Dollar Tree Archives - Average But Inspired

January 19, 2021 by Bre

Dollar Tree House Valentine’s Day DIY

If you follow any Dollar Tree crafters on Instagram or YouTube, you know that the Dollar Tree house is one of the most popular crafting items around!

Only available in-store and online once in awhile, these cute wooden houses are the perfect craft blanks to update for any style of decor or season! I gave my Dollar Tree house an adorable new look for Valentine’s Day and turned it into a Love Shack!

I’ve had the Love Shack song stuck in my head for weeks now – ha!

Dollar Tree House “Love Shack” Supplies

This post contains affiliate links. To read my full disclosure policy, please click here.

These are the supplies I used to create this project. Feel free to modify anything you like to create a custom look of your own!

Dollar Tree wooden house
Scrapbook paper in patterns and colors of your choice
Hot glue gun (and glue)
Letter stickers
Colored baker’s twine

How to Make a Dollar Tree Wood House Into a Valentine’s Day Love Shack

This process is so easy, and I’ve also put together a video to show you the basic process!

Step One: Line the House

First things first, upgrade the Dollar Tree house’s printed backing! While it is cute, adding scrapbook paper in a pattern of your choice makes it even cuter and more personal!

Simply trace the outline of the house onto scrapbook paper, and then cut and trim to fit inside the wooden house. This will likely take you several times of trimming to get it just right – don’t get discouraged!

Once cut, press it into the house. You can secure it with double-sided tape if necessary.

Step Two: Wrap the House with Bakers Twine

Next, place a small dot of hot glue on the back of the house, and press the end of a long piece of baker’s twine onto that hot glue.

Wrap the twine around the base of the house multiple times – criss-crossing the twine as you go.

Glue the end of the baker’s twine down with another dot of hot glue. Careful not to burn your fingers!

Step Three: Cut out Paper Hearts

Now, transport yourself back to preschool when you learned to cut symmetrical paper hearts by folding a piece of paper in half and cutting one side of the heart so that the fold is in the center.

Cut many hearts in varying shapes, sizes, colors, and patterns. This will give you a more interesting Love Shack when finished!

Step Four: Glue the Hearts to the Twine

Lay out the paper hearts in an interesting arrangement, and then hot glue them to the baker’s twine on the wooden house.

Step Five: Make a Placard with Stickers and Scrapbook Paper

Now, cut and layer scrapbook paper rectangles, and write a word or phrase with letter stickers.

If you have a Cricut machine, you could cut vinyl letters instead! (I LOVE my Cricut Joy, which is the smallest electronic cutting machine.)

Then, hot glue that placard to the Dollar Tree house.

The Finished Dollar Tree House Valentine’s Day Love Shack

In just about fifteen minutes you have created the cutest little DIY Valentine’s Day decor!

This little Love Shack makes me happy every time I look at it. What does not make me happy is that I cannot stop hearing the B-52’s in my head all day!

If you like this project, too, I’d be grateful if you would “pin” this post to help others find it!

-Bre

October 15, 2020 by Bre

Easy Dollar Store Hostess Gifts Customized with Cricut

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Cricut. All opinions are 100% mine.

Entertaining season will be here soon! Though our celebrations are sure to be different this year, chances are we’ll all still have a need for a hostess gift or two (or maybe a neighbor gift, teacher gift, or co-worker gift!). That’s why I’m excited to partner with Cricut to share two FAB-U-LESS dollar store hostess gifts that you can make with the new Cricut Joy machine and/or the Cricut EasyPress 2!

Before we jump into the step-by-step for making these dollar store hostess gifts, I need to tell you that if you do not own a Cricut electronic cutting and writing machine, you are missing out!

Full disclosure: I was scared to jump on board with using a Cricut because I wrongly assumed it would be confusing, time-consuming, and too big for my small craft table. I could not have been more wrong! I regret not incorporating Cricut into my crafts sooner. I know you’ll see why as you learn how to make these adorable gifts! (If you already own a Cricut, can you believe how foolish I was?)

