For one loathsome year of my life, I worked as a cashier at Kmart.  For a portion of my tenure, I was stationed in the gardening section of the store.  One thing I discovered during this time is that flower pots and other planters are insanely overpriced.  I remember the day that I just about choked when I rang up a chintzy styrofoam urn and …

This week, Rhonda joined the Dollar Store Crafts team, and she has been doing a fantastic job! She’s a lifelong resident of West Michigan.  She participated in her first craft show at the age of 10, selling jewelry made from found objects.  She lives with her soon-to-be-husband, Adam, and two cats, Merlin and Abracadabra. Top 3 supplies: Mod Podge, duct tape, and …

I’m always on the lookout for things that fall into the categories of bright or funky when I visit the dollar store.  Recently, a bouquet of bright pink and yellow silk flowers caught my attention.  Having just redecorated the bulletin board in my entrance hallway, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with them: turn them into fun push pins!
This project is perfect for …

I love old wooden hangers, so I took a vintage wooden pants hanger and made it into a custom gallery hanger. I added my son’s name so I can use it to display his artwork. Vintage hangers make an interesting display device, whether they’re labeled or not. You can hang up prints you find at the flea market, old book pages, or whatever you want …

By now, you have probably heard of Knock-Off Wood, but if not, let me introduce you to this great resource for frugal DIYers like you and me. The site provides free plans for building quality furniture that looks like furniture you can find in designer stores like Pottery Barn and West Elm. I discovered the site in February, and a week later, we built a …

I recently participated in a steampunk charm swap on Craftster.org. I received six great charms, but there was one problem: I don’t wear bracelets. I sat down yesterday to make the charms into necklaces so I could wear them, and a funny thing happened. Instead of just hooking the charms to a chain and calling it good, I started to play. An hour later, and …

I’m in awe of those who can plan a truly fabulous party. If party-planning doesn’t come naturally to you, I’ve collected some quick tips to help you plan amazing parties (and save money doing it). But first, the inspiration for this post, Shelley’s Sweet Shoppe party over at How Does She – her adorable twins had the best.first.birthday.ever with this amazing sugary pink party. All …

Want to get your kiddos to eat more food at meal time? Serve their veggies on a funny food face plate! I recently made the dollar store version of the Food Face plates (as seen on At Second Street, inspired by the Fred and Friends Food FacePlate). The idea behind the plates is to decorate the faces with veggies and healthy food, as a way …

Poufs have been appearing everywhere on design blogs, including some excellent DIY pouf projects. I wanted to try my hand at making a dollar store pouf, and I did it for less than $5! These nylon throw rugs appear at the Dollar Tree frequently, and they usually have some pretty fashionable color choices to choose from. I think this black and white stripe classes up …

This handmade Indiana Jones satchel, like the Upholstery Sample Backpack, was made for my 3 year-old son. And, like the backpack, it’s a quick project that is elegant in its simplicity. My son really enjoys the Lego Indiana Jones game, and loves to pretend he’s Indy. And what would Indy be without his satchel? I used a panel from a leather skirt to make this …