No tea party is complete without some treats, right? That’s why you need these paper cookies from Kate at The Craft Train! “Bake” them up once and nibble on them over and over. These would also be great for your favorite little baker to have in their play kitchen, or for any kid who loves both sweets and imaginative play! [how to make paper cookies]

Project estimate:

• Cardboard, on hand
• Cookie cutters, on hand or $1 and up
• Cotton balls, on hand or $1
• Tissue paper, on hand or $1
• Kraft paper or brown paper bag, on hand
• Construction paper, on hand or $1
• Glue sticks, on hand
• Mod Podge, on hand
• Glitter, on hand or $1

Total: Free and up!

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Need a scary snack in a hurry? Check out this spooktastic Halloween snack idea from Ashley at Sugar & Cloth – a selection of everyday sweets become a collection of monster eyeballs! You can find most of what you’ll need at the dollar store. If you’re lucky enough to live near a good bulk candy store, shop around and you can make lots of variations on this creepy treat! [how to make monster eyeball donuts]

Project estimate:

• Mini powdered sugar donuts, $1 and up
• Gummy ring candies, $1 and up
• Peanut butter M&Ms (or other similarly shaped/sized candy), $1 and up
• Royal icing, on hand or $1 and up

Total: $3 and up

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Spring in Atlanta is overwhelmingly beautiful and painfully short. We’re already seeing temperatures in the high 80s and even the 90s, and that calls for popsicles. These popsicles put the artificially flavored, store-bought versions to shame. And some of them even have booze in them! Happy summer, y’all.

1. Bubble Tea Pops – This recipe starts with homemade nut milks as the base for these super cool pops.

2. Pineapple Jalapeno – Sweet and spicy flavors are so refreshing when temperatures spike.

3. Watermelon Margarita Pops – Summer is margarita season, and what’s better than a frozen ‘rita? A margarita pop!

4. Celery Basil – This one might sound a little bit dicey, but it’s surprisingly refreshing!

5. Fresh Fruit and Herb Coconut Pops – These healthy popsicles with big pieces of fresh fruit and whole herbs are as beautiful as they are delish.

6. Vegan Fudgsicles – Oh nothing. Just a two-ingredient fudgsicle that’s totally dairy free!

7. Whiskey Sour – Fresh cherry and apple make this boozy pop sweet, sour, and refreshing.

8. Spa Pops – This cucumber and lemon combo is like a spa day on a stick.

9. Banana Pop – You can make these as healthy or unhealthy as you want, depending on the spreads and toppings you choose.

10. All Fruit – These four-ingredient popsicles feature the best of summer’s fruit bounty.

The post 10 Popsicles to Make this Weekend appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

This post is sponsored by Dollar Tree. All opinions are my own.

Have you ever been in this situation? You want to host a kid’s party.  But the parents aren’t crazy about serving loads of sugar in the form of cake, cookies and other typical party treats.

No cake. No candy. No ice cream. No cookies. No ICE CREAM. Uh, now what?

I got help with this exact dilemma with Dollar Tree’s Value Seekers Club. This club offers free recipes and project ideas incorporating products from your favorite place and mine – Dollar Tree. Membership is free and you get new ideas every month. The projects are printable, so you can take them to the store when you shop. And you can adapt the projects to serve your own purposes.

If you aren’t already convinced, Dollar Store Crafts is giving away a $50 Dollar Tree gift card to one of our readers. You can enter simply by signing up for the Value Seeker’s Club.

Through the Value Seekers Club, I came across a project idea for using toothpicks to make food more interesting to kids. The idea is to cut up sandwich items or other treats into little squares and make kabobs out of them. Simple yet brilliant.

So I started with this –  a luscious bowl of fruit that is lovely yet does not exactly scream “Fun!”

And a box of these – a zillion toothpicks for a dollar.

And elevated my fruit into party food.

I used a small vase I had on hand. If you don’t have one, Dollar Tree has summery plastic goblets and tumblers available now. Or you can always use a trusty glass goblet.