Dollar Store Hostess Gift #1: Customized Soap Set

For this first project, you will create a luxe-looking soap set that’s practical and pretty!

Supplies Used to Make The Dollar Store Customized Soap Set

This post contains affiliate links. To read my full disclosure policy, please click here.

Plain soap tray (purchased at Dollar Tree)
Plain terrycloth hand towel (purchased at Dollar Tree)
Luxury hand soap (I chose Oatmeal & Lemon Verbena – purchased at Dollar Tree)
Cricut Joy electronic cutting and writing machine
Cricut Joy Smart Vinyl Matte Metallic Sampler, Elegance – Permanent
Cricut Joy Smart Iron-On Patterned Sampler, Nature Walk Basic
Cardstock
Cricut Joy LightGrip Mat
Cricut Starter Tool Set
Cricut Transfer Tape

How to Make the Dollar Store Customized Soap Set with Cricut

This dollar store hostess gift could not be easier to put together! I will walk you through each of the elements so you can see how quickly and inexpensively you can transform plain dollar store items to custom pieces!

Customize the Dollar Store Soap Tray

Begin by opening Cricut Design Space, which is the software or app on your computer or smart phone (yes – you can connect Cricut Joy to your phone and design from there!), and searching for “soap” in the projects tab on the left of the screen. From there, select whichever soap image you like.

One of the great things about Cricut Design Space is that you can purchase designs individually for a reasonable price, or you can get unlimited designs with a Cricut Access membership (which you can pay for monthly and cancel at any time!). Once you see how versatile the Cricut products are (the Cricut Joy alone cuts over 50 materials!), you’ll be hooked and probably want the membership to save money on your projects and always have fresh designs!

I chose an adorable image that reads “Fresh Soap & Water Hand Towels Free” since this hostess gift also incorporates a hand towel. #clever

I clicked the image to add it to my design canvas, changed the dimensions of the design so that it would fit perfectly on the soap tray, and then sent it to my Cricut Joy (which connects to my computer (or phone) wirelessly via Bluetooth). I did not have to think about ANYTHING – the program immediately told me what to do! First, I loaded the Cricut Joy Smart Vinyl in gold into the machine. Since this is a Cricut Joy Smart Vinyl product, I didn’t even need to use a mat underneath the vinyl!

The machine then ran a self-test to make sure I had the right blade loaded and to make sure I had enough vinyl to cut this design. Foolproof! Then it cut the design in a matter of seconds.

Once I unloaded the vinyl with the cut design, I removed the parts that I didn’t want on the soap tray (the professional Cricut crafters call this “weeding.”). I gently pulled off those parts with my fingers and with the helpful Cricut weeding tools that come in the Starter Tool Set.

Then I transferred the vinyl design to the Cricut Transfer Tape and applied it to the plain dollar store soap tray, again using one of the tools in the Starter Tool Set.

Look how cute it is!

Customize the Dollar Store Hand Towel

The next part of this adorable hostess gift is a monogrammed hand towel. Monograms send a message that you were truly thinking of the gift recipient, and Cricut Joy makes it incredibly easy to monogram anything!

Just like the soap tray, I picked a monogram in Cricut Design Space, added it to my design canvas, and sized it to fit the dollar store hand towel.

I chose a black and white herringbone vinyl from my Cricut Joy Smart Iron-On Patterned Sampler, Nature Walk Basic, and then clicked to start the cutting process, and was reminded that I needed to mirror image my monogram because I was cutting iron-on vinyl, which is cut upside down. Cricut Design Space is SO SMART! I would have ruined the vinyl had the smart software not reminded me to fix my design for my project. It also told me how to load the iron-on vinyl properly – upside down in this case. This makes it practically impossible to mess up. I love it!

