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.

Anyone else a huge LEGO fan? My three boys love LEGO bricks, and I have to admit, even I have a LEGO set on my holiday wishlist (Lord of the Rings Wizards Battle, if anyone is wondering!). This holiday season, LEGO has created an online experience called “LEGO Minifigure Family”, which enables you to create your own custom LEGO Minifigure holiday card.

Who doesn't want to see themselves and their family members as LEGO Minifigures?

Each member of your Minifig’ family can be customized to match skin tone, facial expressions, outfits and more. You can also customize the background. Once you’ve got your family Minifig-ed, you can share the holiday card with your friends and family via your social channels.

My three boys each took a turn customizing our family. It was entertaining to find out how each of them sees each member of the family (for instance, one of them gave my husband gray hair, and he totally doesn't have gray hair!)

The boys definitely enjoyed making their own LEGO Minifigure Family pictures. It's free, fun, and family-oriented. What more could you ask for during the holidays?

The post Free Fun: Make a LEGO Minifigure Family Portrait appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Don’t forget, you can now pre-order the LeapPad Ultra UPDATE: The LeapPad preorder is sold out! Click here to find out partner retailers where you can buy it. The LeapPad Ultra is the ultimate tablet for kids age 4-9. It has everything parents want (educator-approved content, kid-safe web access, and built durable and tough to withstand kid-use), and things kids will love (access to 800+ fun games, eBooks and more, wi-fi connectivity to kid-friendly sites, and a big 7″ high-resolution screen).

What are your rules for using screens in your home?

I’m not gonna lie, my kids do have regular screen time. In the summer, I let them use TV or handheld devices in the morning so I can get an hour or two of extra sleep in the morning. Then I get up, we start our day, the kids go outside (and usually get completely wet or muddy at least twice a day!), and they are off screens until after dinner. Ideally. Sometimes they manage to get more screen time.

Do you let your kids use your phone, a handheld tablet or other device, or a computer? Do you ever worry about the things they might stumble across when they have unfettered access to a device meant for grownups?

What I like about the LeapPad Ultra

• Lots of great content for kids, all kid-friendly and parent approved
• Access to the web, in a kid-safe way
• Great games and apps that are fun, but also educational

Preorder now! Update: Find Partner Retailers Now

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

The post Sponsored: The Ultimate Tablet for Kids! appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Pre-Order or Enter to Win the Ultimate Kids Learning Tablet from LeapPad Ultra!

I love that my kids know their way around technology, but I don’t always want them stealing my devices. If only there was a kid-friendly device they could call their own. Oh wait, there is! The LeapPad Ultra:

• Built for kids, inside and out, LeapPad Ultra is the 100% kid-perfect tablet with 7” hi-res screen, kid-safe Wi-Fi and instant access to 800+ fun and educator-approved games and apps.
• Works with LeapFrog Explorer cartridges and apps (sold separately)
• Fun Features: LeapPad Ultra comes packed with all the fun features kids want. Play, draw and write on a 7” hi-res screen, designed with feather-light responsiveness for a kid’s touch. Capture your world in two ways with front-and-back cameras and video recorders. Check out new creative tools with enhanced Photo and Art Studio apps, and jam to music with the built-in MP3 player. Kids can even chat and play peer-to-peer in two included apps!
• Safe Wi-Fi, Age-Appropriate Content: Enjoy the instant fun of Wi-Fi in a secure, kid-friendly tablet. Kids can use LeapSearch, powered by Zui, to browse age-appropriate videos and images from the web in a safe, walled-off site. Simple parental settings make it a snap to take charge of your child’s online experience—no stress, no surprises!
• Award-Winning Apps that Adjust To Your Child’s Level: LeapPad Ultra works with LeapFrog’s award-winning library of 800+ educator-approved apps, games, eBooks, videos, music and more. With games that automatically adjust to your child’s level, kids stay challenged and inspired to learn.
• Observe Your Child’s Progress: Connect LeapPad Ultra to the LeapFrog Learning Path to see the details of your child’s play and learning, including levels achieved, skills practiced and recently played games. Celebrate accomplishments with online rewards, and gather ideas to support the learning.
• Works With Cartridges, or Without: LeapPad Ultra works with LeapFrog Explorer game cartridges, or you can download apps directly to the device through the Wi-Fi App Center. With 8GB of storage and a built-in lithium ion rechargeable battery, the learning fun never ends!

