Time for more brainstorming!
Alicia posted on the DSC Facebook group wall:
My daughter wants a Kentucky Derby themed party for her 12th birthday (on May 1, same day as the KY Derby this year). Any ideas for inexpensive decorations, favors, etc?

Here are my ideas:

1. Have a “derby hat” making activity, using these instructions from Family Fun (there are also instructions on the same page for making …

I’ve been eying the “fashion shoelaces” at the dollar store for ages, trying to come up with a fun project to use them in.  With my son’s pirate-themed birthday party over the weekend, my brain was finally nudged into gear!  These skull-and-crossbone shoelaces were the perfect thing to fashion bracelets out of for the girl guests at the party — myself included, of course!  [Come …

I’ve been meaning to make a dollar store phone charging station for awhile now. I was going to design a project that looked more like this, but when I found an endcap of metal desk organizers at the dollar store, I knew they would work for different kind of docking station. You can make this station slash organizer for less than five dollars, and it …

You seemed to like my dollar store finds from a couple weeks ago, so I thought I’d share more from a recent trip to the Dollar Tree (I won’t say “most recent” trip, because I’ve been to DT a LOT in the past week!) First up we have these faux moss-covered rocks. These were new to me, and I thought some of you would really …

Need an elegant, yet simple table decoration for a wedding reception, shower, or birthday party? Look no further than these sweet wine glass candle lamps by Save-On-Crafts via CasaSugar. The materials are simple, as is the process, but the results are fantastic, and will make a big impact on your special event. You can find wine glasses and tea lights (I would go with battery-operated …

You can apply chalkboard paint to just about anything and make it special! Did you know you can mix your own chalkboard paint in any color you want? Get the details at Martha (and she has a bunch of cool projects to do with chalkboard paint, too.) You can also find chalkboard decals at the dollar store, and use them to create quick chalkboards on …

Photo by Alexa Westerfield, Swell Designer
Dollar store crafters and party gurus, reader Alexia needs some help!
Heather,

I follow your blog and love so many of your ideas.  I was wondering if I could ask you for your help.  My daughter will be 16 soon and wants to have a “rave” themed sweet 16 party.  I’m looking for some ways to decorate that will fit her …

Taylor at MaryJanes and Galoshes did this innovative project: making photo pencils! What a cool project, and you can make them with any photo you want. These would make a great inexpensive handmade gift for birthday parties, and definitely have a wow-factor that should impress almost anyone. You can get colored pencils at the dollar store. [how to make photo pencils]

Project Estimate:

Box of 12 Colored …

So does anyone else out there do seasonal craft projects and then practically forget to post about them until it’s too late? No? Guess I’m the only one. Here’s a quick and simple favor for St. Patrick’s Day, using stuff from the dollar store. You can make one of these for less than fifty cents. I made this with the little metal buckets from the …

As I was wandering around my local dollar store last week, I didn’t have any particular project in mind; I was just looking to be inspired.  Well, inspiration struck when I saw the pool noodles and the craft foam!
I spent a total of $6 and came up with plenty of bright and colorful decor for my daughter’s upcoming 1st birthday party!

I had so many ideas!  …