Once it finished cutting, I weeded (see, I’m already becoming a professional!), and then plugged in the most fantastic tool, the Cricut EasyPress 2, so that I could get this monogram onto the towel!

The EasyPress 2 is essentially a combination of a heat press and an iron, and it ensures that iron-on projects go off without a hitch! I consulted the Cricut EasyPress online guide, which told me exactly which heat settings and timing to use to affix the monogram to the towel. No guessing!

In less than a minute from start to finish, I monogrammed this hand towel, and it is so cute! And I know that because I used the right temperature and time, this monogram will not come off of the towel – even with repeated washing.

Customize the Hand Soap

Finally, to take this dollar store hostess gift to the next level of cuteness, I embellished the dollar store soap! I found a cute border element in Design Space and popped it onto my canvas.

I narrowed the width to about 2″ and the shortened it to about 9″ long, and then added black cardstock (that I cut into a smaller strip) to the CricutJoy LightGrip Mat. Unlike Cricut Joy Smart-materials, cardstock requires use of a mat underneath.

Once again the program told me everything I needed to know about how to cut this cardstock, so I set it up and got to cutting!

In just a few seconds my paper border was ready! I got it off the mat and then wrapped it around the soap, which I removed from the box. I put adhesive on one end of the cardstock and pressed the other end on top.

It could not be easier to upgrade a nice soap even more!

Put it All Together

To make these dollar store items into a cohesive and lovely hostess gift, I put all of them into a pretty gold wire basket (also from Dollar Tree)! When I present them to the hostess, I will wrap them in clear cellophane and tie with a beautiful ribbon. Oh, and I might even get crazy and make a pretty gift tag or thank you card with my Cricut Joy to tie on there, too. (The Cricut is SO versatile that you can make practically anything with just about any material!)

Dollar Store Hostess Gift #2: Customized Bath Spa Set

For the second dollar store hostess gift, you will customize dollar store bath spa blanks with Cricut to create a luxe gift that will help the hostess relax during the stressful holiday season!

Supplies Used to Create the Dollar Store Bath Spa Set

Decorative storage jar (purchased at Dollar Tree)
Bath salts (purchased at Dollar Tree)
Bath scrub brush (purchased at Dollar Tree)
Microfiber hair wrap (purchased at Dollar Tree)
Cricut Joy
Cricut EasyPress 2
Cricut Joy Smart Vinyl Sampler, Beachside – Permanent
Cricut Joy Smart Iron-On- Holographic
Cricut Transfer Tape
Cricut Starter Tool Set

How to Make the Dollar Store Bath Spa Set with Cricut

Just like the dollar store hand soap set, this bath spa set is so easy to create, and perfect for any level Cricut user – even beginners like me! I will walk you through each of the steps.

Customize the Bath Salts Jar

For this portion of the gift set, you need bath salts and a pretty decorative jar – both from the dollar store! I started by searching in Cricut Design Space for spa-type designs, and I found this text art that was perfect for soaking in the tub with some luxurious bath salts: “Soak Your Troubles Away.”

I measured the lid of decorative jar, placed the design on my Cricut canvas, resized it to fit the jar lid, and sent it to Cricut Joy to cut!

Because I used the Cricut Joy Smart Vinyl- Permanent, I didn’t need a cutting mat. The Cricut Joy double checked that everything was aligned and that I had enough material, and it cut flawlessly!

I followed the same steps as the soap dish above: putting the cut vinyl design on Cricut Transfer Tape, and then applying the text art to the jar lid.

I filled the jar with the bath salts and had the first component of the dollar store bath spa set finished in under five minutes!

Customize the Bath Brush

For the next part of this relaxing hostess gift, I used Cricut Joy to customize a dollar store bath brush! I followed the same steps as the bath salts jar lid (finding the design in Cricut Design Space, resizing it on my canvas, and cutting it on Cricut Smart Vinyl- Permanent).