Enter to Win the LeapPad Ultra:

Enter daily for a chance to win the Ultimate Kids’ Learning Tablet — LeapPad Ultra Sweepstakes

• How to enter: Visit the LeapPad Sweeps site and enter the required information. Upon entering the sweepstakes, you may invite up to five friends to participate. If they are chosen to win a LeapPad Ultra, you’ll win one too!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

The post Sponsored: Win the Ultimate Kids Learning Tablet from LeapPad Ultra appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Today, we’re happy to share the instructions for one of the projects in the book — the “It’s a Wrap” Dress.

It’s a Wrap T-shirt Dress Project Materials:

• T-shirt, $1
• 1 yard of fabric, on hand or $1 and up
• 1 package of mini pompom trim, $1 and up
• Zipper foot for your sewing machine, on hand
• For the flower: fabric scraps, 3 individual pom poms and a pin back, on hand or $1
• Sewing tools such as scissors, etc.

Total: $1 and up

How to make the dress (size small 2/3 — follow image instructions for larger sizes):

(Click image to enlarge instructions).

Getting Ready

1. Lay the t-shirt out flat, measure and mark 4.5″ down from each underarm seam, and cut. Mark the center front and center back of the shirt.

2. Measure the circumference at the bottom edge of the t-shirt and multiply by 1.25. Divide this number by 2 to determine the width of the skirt front and the skirt back. For a size 2/3, the skirt length will be 13″. See image for pattern diagram.

3. For the front wrap section, make a paper pattern or draw the following measurements with a fabric marker or chalk directly on the fabric, adjusting measurements as desired (see figure A on image above).

Width: Measure the width of the skirt front as cut; subtract 5″.

Length: Measure the length of the skirt front as cut; subtract 1/2″ on the left side and 2″ on the right side.

4. For the ties, cut two 30″ x 6″ pieces.

(click to enlarge image instructions)

Sewing the Dress

5. Press the shorter side and the bottom edge of the front wrap piece 1/2″ to the wrong side. Using the zipper foot, sew the pompom trim to the wrong side of the folded edge, pivoting the stitching at the corner.

6. With right sides up, place the wrap piece over the skirt front, aligning the left and upper edges; baste (the layers will be treated as one in following steps). With right sides together, pin the skirt front to the back along the sides; stitch. Mark the center front and center back of the skirt.

7. Narrow-hem the bottom of the skirt.

8. Gather the upper edge of skirt. Pin the gathered edge to the lower edge of the t-shirt, aligning marks and seams. Adjust the gathers and stitch the skirt to shirt. Press seams toward the shirt. Remove visible basting stitches.

9. To make each tie, fold the 30″ x 6″ strip in half lengthwise with right sides together. Cut one short end diagonally. Stitch the long and diagonal edges (see figure B in the instruction image above). Trim seam allowances and corners; turn right side out. Clean-finish the open edge and press it 1/2″ to one side.

10. Pin the folded edge of each tie end at each side seam, centered over the waist seam. Edgestitch in place.

11. To make a flower (optional), cut a piece of skirt fabric 3″ wide x 8″ long. Fold the strip in half lengthwise, wrong sides together, and finish the cut edges with a zigzag stitch. Run a row of gathering stitches along the sewn edge, then pull to tighten, creating a flattened circle. Position as much of the stitching at the back of the flower as possible. Overlap the two short ends at the back of the flower and hand-sew to create a stay. Sew three mini pompoms in the center. Attach a pin back.

Photos and Project from Sew Pretty T-Shirt Dresses by Sweet Seams Studio, published by Sixth&Spring Books. Photography by Dan Howell and dress design and instructions copyright © 2013 by Sixth&Spring Books/Soho Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

See More Sew Pretty T-shirt Dresses with the Sew Pretty T-Shirt Dresses Blog Tour

May 5
The New York Mom will feature a finished project
Nouveau Stitch will feature a finished project, “Flirty Shirt”
Just Pure Lovely will host a giveaway
The Crafty Princess Diaries will host a giveaway

May 6
Craft Knife will feature a finished project, “Cool Water”
Stitched by Crystal will feature a project for her 9-month-old
BlogHer DIY will feature a project

May 7
Prudent Baby will review and host a giveaway
House of 34 will host a giveaway

