As Allison at little lovelies watched Valentine's Day decor posts pop up all over the blog world, she am once again reminded of how lame her holiday decoration collection was. She wasn't exaggerating - she did not own one Valentine's decoration. Until now. I really love the simplicity and the gradient color. I also like that these can be framed, left in en embroidery hoop, or even given out as Valentines to your loved ones! [how to make cross stitch ombre hearts]

Project estimate:

• Fabric, on hand or $1 and up
• Embroidery hoop, $1 and up
• Embroidery floss, on hand or $1 and up

Note: Instead of buying four colors of thread, you can start with white and use RIT dye or Kool-Aid to color it. For each shade, leave the thread in longer to create a darker color.

I'm always looking for new ways to dress up plain paper lanterns.  (They're one of my favorite dollar store items!)  Jill from Meet the Dubiens decorated her daughter's bedroom in a Pottery Barn Kids theme with lots of cute owls and trees.  To compliment the PBK decorations, she made owls out of some paper lanterns that were left over from a birthday party.  If you aren't into owls, get creative and use the same techniques to make whatever animals you want!  [how to make an owl lantern]

Project estimate:

• Paper lantern, $1
• Scrapbook paper, on hand
• Craft foam, on hand or $1
• Buttons, on hand
• Glitter glue, on hand or $1
• Glue, on hand

Total:  $1 and up

Kate from Salvage Dior had been searching for an antique, scroll-y iron piece to hang on her wall as art.  Unfortunately, she couldn't find one in her price range.  Then one day she came across a fancy rubber door mat at the dollar store and had a brilliant idea!  Would you ever guess that it's actually a door mat?  It's a great way to add drama and vintage charm to your decor without paying a premium price, and since the door mat is much lighter than an actual iron piece, it won't require special hardware to hang.  [how to turn a rubber door mat into wall art]

Project estimate:

• Fancy rubber door mat, $1 and up
• Spray paint, on hand or $1 and up
• Sandpaper, on hand or $1

Total:  $1 and up

Valentine's Day is a low-key decorating holiday for our family, so I like to make homemade decorations with my three boys. It's amazing how cheerful humble handmade hearts can be! Share the craft love with your children with a simple beading project that is perfect for small hands to work on. With a few common crafting materials, they make a beaded heart mobile that everyone will love! This is a cheerful gift for Grandma, or to hang up in the child's bedroom window. If you don't have all these materials on hand already, you can pick them up at the dollar store or for less than $5 at the craft store. As always, I encourage you to improvise so you can use whatever you already have on hand!

I found these wooden beads in small packages at the dollar store. Pony beads or homemade paper beads, duct tape beads, or recycled plastic bottle beads would work well.

Project Materials:

• 3 chenille stems (pipe cleaners), on hand or $1
• 18 medium-sized beads, on hand or $1
• 1/8" ribbon or yarn, on hand or about $.50 at your local craft store
• pencil

Total: FREE and up

To Make:

1. Thread 4-6 beads on a chenille stem (or more if you like, and depending on your child's age!).

2. Fold the chenille stem in half. Bring the two ends of the chenille stem together about 1" from each end and twist together twice until stem is secured

3. Parents might need to help with this step: place your thumb on the folded part of the pipe cleaner and push down between your index and middle finger to form a heart shape (as shown in photo)

4. Curl the ends of chenille stems around a pencil to keep the sharp ends from sticking out

5. Make three hearts and tie together with 8" pieces of ribbon or yarn to make a one-stranded mobile

6. Make multiple mobiles and hang together for a fun Valentine's Day decoration

Tips:

• Great Garlands: Instead of stringing the hearts vertically as a mobile, try stringing them side to side to make a horizontal garland.
• Heart Ornaments: Tie a piece of ribbon on a single heart to make a pretty heart ornament. Attach it to your Valentine's Day cards for a fun favor.
• Mini Hearts: To make small hearts, cut a chenille stem in half (use old scissors -- never good scissors!) and follow steps 1-4.

When Amanda from Wit & Whistle came across a pretty linen pillow with the lyrics to "You Are My Sunshine" printed on it at Vivaterra, she was drawn to it.  There were two things that she wasn't too keen on though:  the choice of words (cute, but not her favorite) and the price.  ($159 for a throw pillow??)  Instead she made her own version, recreating the look for a whole lot less.  I love the quote she chose.  In fact, I think I like her DIY pillow better than it designer counterpart!  [how to make a stenciled quote pillow]

Project estimate:

• Pillow cover or fabric, on hand or $1 and up
• Cardboard, on hand
• Pencil, on hand
• Letter stencil, on hand or $1 and up
• Fabric marker, about $3

Total:  about $3 and up

With its soft, pink flowers and angular square shape, this Valentine's Day wreath by Nicole at Thrifty Decorating is full of lovely and unexpected juxtaposition.   The technique for making the flowers in pretty simple and straight-forward; if you don't have the time or patience to make enough of them to cover a whole wreath, she also offers a list of smaller, quicker projects using the same roses.  And if you only want to make a few of them, I think they would make a great alternative to a bow when wrapping your next gift!  [how to make a Valentine's Day rose wreath]