After I applied it to the bath brush with the Cricut Transfer Tape, I rewrapped it in the clear packaging it came in.

Customize the Microfiber Hair Towel

For the last part of the bath spa basket, I decided to add a similar floral flourish to the microfiber hair towel. This was extra fun because I tried out the Cricut Smart Iron-On Vinyl in a Holographic material. I love all of the iridescence and beautiful colors in this vinyl!

After I found my design and cut it per the instructions that Cricut Joy gave me, I fired up my Cricut EasyPress 2 and consulted the online guide for the exact way to add this holographic design to the microfiber hair wrap.

Because this hair wrap is 100% polyester, I was so glad that the online directions told me exactly how to apply the vinyl for a lasting hold! No guess work AT ALL!

Once the heat press part was finished, I was able to see the flower embellishment shimmer and shine!

Put It All Together

As I did with the soap tray gift set, I put these lovely bath spa products all together in a gold wire basket – also from the dollar store! When it’s time to present this gift to the hostess, I will wrap it up in clear cellophane wrap and tie with a beautiful bow.

These lovely DIY hostess gifts are made extra-special with the customization elements I was able to create with my Cricut Joy and Cricut EasyPress 2. With the amount of use I will get out of my Cricut products (and the ability to make even simple dollar store products look so good!), these machines will pay for themselves in no time!

Seriously, if you don’t have a Cricut yet – what are you waiting for? Treat yourself (hey, it’s 2020 – we ALL deserve a treat!), or maybe ask Santa for one.

-Bre

August 5, 2020 by Bre

DIY Boho Tapestry Wall Art: A Dollar Tree DIY Decor Project

You know those moments when inspiration strikes and you just HAVE to get to work before the idea flies away? That is what happened with this Dollar Tree rug turned DIY Boho Tapestry Wall Art project! I stopped doing laundry (ha!) and immediately got to work!

I knew I could turn a $1 rug into something . . . different! This easy DIY is the perfect thing for a little spot in your home that needs something trendy, or for your favorite college student’s dorm room! (Are college students even living in dorms this fall? Hmmmm….)

Supplies Needed to Make Dollar Store DIY Boho Tapestry

This post contains affiliate links. To read my full disclosure policy, please click here.

Dollar Tree rag rug
Dollar Tree toilet plunger
Felt
Dollar Tree twine
Aileen’s Tacky Glue or hot glue
Fabric scissors
Round objects in three sizes (used to trace to create semi-circles)
Pencil

How to Make a Dollar Store DIY Boho Tapestry Wall Decor

For this project I have this written tutorial, and I also made a video that helps clarify some of the steps.

Start by cutting one of the fringed ends off of the rug.

On the cut-off piece, fold the cut edge over and glue it down, so that you create a nice, straight seam at the top of the cut-off piece. Then, glue that piece onto the rug, a few inches above the fringed end that remained on the rug.

Next, remove the rubber part of the plunger. Fold the fringeless end of the rug over the wooden part of the plunger and glue down the rug.

Next, use round objects in three different sizes to trace semi-circles onto the felt. I used Dollar Tree burner covers for this!

Cut out the semi-circles and glue them to the face of the rug – one on top of the other.

If you don’t like this look, cut an entirely different shape out of felt and glue it to the rug! You can do this however you want. It is OK, I promise. 🙂

Finally, tie twine around both ends of the wooden plunger to create a hanger for the tapestry art.

With that, your dollar store boho wall decor is complete!

February 4, 2020 by Bre

DIY Rainbow Room Decor (from a Dollar Tree Napkin Holder!)

Unfortunately for me, there aren’t many Dollar Tree stores near my new house. (I had five within a mile of my old house – see more of my love for Dollar Tree in my post sharing my favorite dollar store home decorating ideas!) I visited one nearby last week and didn’t find much except for some metal napkin holders.

