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

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These DIY tea bags are the perfect gift for the tea lover in your life! When I saw this tutorial from Jessica at Let’s Do Something Crafty I got really excited because I have actually saved and dried an assortment of herbal tea ingredients, including mint, hibiscus flowers, rose hips, and wild burgamot, and I have been wanting to use them to make tea for my husband’s grandmother for Christmas. She loves herbal teas, so hopefully she will be very excited to try our homemade variety! [how to make DIY tea bags]

Project estimate:

• Coffee filters, on hand or $1 and up
• Loose tea, on hand or $1 and up
• Sewing machine, on hand
• Yarn or twine, on hand or $1 and up
• Paper, on hand

Total: Free and up!

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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.

Is your mom a tea drinker? Here is a Mother’s Day gift idea she will love! Lia Griffith made these wonderful Mother’s Day tea tags that she has provided as a free printable, which she attached to some handmade tea bags. If you’re short on time (or just don’t have any loose tea laying around), you could also attach these tags over top of the existing tags on pre-made tea bags. Aren’t they gorgeous? [how to make Mother’s Day tea bags]

Project estimate:

• Loose tea, about $2 and up
• Cheesecloth, on hand or $1 and up
• Baker’s twine, on hand
• Printable tea tags, free

Total: About $2 and up

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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.

Project Estimate

• Tea ball – $1.00
• Plastic toy duck – $1.00

Total:  $2.00

(note: you can get a PVC-free duck here)

This simple project requires a stainless steel teaball, and a small buoyant toy. The toy needs to be small enough to fit inside your mug, in this case it was a small baby duck (Mama duck will be used for bath-time). These ducks have a small opening located on their underside, this is where our teaball will attach to. If the toy you use doesn’t have an opening to hook the teaball in, you will need to create one.

Teaballs have a chain tether that allows them to be dipped into a mug of hot water without burning your fingers. Using needle-nose pliers, remove the chain links until you have a short tether.
Keep the hooked end piece.

With the chain clipped to a short length, insert the flanged hook end into the opening in the ducks underside.
That’s it, your tea duck is ready to go!

Boil water, load up your tea duck, dunk, and enjoy!

.

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Sisters Kirstin and Jordan from kojodesigns put this beautiful wreath together out of stuff they found in their kitchen and recycling bin. I love the idea of organizing your teas visually like this – it allows you to enjoy the colorful varieties of tea, and also helps a visual person choose which tea she wants to drink. Plus, you can change out the look of the wreath depending on the tea sachets you choose. My parents have a coffee bar in their kitchen so guests can come and make any hot drink of their choice anytime. This would be such a cute decoration above the coffee bar, or anywhere in your kitchen. Wouldn’t this be a fun Mother’s Day gift for your tea-loving mothers? [find the tea wreath tutorial here] [thanks]

Project Estimate:

• Recycled cardboard, on hand
• Clothespins, $1
• Various teas, $1 and up
• Pretty paper (scrapbook, giftwrap, etc), on hand
• Glue and scissors

Total: $2 and up

The post Make a Tea Wreath appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

My friend Susan Beal from West Coast Crafty made some adorable cafe-style curtains for her apartment using some pretty tea towels. She also embellished them with buttons to add some crafty charm. This project is a super easy way to update your kitchen or dining area. Non-sewers, don’t be alarmed, the sewing is minimal and simple (you can sew a straight line, right?). Check the link for Susan’s detailed instructions.

I love tea towel (also known as dish towel) projects! The dollar store always has an abundance of dish towels in many different colors and prints. They also come in slightly different sizes, so check the measurements printed on the tags to help determine how many towels you’ll need for your project.

Project Estimate:

• Two matching tea towels, $1
• Buttons, $1
• Tension curtain rod, $3
• Assorted notions and sewing implements, on hand

Total cost: $5

The post Make Quick Cafe Curtains With Tea Towels appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Design*Sponge brings us this simple and fun DIY project which uses pretty teacups as the containers for poured candles. Pretty and simple! I have done this myself in the past with little espresso cups. These would make great gifts for the holidays, especially for co-workers, teachers, or anyone else you want to give a little something to.

You can use any pretty cup you find at the dollar store, or something you have on hand. In addition to espresso demitasse cups, I have also used some vintage water glasses. Anything will do, really!

For the dollar store version of this project, you will buy big pillar candles
at the dollar store to melt down and use for wax, OR you can recycle
candles you already have that have been burned. It might be cheaper and worth it to go to the craft store to pick up the wax, though. If you can’t find wicks at your dollar store, how about using taper candles that are cut to fit in your container?

Project Estimate:

• Pretty cups $1 or on hand
• Wax (pillar candles from DS, recycled, or buy at craft store), $1-5
• Candle wicks $1-3
• Candle scent or dye, $3 and up (or use crayons for dye)

Project total: $3 or so per candle

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Craftster member retro-redux made this charm bracelet using a dollar store play teaset! Clever! Those little cups are too small to drink out of, anyway!

Project Estimate:

Teaset $1
Chain, jumprings, clasp: $5 or so (but you would have more for other jewelry-making jobs)
Buttons and beads: on hand

Total Project Cost: $6 (I bet you could make a few of these for that)

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