top 10 crafts of 2011

Holy cow, where did 2011 go?  I stopped paying attention for one second and – whoosh!  – it was gone!  It’s been a crazy year for DSC, and some of our posts went completely viral!  We’ve gained so many new readers this year that it makes our heads spin, and you’ve made it clear which projects you love most.  Taking a look back, here are our top 10 posts of 2011.

10.  Reconstructed Clothing Roundup: 5 Ways to Revamp a T-shirt

Knowing that budgets were tight this year, we presented you with five different ways to bring new life to tire old t-shirts.  And you loved them!  [read the post]

9.  Make Reusable Swiffer Covers

Swiffers are great, but the refills are expensive and not at all eco-friendly.  Making your own reusable swiffer covers is one way to both save money and reduce your environmental impact – everybody wins!  [read the post]

8.  Recycle a Soda Bottle into a Coin Purse

One of several crafts making a repeat appearance from last year’s top posts list, this project was DSC’s second most popular in 2010.  However unlike last year, it’s the only recycled craft to make the top 10 list.  Is recycled crafting going out of style?  We hope not!  [read the post]

7.  Make a Pebble Mat

In what might be the number one coincidence I’ve seen all year (or at least all day), this post also came in at number seven on last year’s list.  Crazy, right?  There’s a store near my town that sells these as placemats and table runners, and they are cool but pretty expensive.  This version, however, is much more affordable!  [read the post]

beaded chandelier

6.  Make a Beaded Chandelier

Falling two spots from its place at number four on last year’s list, this is still one of our most popular projects ever.  Heather did a fabulous job with the tutorial, and you won’t believe how easy it is to make your own!  [read the post]

5.  Make Water Balloon Candle Holders

We love projects that have a big “wow” factor, looking elegant and expensive on practically no budget.  (Of course, if you’re here, you probably already know that!)  This is one of those kind of projects.  Even though this post dates back to 2009, it’s gotten some serious attention from social bookmarking sites this year.  [read the post]

4. Make an Alien Abduction Lamp

As last year’s number one post, it’s no surprise that this project is still wildly popular.  It’s another of Heather’s awesome creations and it’s gotten linky love from all corners of the web.  Will it be just as well-loved in 2012? [read the post]

decorate cupcake

3.  Mind-Blowing Cake Decorating Tip

When Heather saw this cake decorating tip, it blew her mind.  Then she shared it with you, and it blew your mind too.  And then it blew up all over Pinterest, taking off like a rocket overnight.  Kaboom!  [read the post]

65 blogs we love

2.  Recommended Reading: 65 Craft Blogs We Love

When stashbusting time rolled around this spring, we thought you might need some inspiration.  We put together a list of 65 blogs we love and told you exactly why you should bookmark each one.  With these fabulous sites, you’ll never be short on ideas ever again!  [read the post]

1.  Make a PB-Inspired Tiled Mirror

Pinterest was kind to Dollar Store Crafts this year, especially when it came to this Pottery Barn knockoff post.  It came out of nowhere and jumped into not only our most-viewed post of the year, but also our second-most-viewed of all time!  The number one all-time spot belongs to the alien abduction lamp… at least for now.  Those aliens better watch their backs!  [read the post]