Average But Inspired

Inspiring creativity with crafts, DIY, and home decor projects.

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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!

Get a cotton rug from Dollar Tree and create a fun boho wall tapestry! This Dollar Tree DIY could not be easier! It's great wall decor for a spot that needs a little something special, or even great DIY dorm decor!

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.

Use a Dollar Tree cotton rug and a toilet plunger to create awesome boho wall decor!

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.  Use a Dollar Tree rug to create unique wall art.

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.  Cut the end off a Dollar Tree rug to create unique boho wall decor.

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.  Use a Dollar Tree rug and toilet plunger to create tapestry art.

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

Use a Dollar Tree rug to create unique DIY home decor.

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

Glue felt pieces to a Dollar Tree rug to create a boho wall tapestry.

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. Create a boho wall tapestry with a dollar store rug!

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

Create a boho wall tapestry with a Dollar Tree rug and other dollar store supplies! This is awesome dorm room decor or boho decor for a unique look.

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Pressed Flower Craft: Air Dry Clay Flower Plaque

With two months left of the kids’ summer vacation and every activity canceled, I’m wracking my brain trying to find things to keep them busy! Last week we got crafty with some leaves and flowers we found in our yard, and we made a pretty pressed flower craft – lovely air dry clay flower plaques!  I’m excited to show you how to make them, too!

Learn to make pretty pressed flower plaques in this post! This is an easy air dry clay craft that's fun for kids and adults alike.

Surprisingly, my son enjoyed this activity the most!  He loved foraging around the forest (not really a forest – just some junk trees in a shady spot in the yard – but forest sounds more magical), to find pretty flowers and leaves to use on his plaques.

What types of flowers are best to press into air dry clay?

This part of the activity was nice because it got us talking about what was growing outside and what types of blooms and greenery might work best for flower pressing and leaf pressing.

Once we collected enough specimens to make our pressed flower plaques, we headed inside and got down to business.  We quickly realized that the flatter the flowers or leaves were to begin with, the better they were to press into the clay.  Bulky flowers had too much dimension to be pressed flat into clay, and very veiny leaves had the same problem.

What type of air dry clay is best for pressing flowers into?

I had air dry clay leftover from previous projects (like my air dry clay keychains and air dry clay garden markers), and so we didn’t need to buy anything new for this project!  

The air dry clay we used was totally natural clay (not polymer clay), which I think is best when working with flowers as there are no chemicals to discolor the flowers or leaves.

Pressed flower crafts are a wonderful nature craft! Learn to make pressed flower plaques in this post.

This project was really simple but quite fun; rolling the clay, pressing the flowers into it, poking holes so that the plaques could be hung once dry.  We had a nice time together and made so many of these pressed flower plaques, which we plan to hang in our sun room.

If you make it with kids, not only will you end up with a nice piece of decor, but you’ll also have sweet memories of your time together.
This pretty pressed fern plaque is an easy DIY. Learn how to make this pressed flower craft in this blog post.

Pressed Flower Craft: Air Dry Clay Flower Plaque

Pressed Flower Craft: Air Dry Clay Flower Plaque

Yield: 12
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Active Time: 20 minutes
Additional Time: 1 day
Total Time: 1 day 25 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Create a pretty pressed flower craft with blooms and leaves from your yard! Use air dry clay to create this pretty floral craft.

Materials

Tools

  • Paper Towels
  • Drying Rack

Instructions

  1. Roll a piece of terracotta clay into a ball. Roll a chunk of terracotta clay into a ball.
  2. Partially flatten it with the clay roller or a rolling pin. blank
  3. Lay a leaf or flowers onto the partially flattened piece of clay. blank
  4. Using the clay roller or rolling pin, gently press the leaf or flowers into the clay. Take care to press all portions of the leaf or flower into the clay so that nothing is sticking up out of the air dry clay. blank
  5. Using a pointed object (such as the poker in the Clay Tools Set), poke two holes near the top of the air dry clay plaque. blank
  6. Gently set the pressed flower plaque on a cookie cooling rack and let it dry. It will probably take around 24 hours for the air dry clay to dry on both sides. It may take a little longer for the pressed flowers or leaves to fully dry. blank
  7. Once the air dry clay and the pressed flowers or pressed leaves are dry, you may want to add a bit of "age" to the flower plaque with some white craft paint. To do this, dab a little bit of white paint on a painting sponge, and gently press it along the clay plaque. Wipe off or dab off any excess with a paper towel. blank

