The questions keep on rolling in! Put your thinking caps on - we have an "out of the box" question. Reader Linda V. asks: I would really like to see some projects created with the great containers from these chocolates! With Valentine's Day around the corner, the heart containers will be up for grabs! I also have Christmas trees, a star, a pyramid, a bunny, etc. these just have to be great for SOMETHING!

Does anyone have any good creative ideas for reusing these boxes?

Reader Blair liked our t-shirt yarn dishcloths, but had a major question about t-shirt yarn: "So I don’t know how when one piece of yarn ends, to begin again with a new one… Does that make sense? Someone please email me.and tell me!" Well, Blair, I'll do you one better and write a whole post about it! How do you turn t-shirts into yarn, and then attach the ends? Read on!

There are a few common methods for making t-shirt yarn. The photo from the top of the page is from Let Birds Fly - she has a great visual tutorial for making t-shirt yarn. The method she uses for making the yarn involves doing "diagonal cuts" to make a continuous spiral of t-shirt yarn.

This seems to be the most common method for cutting a t-shirt into yarn, and it also seems the most time-economical.

When you get to the end of one piece of yarn you can attach it like this:

1. Attach T-shirt Yarn by Stitching

Amanda's Happy Hearth shows how you can attach yarn ends simply by stitching through the ends of the t-shirts. Amanda's tutorial also shows how to create yarn from the non-tubular parts of t-shirts (like the upper chest section), and is good for using the entire t-shirt with almost no waste.

2. Attach T-shirt Yarn by Knotting

Another way to attach ends is by just tying the ends together in a square knot (if you don’t mind the nubs in your finished project), or just twist them together when you are crocheting or knitting to create a more seamless join. I used this method when I made my recycled fabric rag rug over at CROQzine. This is also the method used by Meridian Ariel in the photo of knotted teal yarn above and below.

As you can see, the knots add a certain amount of rustic charm to your knitting project. You'll have to decide if it's right for your project.

3. Attach T-shirt Yarn with the Slit and Slip

The third method is the easiest and least visible once it is worked into a knit or crochet project.

To join t-shirt yarn, cut a small slit in the end of each piece of t-shirt yarn. Slip one end through the other. Push the opposite end of the first piece through its own hole. Pull tight to secure.

So, there you have three methods for joining the ends of t-shirt yarn or rag strips! Hope that helps. Here are some t-shirt yarn ideas for you to get started with once you have a ball of yarn or two:

T-shirt Yarn Craft Project Ideas:

1. Reusable T-shirt Yarn Swiffer-Style Duster Knitting Pattern by Verdigris Knits

2. Recycled T-shirt Yarn Macrame Hangers by The L-T Experience

3. Rainbow T-shirt Braided Rug by Sew Liberated

4. Recycled T-shirt Yarn Flower by Little Treasures

Ahhh, Magnets. One of the most useful craft supplies around. Who doesn't love magnets? I particularly love those little business card ones you can get in the Yellow Pages -- they're fun to alter and craft into a unique decorative magnet. Reader Jen G. asked on our Facebook page: These thin, 3in x 4in magnets were destined for the trash, but I saved them. Now which crafty projects can I make with them? Please share your ideas with me!

Jen's magnets are a little larger than regular business card magnets, so what can she do with them?

I've long been a fan of the plain little notebooks made by an Italian company called Moleskine.  They're a blank slate inside and out (perfect for us artsy types) and come in various sizes, the smaller of which are perfect for throwing in your purse or glove box so you always have them handy.  They're awesome, but that awesomeness comes at a price.  They aren't ridiculously expensive, but for me (I prefer to purchase notebooks for 29 cents each at back-to-school time), they are more than I want to spend.  Feeling the same way, Josie from Fine & Feathered wrote a simple tutorial for making your own...  for free!  The most difficult part of the project is (brace yourself)...  sewing in a straight line.  Sounds tough, eh?  [how to make faux moleskine notebooks]

Project estimate:

• Cereal box, on hand
• Paper, on hand
• Rounded corner punch (optional), on hand
• Glue stick, on hand
• Ruler, in hand
• X-acto knife, on hand
• Sewing machine, on hand

Total:  Free

Inspired by our What to Do with Playdough Containers post, reader Devon asked: "What about used pill bottles? I have an elderly relative who is on lots of medication and ends up with lots of leftover empty prescription bottles. I just know there is some crafty purpose for these so I have been removing and shredding the labels and saving them in a plastic bag in the closet. Anyone have any ideas?"

