Crafts

Easy Dollar Store Hostess Gifts Customized with Cricut

October 15, 2020 by Bre Leave a Comment

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

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

August 5, 2020 by Bre 2 Comments

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!

Pressed Flower Craft: Air Dry Clay Flower Plaque

July 7, 2020 by Bre 4 Comments

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!

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.

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.

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.

4.8 Stars (15 Reviews)

Materials

Tools

Paper Towels
Drying Rack

Instructions

Roll a piece of terracotta clay into a ball.
Partially flatten it with the clay roller or a rolling pin.
Lay a leaf or flowers onto the partially flattened piece of clay.
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.
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.
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.
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.

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!

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!

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

February 4, 2020 by Bre 2 Comments

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!

DIY Decor Tags {A Versatile Christmas Decor Craft}

October 24, 2019 by Bre Leave a Comment

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!

Pool Noodle Pumpkins: A Fun Fall Craft!

October 14, 2019 by Bre 2 Comments

Make an easy and adorable craft this fall: pool noodle pumpkins! This is a perfect large group activity or craft night idea!

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!

This post contains affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy for more information.

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 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

These are the supplies I used to create this fun fall craft or Halloween craft!

Foam pool noodle
Fabric (this buffalo check fabric is similar to the fabric I used)
Dollar Tree Tumbling Tower game block pieces
Raffia (twine or other ribbon would work, too)
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!

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.

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.

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

Then, take the wood block from the Jenga game 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.

Finally, tie some raffia around the wood block “stem” to create the look of a vine on the pumpkin. Wired twine that’s curled around the ends would be adorable with this, too!

And that is all it takes to make the cutest pool noodle pumpkins in the patch!

This craft was perfect for me right now since I can’t really decorate or work on large projects due to our move. And, pumpkin crafts are my favorite! (Check out this Dollar Tree Pumpkin Sign and this Dollar Tree Pumpkin Picture Frame craft, too!).

Let me know what you think about this project! And, sign up for my email list to get DIY delivered! Happy crafting!