I bought three and planned to use them to hold clutch purses in my closet, but then after looking at them, I knew I had to turn one into a rainbow craft instead. I mean, just look at them! They practically scream “make me into a rainbow!” (Right? You see that, don’t you?)

So . . . I got to work and created some adorable DIY Rainbow Room Decor with one of the napkin holders, and left one of my clutch purses alone on the shelf while the others got a new home in the remaining two napkin holders.

Supplies Needed to Make This Rainbow Decor Craft

This post contains affiliate links. To read my full disclosure policy, please click here.

How to Make DIY Rainbow Room Decor

You’re going to love how quickly this colorful rainbow decor craft comes together!

Begin by cutting ribbon in rainbow colors to lengths that measure approximately 16″.

Next, tie the ribbon pieces together in rainbow color order to form one long length of ribbon.

Beginning with the red end of the ribbon length, tie the end to the back of the metal napkin holder.

Plug in the hot glue gun, and while it’s heating, begin wrapping the rainbow ribbon around the napkin holder. (Yikes, can I just say that my thumb looks really gross there?)

Continue wrapping the ribbon around the napkin holder, and fasten it in place as you go with the hot glue. Once the entire napkin holder is wrapped in ribbon, cut the ends of the ribbon where the pieces were attached to create the long string.

Finally, hot glue white yarn pom poms to the bottom of the rainbow sculpture to create adorable clouds on your rainbow room decor.

If you wanted to make this rainbow room decor a cute addition to your St. Patrick’s Day decor, you could easily swap the white pom poms for gold coins or a shamrock from the craft store. How cute would that be?

This adorable piece of rainbow decor sits nicely on a shelf and adds a colorful pop to any room (kids’ bedrooms, especially), or to any St. Patrick’s Day decorations! Make sure to PIN it or share it with any crafty friends who might enjoy making one of their own!

-Bre

Into Rainbow Crafts? Check Out These Rainbow Sand Art Terrariums!

October 24, 2019 by Bre

DIY Decor Tags {A Versatile Christmas Decor Craft}

Before you get mad and tell me it’s not even Halloween yet, let me explain why I’m sharing a Christmas craft in October. I am moving (you can read more about that here), and as a result, a lot of my craft supplies are boxed up AND I can’t decorate my house for fall or Halloween because of showings, etc.

Because of that, I’m limited in what creative muscles I can flex right now, and this easy Christmas craft was just right! It’s a transformation of Dollar Tree printed chipboard tag ornaments into darling buffalo check decor tags that add a special touch to Christmas decorations!

Large scale decor tags have been popping up all over the stores, and this project gave me a chance to put my own twist on the trend. Everything I used can be purchased at Dollar Tree, so you know it’s also extremely budget-friendly!

Where To Use Large Decor Tags

Before I give you all the details on how to make your own decor tags, you might be wondering WHY you’d make these tags. What do you use decor tags for? The answer is – just about anything! They’re actually really versatile and add a pop of interest anywhere you put them. Some favorite uses for decor tags are:

added to wreaths for a seasonal touch
in a tiered tray (these are all the rage over on Instagram and Pinterest. I might be the only person who doesn’t have a tiered tray to decorate.)
hanging on a doorknob
hanging from a vase or planter
tied together as standalone door decor
grouped in a basket as part of a larger vignette

Hopefully those ideas spark an idea for you of where you could use similar decor tags in your own home!

Supplies Used to Make Large Decor Tags

Now, let’s get down to business! Here’s what you need to make these cute Christmas decor tags.

This post contains affiliate links. To read my full disclosure policy, please click here.

Decorative chipboard tag ornaments (not currently available online, but the large size chipboard tags are available online)
Buffalo check wrapping paper (not currently available online)
Matte Mod Podge
Scissors
Paint brush
Poster sticker letters
Red truck mini ornaments (4 pack) (not currently available online)
Jingle bells
Twine
Black and silver acrylic paint
Fine grain sandpaper

How to Make Christmas Tags for Decor

To help you find in store the exact tags I used for this project, here they are!