photo: used with permission by oobbles.com

A while back, we shared a tutorial for making shrinky dink buttons.  The gorgeous designs even came with a template so you could duplicate them.  Inspired, Haley from The Zen of Making decided to experiment with making buttons in different shapes and using different finishes of shrink plastic.  She came up with a genius method for making button templates, as well as a list of tips and tricks that she learned along the way.  If you are button-obsessed, you won't want to miss this post!  [how to make your own custom buttons]

Project estimate:

• Paper punch or die cutter, on hand
• Shrink plastic, about $5 and up
• Permanent markers, on hand
• Hole punch, on hand

Total: $5 and up

Yes, you read that right.  You can make your own pencils out of paper!  When I saw this project the first thing I said was, "woah!"  Using pencil leads (look for the larger-diameter leads for mechanical or drafting pencils) and origami paper, Kimanh from Scissors Paper Wok made the coolest.pencils.ever.  You could also try paper-wrapping the refills for stick ink pens, or look for colored leads...  Or, if you were so inclined, you could even use this technique to fancy up your crayons!   [how to make paper pencils]

Project estimate:

• Pencil leads, about $4
• Paper, on hand or $1 and up
• Mod Podge, on hand

Total:  about $4 and up

My kids are such prolific artists. Every day they bring home about ten drawings from school. I want to keep some of it, but most of our kid art doesn't get the rock star treatment it deserves. So, this week I decided to create a fun t-shirt my son could wear that featured his own art, all glittery and shiny!

In addition to doing tons of cool drawings, my five year-old son has recently begun to write. I love that little kindergarten writing, and I wanted to incorporate it into a craft so we could remember it. I combined some of his drawing and writing with Tulip Shimmer Sheets to make a very simple iron on project.

I usually have a few kid-sized t-shirts on hand because I pick them up at the dollar store whenever I see them. This is also a great project for a stained t-shirt because you can cover up the stains with iron-on glitter.

Project Materials:

• T-shirt, $1 or on hand
• Tulip Shimmer Sheets, $14.99 for 4 sheets (or, $3.75 per sheet)
• Permanent marker, on hand
• Scissors
• Iron
• Piece of tissue paper or paper towel (to use as a pressing cloth)

Total: $3.75 and up per shirt, an investment of $14.99 for the Tulip Shimmer Sheets

About the cost: Yes, its an investment to do this project, but you will be able to get several designs from one package. At this price, each glitter sheet costs about $3.75, so even if you are using one full sheet for a t-shirt, $4.75 is a great price for a shiny, happy, custom t-shirt.

Money-Saving Tip

To keep this project much cheaper per piece, I suggest the following: cut each sheet into half or even quarters before you give it to your child. If you do this, you reduce your costs to $1.87 (for half a sheet), or 94 cents (for a quarter sheet). Now that's what I call Dollar Store Crafting!!

If you use the quarter-sheet method, you will get 16 quarter-sheets, and you can do this craft with 16 kids for about $2 per person (if you get t-shirts at the dollar store). Could be a fun project for a classroom or scout group.

How to Make a Shirt with Glittery Kid Art

1. Cut sheet to desired starting size. Instruct child about the proper use of permanent markers (important if the child is young!) -- tell him the markers are only for writing on the shimmer sheet, not for writing on the table, chairs, or themselves. Protect your table surface with newspaper, if desired.

2.  Let child draw a few simple pictures or write his name or other desired words on the shiny plastic side of the shimmer sheet. This protective plastic sheet will be removed before you iron the sheets. Remember: the drawings themselves will NOT be transferred to the final design.

What to draw on your shimmer sheets

Simple line drawings and silhouettes work best. You might want to discuss with the child what they are going to draw before they start. In my case, this shirt was going to our 2 year-old son who is a huge fan of guitars. I told my 5 year-old what I wanted, and he drew to order.

For words, it can be a little bit tedious to cut out all the letters, and then to peel the protective cover off of them, so you might want to keep it to one or two words! Also, for a thicker "font", use a jumbo or fat permanent marker to make the line a bit thicker.

3.  Cut around all the black lines. Use small, sharp scissors to cut out inside lines. Nail scissors work well for this!

If you don't want to cut out ALL the lines, you can do what I did with this drawing and just cut out the important features so most of the image is filled in with glitter.

4. Figure out the placement you want on your t-shirt. While you are doing this, heat up your iron!

5. Carefully peel the protective sheet off each piece. The pieces will curl just a bit when you have removed the plastic.

6. When you are finished preparing your cutouts, cover them with a "pressing cloth." This can be a thin dishtowel, a piece of scrap fabric, or even a piece of paper. I used tissue paper because I wanted to make sure the letters had the right placement and didn't get bent when I put the pressing cloth over them.

7. Iron according to the package directions (at the appropriate temp for the fabric, press down for 40 seconds).

8. Remove the pressing cloth, and you're done!

We tried to draw guitar strings on the guitar with a permanent marker after the fact, but it didn't really work. So, just make sure you cut out any line details you want to keep.

