup, and pour a bit of resin over them. Stir to coat, making sure each bean is coated in resin. Then transfer resin-coated beans to lid and spread out.

5. Top beans with remaining resin. Be sure you don’t overfill the lid, or the resin will leak out and potentially ruin your project.

6. Make sure every bean is coated with resin. It’s all right if the beans are poking up out of the resin, as long as they are completely coated. If necessary, use a paintbrush to spread resin over beans that aren’t coated. You can also move the beans around with the paintbrush or a bamboo skewer to make sure they are evenly spread around.

The resin instructions say to remove bubbles that rise to the surface with a propane torch or heat gun. I skipped this step for this project because I didn’t know how the flame would interact with the coffee beans, and also, I didn’t see any major bubbles.

7. Let the resin cure for 24 hours or according to package directions.

Tips for Using Resin

I have always heard that resin is a challenging craft material, so I tried to read up on using resin successfully. Of course, no amount of reading up compares with jumping in and experiencing a craft for yourself! A few things you must do when working with resin:

• Use proper ventilation (open window, fan, etc.)
• Treat resin with respect – it is a potentially harmful chemical
• Follow all instructions that come with the resin
• Mix as directed. Mix at least two minutes, and scrape sides of mixing cup while mixing
• Mix in small amounts. You can always mix more later.

Because resin is a finicky craft supply, you can never quite be sure how it will turn out until the next day (especially if you are molding and unmolding it). And waiting for 24 hours to find out can be pure torture! Be sure you have something else to occupy your mind during the waiting period.

I had a few mis-steps before I finally had a resin project turn out, so be sure to read as much as you can about using it before you jump in. Don’t freak out, though, you will do fine! It just takes a bit of experience working with resin to get a feel for it. You can’t always get everything perfect the first time! Here’s a resource that will help you learn the right way to do things:

After I did all my resin crafting, I found this ebook by Jenny Skinner: Getting Started With Resin Jewelry. It’s $5 and it has a lot of good information. I probably would have avoided a lot of trouble if I would have read the book before I started! It’s well worth the $5, especially because resin is not a cheap craft supply and a craftfail could mean wasting more than $5 worth of resin. [no compensation for this link, just good info!]

Additional Resin Resources:

• Lots of Cheap Resin Mold Ideas at craftlog
• Let’s Talk Resin at crafty minx – good tips & links for resin
• Using Unconventional Molds for Resin at Two Crafty Mules

About ETI

Other crafters who have resin tutorials this week:

disclosure: ETI provided the resin & paid me for doing this project. Opinions are mine, of course.

The post Tutorial: Resin Embedded Coffee Bean Storage Jar appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

If you aren’t familiar with Keurig coffee makers, they are a single-cup style of brewer that uses small cups of ground coffee with built-in filters for the brewing process.  They’re a great solution for people who only want to brew a cup at a time, and while some models are compatible with a refillable filter cup, they are commonly used with disposable, single-use cups.

DSC Reader Mae has been saving her empty Keurig cups, but isn’t sure what to do with them.  I think they would look cute as little shades on a set of Christmas lights.  What other crafty things can you make using the empty cups?

[photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons]

The post Reader Question: What to Make from Empty Keurig Cups? appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

I was really excited when I was invited to guest post at The CSI Project this month, and even more excited when I saw the theme of recycled crafting this week.  Recycled crafting is one of my favorite genres to play with!  For my project, I decided it was a good opportunity to use up something I have in mass quantity:  coffee bags!  I love coffee almost as much as I love crafts, so I have no shortage of them in a wide assortment of colors.  Would you ever guess that they are what I used to make this flower bib necklace?  I’m so happy with how it turned out!  Head over to The CSI Project to see how I made it!   [how to make a recycled coffee bag flower necklace]

Project estimate:

• Coffee bags, on hand
• Three colors felt, on hand or $1
• Scrap fabric, on hand
• Buttons, on hand
• Embroidery floss, on hand
• Glue, on hand

Total:  Free and up

The post Make a Recycled Coffee Bag Flower Necklace appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.