You can use any fruit. But for a similar bouquet, you’ll need one strawberry,  several cherries and grapes (or similar small fruit) and one round fruit like an orange or apple cut into segments.

Use a big chunk of watermelon as your “floral foam.”  Push it down into the glass or vase. Then spear fruit onto the toothpicks. Arrange everything symmetrically.

And now you have a party. Just don’t mention it’s healthy and nobody will know.

To enter the $50 gift card giveaway, please join the Value Seeker’s Club and then enter using Rafflecopter below. Then leave a comment saying which project from the club you want to try first.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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We like to kick off the new school year with a sweet and special treat for the teachers and staff to say welcome back, we missed you! This Dark Chocolate Fudgy Brownie recipe will surely score points galore making you the number one mom at school, plus it tastes great with a morning cup of coffee. (Doesn’t everyone eat chocolate for breakfast?)

See also: Dark Chocolate Toasted Marshmallow S’more Ice Cream Recipe

Brownies are inexpensive and easy to make, and are the perfect gift idea for individuals and groups alike. You can serve a batch of brownies to a large group on a colorful serving platter from your favorite discount store, or wrap individual brownies in a plastic candy bag with a personalized gift tag created a homemade gift everyone will love.

Dark Chocolate Fudgy Brownie Recipe

This smooth and fudgy brownie recipe is quick and easy to make. To enhance the deep, rich flavor or dark chocolate, add a touch of instant espresso powder and taste what a difference it makes – your chocolate will sing!

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 12 Tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter a 9×13-inch baking pan.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
3. Place butter and chopped chocolate in a double broiler over simmering water. Stir until chocolate and butter are completely melted. Lets mixture sit for a few minutes.
4. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and optional instant espresso powder until combined.
5. Pour the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and whisk until completely incorporated.
6. Add the flour mixture and whisk to incorporate.
7. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

The post Recipe: Dark Chocolate Fudgy Brownie appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

One of our favorite summer bucket list activities to do is make s’mores, but we don’t make your ordinary s’mores. Oh no! It’s either go big or go home when it comes to s’more making at our house, and today I’m sharing our Ultimate Summer S’mores Party Ideas, so you too can make your kids summer vacation one to remember for years to come.

Ultimate Summer S’mores Party Ideas

S’mores have become a staple dessert during summer vacation, and with all the flavor possibilities it’s hard to find a person who doesn’t have their own personalized recipe for their favorite summer dessert.

Kid’s love to be independent and add their own personal touches to every thing they do. This summer, why not give kids the opportunity to create their own signature s’mores recipes with their favorite candy bars and chocolate.

Dollar Tree makes it easy to throw a fun, colorful summer s’mores party for kids with their Summer Fun tableware collection. All the color coordinate beautifully so you can mix and match for a fun and festive party tablescape.

Ultimate Summer S’mores Party Recipe Ideas

Ingredients:

• Jumbo Marshmallows
• Graham Crackers
• Chocolate Bars
• Assorted Candy Bars, Chocolates, and Cookies

Supplies:

• Wooden Skewers
• Fire

Directions:

1. Add 1-2 marshmallows on a wooden skewer and roast until golden brown. Let sit until cool to the touch.
2. Place marshmallow on 1/2 a graham cracker and add 1/2 a chocolate bar.
3. Add additional candy bars and chocolates, then top with another 1/2 graham cracker and smash together. Enjoy!

Quick tip: If you’re throwing a large s’mores party, roast marshmallows under a broiler for about 20-30 seconds per side. Watch them carefully though, they can burn fast.

Some of our favorite candy bars and cookies to add include Hershey, Ghiradelli Chocolate Covered Caramel Squares, Fudge Covered Mint Oreo Cookies, Oreo Cookies, Andes Mints and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

These mini (shot) cups from Dollar Tree are perfect for holding individual topping kids can add to their s’mores. We love adding Pop Rocks, Nerds, and Fun Dip for added flavor and pucker factor.

The first combination of the night from my chocolate mint lover. The Fudge Covered Mint Oreo, Andes Mint, Hershey’s Chocolate S’more.