Notes

The beauty of this project is the imperfections. These enhance the rustic or natural feel of this craft. Don't worry about your plaque being the perfect shape or if your clay starts to crack or wrinkle. Embrace the imperfections!

© Bre Eggert
Project Type: Home Decor / Category: Crafts
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I’d appreciate it if you’d share this post with someone who might enjoy it! Send them the link or share it on Pinterest – thank you!

Create beautiful pressed flower plaques with air dry clay. This is a beautiful nature craft that is fun for adults and kids alike!

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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.

Transform Dollar Tree metal napkin holders into adorable DIY Rainbow Room Decor!

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.  Learn how to transform a Dollar Tree napkin holder into an adorable piece of rainbow room decor! This is a cute St. Patrick's Day rainbow craft, too!

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″.  To make a DIY rainbow sculpture, cut lengths of rainbow ribbon.

Next, tie the ribbon pieces together in rainbow color order to form one long length of ribbon.  Tie the ribbon together to create one long ribbon used to create a DIY rainbow ribbon sculpture.

Beginning with the red end of the ribbon length, tie the end to the back of the metal napkin holder.  Wrap the ribbon around the napkin holder to create the DIY rainbow room decoration.

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?)

  Keep wrapping ribbon around the metal napkin holder. 

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.

  Make sure to add dots of hot glue to the ribbon as you wrap it around the metal napkin holder.  

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

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?

CUTE! See how she transformed a Dollar Tree napkin holder into darling DIY rainbow room decor! This rainbow decor looks super cute on a shelf or when displayed as part of a St. Patrick's Day celebration.

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!

Make the cutest rainbow decor craft with a napkin holder from Dollar Tree! You won't believe how easy this rainbow craft is. Cute for kids' room decor or St. Patrick's Day decorations!

-Bre

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

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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!

Add a dash of charm to your Christmas decor with these dollar store DIY decor tags! Using only dollar store supplies, you can make these large tags to add to wreaths, vases, to use as ornaments, to put in tiered trays, or to hang from a doorknob! The possibilities are endless, and these are such a cute Christmas craft!

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!

Add a dash of charm to your Christmas decor with these dollar store DIY decor tags! The buffalo check wrapping paper makes these tags on trend for Christmas this year! Using only dollar store supplies, you can make these large tags to add to wreaths, vases, to use as ornaments, to put in tiered trays, or to hang from a doorknob! The possibilities are endless, and these are such a cute Christmas craft!

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.

How to Make Christmas Tags for Decor

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

Use these Dollar Tree tag ornaments to make adorable decor tags for your Christmas decorations this year.

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.

Use Christmas wrapping paper to add a festive touch to these decorative tags.

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

Mod Podge is the perfect decoupage medium to attach wrapping paper to these decorative tags.

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

Buffalo plaid wrapping paper adds a festive touch to this Christmas craft.

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.  

Use sandpaper to remove excess paper from the tags.

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.  

Add a layer of Mod Podge to the top of the tag.

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.  Adding black paint around the edges of the tag will help add 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.  Dollar Tree poster stickers are an easy way to add lettering to these decor 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.  Use silver paint to add a faux metal circle to the tags.

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!

These darling decorative tags were created with Dollar Tree craft supplies!

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! 

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Pool Noodle Pumpkins: A Fun Fall Craft!