Project estimate:

• Foam core board, $1
• Tissue paper, $1 and up
• Hot glue, on hand

Total:  $2 and up

Yes, pretty things can come from humble materials!  This chandelier by Jamie from The Letter 4 is a similar idea to a faux capiz shell chandelier in its use of wax paper circles, but it has a playful, colorful twist:  crayon shavings!  It's the perfect addition to a nursery or child's room, and they can even help by sharpening their crayons.  This reminds me of "stained glass" art that I used to make with wax paper and crayon shavings when I was a kid, and it was always one of my favorite activities!  [how to make a wax paper and crayon chandelier][via Dollar Store Mom]

Project estimate:

• Wax paper, on hand or $1
• Lamps shade frame or wire basket, $1 and up
• Crayon shavings, on hand
• Iron, on hand
• Thread, on hand

Total:  $1 and up

I've been needing new light switch plates in my house for a long time, but since they have to meet two strict standards to be considered - they have to be pretty and very cheap - covering all of my switches has been a long, slow process.  It's pretty easy to find inexpensive plates for single switches, but when it came to the triple switch in my kitchen, I had a little more of a challenge.  Then one day I found a wooden triple switchplate at the Habitiat for Humanity ReStore for a quarter!  It had a beat-up, dark finish, but I liked the shape of it, and I really liked the price, so it came home with me.  Inspired by a vintage cast iron light switch plate, I gave it an embossed makeover.  Believe it or not, the dimensional designs on the surface were made using rubber stamps!  Head over to Decor Hacks to see how it was done.  [how to make a vintage-inspired light switch plate]

Project estimate:

• Light switch plate, on hand or $1
• Sandpaper, on hand or $1
• Spray primer, on hand or $1 and up
• Paint, on hand or $1
• Rubber stamps, on hand
• Pigment ink pad, on hand or about $3 and up
• Embossing powder, on hand or about $2 and up
• Heat gun or blow dryer, on hand

Total:  Free and up

Did you ever do string art as a child?  You know, the kind where you arrange nails or pins in a pattern and then wrap string around them.  The other day as I was hunting for Valentine- and heart-themed crafts, I came across a string art heart at Make Grow Gather made with straight pins stuck into a bulletin board.  My gears started turning and I had an "A-ha!" moment:  What if I made string art on a bulletin board, then spray painted over it, using the string like a stencil?  Would it look as cool as I saw it in my head?  There was only one way to find out, so I gathered up a few supplies and got to work.

Project estimate:

• Bulletin board, $1 and up
• Paint, on hand or $1 and up
• Paper, on hand
• Push pins, on hand
• String or yarn, on hand

Total:  $1 and up

I used a 12 x 12 inch cork tile for my bulletin board, which I found at a local discount store in a four-pack for about $6, or about $1.50 per tile.  (Which is making me tempted to cork up a whole wall!)  Paint the tile in the color you want the shape to be.  I wanted red for my heart, so I picked a nice, bright shade of Martha Stewart multi-surface craft paint called habanero.  I could have just painted the area where I wanted the heart, but I was concerned about how the cork would soak up the paint, so to make sure I had an even finish I went ahead and painted the whole thing.  This will take more paint than you expect because the cork will suck it right in!  You may need to add a second or third coat to get even color.

Cut a heart out of paper to use as a template.  Decide where you want the heart to be positioned on the bulletin board and place the heart there.  Using push pins, outline the heart shape.  Place the pins so that they go around the edges of the paper, but don't put the pins through the paper.  Once all of the pins are in place, remove the paper template.

Tie one end of the string to a push pin and start wrapping.  There is no right or wrong way to do this!  When you're happy with the design, tie off the other end of the string.  Push string down on the push pins so that it is as close to the surface of the cork as possible.

Now it's time to spray paint!  Apply light, even coats of a contrasting color (I chose white) across the tile.  Don't be too heavy-handed with the paint or you will lose the string details!  Paint just enough to cover up the base color.

When the paint dries, pull out the push pins.  As you remove the pins and string, your design will be revealed!  If you want, you can add extra details or embellishments to the design.

I used a pencil eraser and glitter paint to add some sparkle to the heart's outline.  Did it turn out as cool as I saw it in my head?  Nope, it turned out even better!

When Belrossa came across a whole bunch of canning jar lids at a thrift store for a nickel each, she knew she was onto something good.  She's used them for all kinds of things, most recently a fabulously shabby chic wreath!  It's one of the easiest-to-make wreaths you will ever see, making a big statement with minimal effort.  I love the mix of finishes and the bits of rust, but if you're into a more clean-and-modern look, a little spray paint would give it a completely different style.  [how to make a canning jar lid wreath]

Project estimate:

• Canning jar lids, about $1.50 and up
• String, twine, or rope, on hand or $1

Total:  about $1.50 and up