May 8
Smashed Peas and Carrots will feature a finished project, “Bubble Tea”
Simply Modern Mom will review and might do a project

May 9
Marsha’s Spot will feature a finished project, “Patchwork of Art” and host a giveaway
Sew Spoiled will review the book
Maya Made will feature a finished project

May 10
Dollar Store Crafts – featuring a project (this post here!)
Only From Scratch will feature a project

May 11
A Few Shortcuts will review and host a giveaway
Wild Olive will feature a finished project
Positively Splendid will feature a finished project

May 12
On the Laundry Line will feature a finished project
Elegance and Elephants will feature a finished project

May 13
Luvinthemommyhood will review and host a giveaway
My Little Gems will host a giveaway

The post Tutorial: Make a T-shirt Wrap Dress with Sew Pretty T-shirt Dresses appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Who wants five new craft books? You do! This weekend, we’re pulling five of the newest, coolest crafty books off our prize shelf to give to you. To enter, scroll down to the bottom of the page and follow the instructions. But before that, check out the books we’re giving away. All five of these will go to ONE lucky person!

1. Doodle Stitching: Embroidery & Beyond: Crewel, Cross Stitch, Sashiko & More
by Aimee Ray

This book has a whole bunch of cute projects that use needlepoint techniques such as embroidery (a quilt, a pouch, a doll skirt, among other projects), applique (apron, cuff, and cuckoo clock project), redwork and crewel (scarf, messenger bag, family tree), Sashiko and Shisha (placemats, curtain, skirt), and cutwork and stumpwork (pincushion, bookmark, and throw pillow).

2. New Dress a Day: The Ultimate DIY Guide to Creating Fashion Dos from Thrift-Store Don’ts
by Marisa Lynch

This is the book that was born of the fabulous blog New Dress a Day in which author Marisa Lynch took on a challenge to DIY ONE OUTFIT every day on a budget of just $1! The following 365 days resulted in tons of cute looks that were refashioned from thrifted or cast-off clothing. Imagine a muu-muu being transformed into a cute little dress, and you get the picture. You’ll love the blog, and the book is awesome too! You’ll find a whole variety of DIY fashion projects, from dresses, to t-shirts, to making costumes from thrift store finds.

Knit Your Own Zombie: Over 1,000 Combinations to Rip ‘n’ Reassemble for Horrifying Results
by Fiona Goble

You can probably imagine that my three boys were pretty big fans of this book when it arrived in the mail. The knit zombie patterns are really adorable (adorably creepy!), and you can customize them by assembling the dolls any way you want, using different parts of patterns for ghoulish torsos and malformed limbs. Patterns for a classic zombie, Frankenstein’s Monster (the original zombie!), a zombie cop, and even a female zombie fatale are including, among other patterns.

Return of the Stupid Sock Creatures: Evolutions, Mutations, and Other Creations

by John Murphy

I tell ya what you’re gonna do. You’re gonna buy some funky socks at the dollar store, then you’re gonna make a whole load of cute “stupid sock creatures.” This book is full of lots of fun creatures to make out of socks! Visit John’s site for more Stupid Creatures.

Adventures in Pompom Land: 25 Cute Projects Made from Handmade Pompoms

by Myko Diann Bocek

Using yarn and wool roving, author Myko Diann Bocek creates the most adorable pompom creatures, such as the bluebird featured on the cover. Other adorable creatures in the book are a bushy-tailed squirrel, a woodland fox, and a swan.

Win these 5 Craft Books!

 
It’s super easy! Just log in with your Facebook account to sign into this giveaway widget below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Giveaway: 5 New Craft Books! appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Some people always wear jeans, but I'm a huge tights and leggings person. I feel most comfortable in a pair of leggings and a dress. I love that I can keep up with my three little boys and still look put together when I wear leggings or tights. No nonsense asked me to try out a pair of No nonsense tights and leggings from their affordable selection and let you know my thoughts on them.

In the photo above, I'm wearing the Bold Diamond Control Top Tights. I love the subtle diamond pattern. I wear tights frequently, and I have been known to spend $15-20 per pair of tights, so I was surprised to find out that these tights retail for $6.99, and that you can can easily find No nonsense tights at food & drug stores as well as mass retail stores. And, these tights are high-quality and sturdy. I expect this pair to last for the entire winter.