Flip them over to the flat backside (the fronts have some raised glitter on them), and cut wrapping paper to be slightly larger than the tags. Then, trace the tags onto the back of the wrapping paper.

Cut out the tag shapes from the wrapping paper. Then, place a thin coat of Mod Podge over the entire chipboard tag.

Carefully place the wrapping paper that you cut to the shape of a tag on top of the Mod Podge chipboard tag.

Carefully smooth out any wrinkles and make sure that the wrapping paper is flattened all over. Set the tag aside to dry. This will take about 20 minutes.

Once the tag seems dry, gently rub the edges of the wrapping paper with sandpaper. This will remove any wrapping paper that’s sticking over the edge of the chipboard tag.

Next, apply a thin layer of Mod Podge over the top of the wrapping paper. This will help seal the wrapping paper onto the tag, and it will remove the shiny finish of the wrapping paper.

Set it aside to dry. As it dries, you will notice that the hazy finish disappears. Yay!

Once it’s dry, gently brush a bit of black paint around the edges of the tag to give it an aged look.

Then, apply the poster stickers to write out words that fit on the tags. I think four letters are the max that will fit with these poster stickers on these tags.

Use a pencil to poke a hole through the wrapping paper at the top, and then, for an added touch of authenticity, paint a silver circle around the hole.

String twine through the hole, and add decorative elements to the twine. I used the cutest little red truck ornaments from Dollar Tree and silver jingle bells. But, you could get creative and add whatever embellishments you like!

See how easy it is to upgrade the look of these Dollar Tree tags with just a few simple tweaks? You get a totally adorable look for hardly any money at all. I just love when decor works out that way!

-Bre

Here’s Another Great Dollar Tree Christmas Craft! Check Out This Dollar Tree Christmas Cloche!

Dollar Tree House Valentine’s Day DIY

Dollar Tree House “Love Shack” Supplies

How to Make a Dollar Tree Wood House Into a Valentine’s Day Love Shack

Step One: Line the House

Step Two: Wrap the House with Bakers Twine

Step Three: Cut out Paper Hearts

Step Four: Glue the Hearts to the Twine

Step Five: Make a Placard with Stickers and Scrapbook Paper

The Finished Dollar Tree House Valentine’s Day Love Shack

Easy Dollar Store Hostess Gifts Customized with Cricut

Dollar Store Hostess Gift #1: Customized Soap Set

Supplies Used to Make The Dollar Store Customized Soap Set

How to Make the Dollar Store Customized Soap Set with Cricut

Customize the Dollar Store Soap Tray

Customize the Dollar Store Hand Towel

Customize the Hand Soap

Put it All Together

Dollar Store Hostess Gift #2: Customized Bath Spa Set

Supplies Used to Create the Dollar Store Bath Spa Set

How to Make the Dollar Store Bath Spa Set with Cricut

Customize the Bath Salts Jar

Customize the Bath Brush

Customize the Microfiber Hair Towel

Put It All Together

DIY Boho Tapestry Wall Art: A Dollar Tree DIY Decor Project

Supplies Needed to Make Dollar Store DIY Boho Tapestry

How to Make a Dollar Store DIY Boho Tapestry Wall Decor

DIY Rainbow Room Decor (from a Dollar Tree Napkin Holder!)

Supplies Needed to Make This Rainbow Decor Craft

How to Make DIY Rainbow Room Decor

DIY Decor Tags {A Versatile Christmas Decor Craft}

Where To Use Large Decor Tags

Supplies Used to Make Large Decor Tags

How to Make Christmas Tags for Decor

How to Fix Paint Bleed Through When Painting Cabinets

How to Make Fake Snowballs for Decor

How to Soften a Hard Paint Brush Without Chemicals!

Modern Vintage Dining Room Makeover