Next up, the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, Hershey’s Chocolate Bar S’mores.

Seriously, what kid doesn’t love an ooey, gooey s’mores dessert on a hot summer night!

You can make a s’more out of any ingredients you love. Try adding bacon for a savory s’more, or sliced hot peppers for a s’more with a bit of a kick. You can every create a more savory s’more with a wheat cracker, prosciutto, and goat cheese.

Here are a few of our favorite Ultimate Summer S’mores Flavor Combinations:

• Salted Caramel – Graham Cracker, Chocolate Covered Caramel Square, Sea Salt, Marshmallow
• The Samoa – Graham Cracker, Chocolate Covered Caramel Square, Toasted Coconut, Marshmallow
• The Nutty Buddy – Graham Cracker, Peanut Butter Cup, Marshmallow
• The Grasshopper – Graham Cracker, Mint Chocolate Square, Marshmallow
• Triple Chocolate S’mores – Chocolate Graham Cracker, Dark Chocolate Square, Chocolate Marshmallow
• Chocolate Covered Banana S’mores – Graham Cracker, Chocolate, Banana, Marshmallow
• Strawberry Nutella S’mores – Graham Crackers, Nutella, Strawberry, Marshmallow

What’s your favorite s’more recipe?

Looking for even more summer fun?  Check out these great ideas to keep the whole family entertained!

The post Ultimate Summer S’mores Party Idea appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Try this clever idea for your next barbecue!  Kelly from Studio DIY took plain, yellow mylar balloons and, with the help of a little tissue paper, turned them into floating hamburgers!  They would make a great, whimsical addition to a birthday party, a family reunion, or any other gathering where you plan to break out the grill.  Or make them as a silly gift for a burger-loving friend!  [how to make hamburger balloons]

Project estimate:

• Mylar balloons, $1 each
• Tissue paper, on hand or $1
• Glue, on hand

Total:  $1 and up

The post Make Hamburger Balloons appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Push pops are hot, hot, hot on the party planning scene.  But with the plastic containers costing about $1 each, making them for a large number of guests could break your party budget.  Luckily, Sibylle from Funkytime has a cheaper alternative: making push pop cakes using paper cups!  Since paper cups come in a vast array of colors and prints, you can easily customize this project to fit any color scheme or party theme.  It’s way more fun than a regular cupcake, plus you have the cup handy to catch the crumbs!  [how to make paper cup push pop cakes]

Project estimate:

• Cupcakes or muffins, on hand or $1 and up
• Paper cups, on hand or $1 and up
• Straws, on hand or $1 and up
• “Push it” printable, free

Total:  Free and up!

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Have you ever made your own ice cream?  It turns out you don’t need a fancy machine to do it – you just need a couple of coffee cans!  Megan at Coffee Cups ans Crayons demonstrates how surprisingly quick, simple, and fun it is to use this method.  She also has a great post about how to make ice cream in a plastic bag!  Who knew there were so many thrifty ways to DIY a frosty summer treat?  [how to make coffee can ice cream]

Project estimate:

• Small coffee can, on hand
• Large coffee can, on hand
• Duct tape, on hand
• Ice, on hand
• Rock salt, on hand or about $5 and up
• Ice cream ingredients (see link above), on hand or $1 and up

Total:  Free and up!

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Have you noticed that Dollar Tree often carries the little single-serving packets of Hawaiian Punch and other drink mixes?  While I’m not a fan of drinking the sugary results, I do enjoy a good, sugary cookie – so I imagine that this Hawaiian Punch cookie recipe from Kelly at Smart School House would be a much more favorable way for me to consume those packets!  They would make a fun addition to a party spread, as well as a great way to add a little color to everyday occasions.  [how to make Hawaiian Punch cookies]

Project estimate: 

• Hawaiian punch packets, $1
• Sugar, on hand
• Eggs, on hand
• Vanilla extract, on hand
• Flour, on hand
• Butter, on hand
• Food coloring (optional), on hand

Total:  $1 and up

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