Remember how I said I usually spend at least $15 a pair for tights? I always special-order colorful tights online because I can't find anything but black and brown in stores, but guess what? No nonsense has gorgeous tights that come in an array of bright colors like these! Mustard, turquoise, pear green and beyond. It's easy to dress up an outfit just by adding a pair of colorful tights, and these retail for just $6.49.

I am impressed with No nonsense tights for three reasons: colors available, affordability, and quality.

No nonsense also makes leggings, ranging from classic stretch cotton leggings to denim and corduroy leggings. I got a pair of plain black leggings to try out. My standard outfit is a short dress/long shirt, leggings, and boots, so I put the leggings to work right away.

After checking out the No nonsense store locator, I discovered I can buy No nonsense leggings at Safeway, Rite Aid, and K-mart near me. I would never expect to find leggings at a grocery store, yet there they are! These leggings retail for about $12.99.

The best thing about these leggings is that they come in a range of sizes, including plus sizes. Also, the fact that you can buy these leggings at the grocery store is pretty awesome!

What do you think? Are you going to try to find No nonsense tights and leggings at your grocery store next time you shop?

Keep up with No nonsense on Facebook and keep up with No nonsense on Twitter.

The post Dollar Store Fashion: No nonsense Tights & Leggings Review appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

I love plants and I am a huge sucker for a pretty garden, but I'm not so great at um… the gardening part. The folks at Curbside Chaos are on a mission to make gardening easy for everyone, so they've created a foolproof tool to help aspiring gardeners create a beautiful yard.

The Garden Guru tool takes just a few clicks, and will help you find the perfect bulbs for your yard, and give you tips on how to plant them.

Step 1 – Pick your Country
Step 2 – Pick your location within that Country
Step 3 – Choose the type of bulb you want to grow
Step 4 – Check out the Planting Guide that shows you how to plant your bulbs.

I got tips for how to plant allium bulbs in my area of Oregon:

I would so love to see those feathery purple puffballs in my yard starting in March!

CurbsideChaos.com Yard Makeover Winner:

I just found out who who won the yard makeover from Curbside Chaos — check out this video with host Taniya Nayak and the winner doing the yard makeover!

What would you do to your yard with a $5,000 makeover? I would definitely put in lots and lots of flowers designed to bloom during different months so I would always have some color, no matter what time of year.

visit www.digdropdone.com to learn more

Help give to the less-fortunate with just a click!

• Every share on Twitter with the hashtag #CurbsideChaos, "Bulbs. Dig, Drop, Done." will donate $1.00 to Rebuilding Together – the nation’s leading nonprofit, working to preserve affordable homeownership and revitalize communities.

Special offer from Dig.Drop.Done!

• Through 11/30/12, you can receive a free gardening themed Scholastic book with every Dig.Drop.Done flower bulb purchase, while supplies last! Just clip the Dig.Drop.Done logo from your bulb package and send in for your book. You can find flower bulbs at a variety of lawn & garden retailers.

• Please visit www.scholastic.com/digdropdone for more details and the Official Rules. Offer is open to anyone eighteen years of age or older who is a legal resident of the 50 United States or Washington DC. Void where restricted or prohibited.

The post Easy Gardening with Bulbs; Tips and more! appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Washi tape is a patterned masking tape that is great for adorning all kinds of craft projects. The special price of $1.25 (plus shipping) for washi tape is in honor of grand opening — that is about 70% off normal price. They have 10 different Christmas prints to choose from. Make sure to go over to www.thecompanyboutiques.com and get your self a roll of washi tape and also make sure to Like them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thecompanyboutiques.

The post Sponsored: Washi Tape $1.25 at The Company Boutiques appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Yesterday I told you about the new Daily Deal site The Company Boutiques, and today I wanted to share one of their awesome deals: Shabby Flowers. Anything looks cuter when you put a shabby flower on it!

These adorable little Shabby Flowers are one of the FREE (+shipping) items over at The Company Boutiques Daily Deal Site. This is one of their grand opening items and they have over 10 different colors to choose from. These are perfect to make a hair bow out of or even sew on to a basic tank top. Make sure to go over to www.thecompanyboutiques.com and get your free flower and also make sure to Like them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thecompanyboutiques

The post Sponsored: The Company Boutiques FREE Shabby Flowers appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.