Tulip Shimmer Sheets Review

This product is really fun to work with, and there are lots of ways you can use it. The thing I love most about it is how simple it is to work with, and the level of glitter is amazing!

Once it's ironed on: The final product is really pretty and sparkly. My boys LOVED this shirt so much that we had to immediately make one for each of them. The iron-on material is soft and pliable on the t-shirt, and feels kind of like it has soaked right into the t-shirt.

Pros:

• Easy to work with
• Very sparkly
• You can draw right onto the plastic coating, so no reversing of the image is necessary (like with some other iron-on transfer materials)
• You can cut it with scissors, craft punches, or die cutters
• Comes in a bunch of fun colors

Cons:

• The main con for me, really, is the price tag, but I came up with a money-saving tip earlier in this post, so if you follow it, the cost becomes very reasonable.
• Packs of 4 sheets have only one sheet of each color, so if you only want one specific color, you can't get it by itself.

Overall, I recommend this product. It is a blast to work with, and a VERY easy way to add glitter to textiles with no mess or stress.

Buy it at I Love To Create's Online Store: Tulip Shimmer Sheets

Disclosure: I received this product from I Love to Create as part of a paid campaign with The Blueprint Social. The project idea and opinions expressed are my own.

On our Dollar Store Crafts Facebook Page, Sylvia asks: I'm a small business owner, and since I'm moving, I have about 300 business cards with the wrong address and phone # on them.....does anyone have any ideas of stuff to make with business cards?

• Suggestions for Reusing Business Cards from Recycle This
• Make Business Card Rings instead of handing out business cards by Upcycle Your Life (photo above) - not exactly what you asked, but this project was too amazing not to share!
• Mini Notepad: Clip cards together with a binder clip and keep it by the phone (ha ha, remember when we used to have those phones??)
• ATCs... Light: ATCs (Artist Trading Cards) are little playing card sized pieces of art. Business cards aren't quite wide enough to be ATCs... technically. But nothing is stopping you from using your old business cards to create tiny works of art.
• Make Gift Tags: Embellish the business side of the card (paint it, or glue pretty paper to it), then put the To/From info on the blank side. (via jennifer)
• Make Mini Scrapbooks: Check this awesome mini scrapbook instruction sheet from Kirsty Neal
• Make Faux Paint Chip Sample Cards: paint stripes of coordinating colors like paint sample cards, and use them for all those fun paint chip crafts (via louisa)
• Keep track of simple knitting patterns (via Ella's commentin the Recycle This article):I use cards like these when I make scarves and such, knitting the same rows over and over again.Write one row of the pattern on each card, punch a hole in the corner and thread them on a string. When one row is finished, simply turn the card to the back of the stack. Very easy to keep track of which row you’re on.

  This beats the photocopy-with-crossed-out-rows, hands down. Also, I save them in case I ever do the same pattern again. They’re usually good for that, even when I’ve travelled with the project.

Readers, what would you do with leftover business cards?

  p.s. Over at the Coffee Talk community, I'm chatting about "How Many Gifts are Too Many for Your Kids?" - please come chime in!

Sometimes it seems like I like to buy craft supplies even more than crafting with them. Anyone else out there do that? I have built a formidable stash, so to justify my addiction, I make videos of my "hauls" so I can feel like something productive is happening with the swag I picked up at the dollar store. This week, I present to you a haul I got in San Diego's Marukai, a Japanese dollar store where everything is $1.50.

If you are a Youtube fan, subscribe to my Youtube channel! And, like last week's haul video, this video features my two year-old son, who insisted on helping me (such a helper!). I recommend watching the video just because he's 200 times cuter in video form than in the photos. Video next, and then after that I will do a photo recap.

Marukai Japanese Dollar Store Haul Recap

First up, a sandwich cutter that cuts your sandwiches into cute little animal shapes! I am a huge fan of fun food, so a lot of what I got was food-related.

Next, tiny little cookie cutters that are really for cutting up bits of cheese, egg, or meat (or whatever), for use in bento lunches. These are shaped like traffic signs, vehicles, etc. For more bento inspiration, visit Wendolonia.

You can't see very well in this image, but these are super cute little plastic sauce containers shaped like fish and tiny bottles. You can use them for soy sauce, or any other tiny bit of liquid you just have to take somewhere.

Duct tape printed with kanji. No idea what it says, but maybe it's something like "fragile." I will definitely be making a duct tape craft with this!!

This is a little paper embossing gadget that looks like a stapler but it impresses shapes in paper instead of stapling stuff. Sweet!!

A pack of chopsticks in autumn colors. My favorite!

And that's it! Join us next time!