While cleaning out my husband’s car this weekend, I found a pool noodle left behind after a trip to our local swimming pool this summer.  A jolt of inspiration hit and I grabbed the pool noodle, ran inside, and got to work making some adorable Pool Noodle Pumpkins for my fall decor!  Cute! These DIY POOL NOODLE PUMPKINS are super easy to make and oh-so-adorable! This is a great fall craft for groups because it's so cheap to make!

I wasn’t totally sure if pool noodles transformed into pumpkins would be cute, but I gave it a try anyway.  And thankfully, they’re darling!  Pool noodle pumpkins are the cutest craft in the patch!

Pool noodle pumpkins are also extremely easy to make and very, very cheap.  These would be a perfect fall craft for large groups (I bet you could make ten pumpkins per pool noodle), and even for the least crafty people around.  They are SO easy to make!

Pool Noodle Pumpkins Supplies

  • Foam pool noodle
  • Fabric (I used a Halloween scarf from Dollar Tree)
  • Wood blocks (I used pieces from a Dollar Tree Jenga game)
  • Raffia or other ribbon
  • Scissors
  • Knife

How to Make Pool Noodle Pumpkin Crafts

 


The first step is to cut the pool noodle into pieces.  I used a serrated knife and the noodle cut very easily.  If children will be making this craft, please make sure to cut the pool noodle ahead of time; do not give the children knives!  Cut a foam pool noodle to make pool noodle pumpkin crafts!

Next, lay the pool noodle piece on top of a piece of fabric.  Cut the fabric so that there is enough fabric on all sides to wrap around the pool noodle and tuck into the hole.  Cut fabric to wrap around a pool noodle to create a cute fall pumpkin craft.

Once the fabric is cut, begin pulling the fabric upwards toward the pool noodle hole, and then tucking the end of the fabric into the hole.  Wrap fabric around the pool noodle to begin creating the pool noodle pumpkin.

Continue wrapping, pulling, and tucking until the pool noodle is completely covered with fabric.

Then, take the wood block and stick it into the hole where the fabric is tucked.  The wood block will hold the fabric in place, but if you want a more secure hold, you could hot glue the block into the hole, too.  Use a Dollar Tree Jenga block as the pumpkin stem.

Finally, tie some raffia around the wood block “stem” to create the look of a vine on the pumpkin.  Tie raffia around the wood block pumpkin stem.

And that is all it takes to make the cutest pool noodle pumpkins in the patch!  Transform foam pool noodles into adorable pumpkin crafts! This blog post shows you how. It's easy!

This craft was perfect for me right now since I can’t really decorate or work on large projects due to our move.  I love how quickly it came together and how cute these pumpkins turned out!  Cute! Grab your kids' pool noodles and turn them into darling pumpkins! This fall craft could not be easier! Love this pumpkin craft and pool noodle upcycle.

 

My DIY Kitchen Makeover Reveal!

Seven months.  SEVEN MONTHS! That’s how long my DIY Kitchen Makeover took from start to finish. Last year I painted my oak kitchen cabinets and did a whole bunch of other stuff to update my 1990s oak kitchen (I’ll walk you down that memory lane later in this post).  Once those projects were completed, I outsourced […]

DIY Dollar Tree Easter Carrot Decor

I’ve made a lot of Easter crafts over the years, and they’ve all tended to focus on bunnies and eggs.  Now I’m in an Easter carrot decor phase.  (It’s a real thing.)  Last year’s Easter craft post was this Carrot Door Hanger, and this year it’s all about the carrots, too. You’d think that I […]

Deep Teal Chalk Paint Chairs Makeover

Sometimes when painting furniture you make a bad color choice and end up with chairs that look worse than before you painted them.  That happened with these Craigslist chairs, which I painted yellow at first, and then re-did with a beautiful deep teal chalk paint. These traditional chairs now look fresh and updated with two […]

Office and Guest Room Combo: How to Create a Double-Duty Space

Our ‘new’ home has one more bedroom than at our last house, and because of that, we had no furniture for it.  It’s pretty tiny, but with some creative planning I turned it into an office and guest room combo space that easily pulls double-duty, making it a totally functional WIN for my family!   With […]