Holiday

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! 

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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!

The spookiest time of year is almost here again!  Get ready to pull out those Halloween decorations and deck the halls for trick-or-treaters.  And of course, don’t forget to make time for some Halloween crafting!  This year, Halloween skull decorations are all the rage, and I’m going to show you how to make a mini Halloween cloche with Dollar Tree plastic skulls.  It’s a piece of Halloween decor that’s cute and creepy all at the same time!

This Halloween skull decoration is pint sized, which makes it totally perfect for any little spot in your home or office that needs a tiny dash of Halloween.  Think shelves, entryway tables, window sills, and more!

I need small and discreet Halloween decorations this year so I can easily stash them away for house showings.  (We’re moving!  Read up on our unexpected life change here.)  This is just right!

Also, because this Halloween cloche is miniature (well, mini as compared to a regular-sized cloche, but not fairy garden mini!), you can make the whole thing in about 20 minutes.  Not bad! 

Supplies Needed to Make a Mini Skull Halloween Cloche

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• Unfinished wood candle holder
• Empty baby food jar or 4 oz. small mason jar
• Acrylic craft paint in black and silver
• Paint brush
• Spanish moss (from Dollar Tree)
• Mini skulls (from Dollar Tree)
• High-temperature hot glue gun OR E6000 glue
• Optional: small unfinished wood furniture buttons

How to Make a Mini Skull Cloche For Halloween Decor

Begin by getting your paints and paint brush ready!  Paint the unfinished wood candle holder, the mason jar rim (or baby food jar lid), and the unfinished wood furniture button with the black acrylic paint.  

Chances are that the black paint won’t cover the rim of the mason jar very well (even with multiple coats), but that is OK!  Let some of that silver color underneath show through – it adds to the look!

Once the black paint dries on all of those pieces, lightly dab some silver metallic craft paint or acrylic paint onto the wooden pieces.  You can also add some silver paint to the mason jar lid if it needs it.  Mine did not.

Let the silver paint dry and then use hot glue (only with a high temperature hot glue gun) or use a glue made for plastic and wood (like E6000), to attach the mason jar lid to the wood candle holder.  

Place a little Spanish moss inside the lid, and be careful not to put too much in.  You can hot glue the moss to the lid if you like, or leave it loose.  (You might like to see how I used this same Spanish moss to make my fake fiddle leaf fig tree look real!)  

Then pop a miniature skull on top of the moss.  You can also hot glue the skull onto the moss if you want a more stable skull.  🙂  (That sounds so funny.) 

Now, screw the mason jar onto the lid and trim off any Spanish moss that sticks out the sides.  If you choose to add the little wooden button to the top, go ahead and glue that on now.  

Once that glue is hardened or set, your adorable mini Halloween cloche is complete!  

This is one Halloween skull decoration that you definitely want to add to your haunted house this year!  

-Bre

The kids are back in school and the temps are cooling off: my mind is definitely shifting gears toward fall!  Because of that, last week I shared a cute DIY Dollar Tree Pumpkin Sign project that will cozy up your home decor, and this week I’m sharing another fun fall project!  This dollar store toolbox planter is perfect for your your porch or an entryway table! 

Isn’t it pretty?!?  And friends, it is SO darn cheap to put together.  EVERYTHING except the spray paint is from Dollar Tree!

Okay well enough oooooh’ing and aaaaah’ing over this dollar store fall decor – let’s get down to business!

Supplies Needed to Make a Dollar Tree Toolbox Planter

Like I said, pretty much everything for this project is from Dollar Tree!  If it’s not from the D.T., I will let you know next to the supply name.  Also, some of the links may be affiliate links.  You can read my full disclosure policy here.

• Toolbox
• Floral foam brick
• Faux flowers of your choice (I used a bunch of sunflowers leftover from my Dollar Tree Sunflower Wreath, mums, and a beige flower of some sort)
• Faux pumpkin clips (they come in a three pack)
• Plaid wired ribbon
• Harvest metal word (they come in a three pack of Harvest, Thankful, and Welcome)
• Spray paint (I used this brand and color of spray paint) (not Dollar Tree)
• Black acrylic paint to add some faux age to the toolbox (not Dollar Tree)
• Gold acrylic paint for the metal word (not Dollar Tree)
• E6000 glue (not Dollar Tree)

How to Make a Dollar Tree Toolbox Planter

Start by spray painting the toolbox in whatever color you like.  I really liked this matte burgundy/purple color because it was bold and moody – perfect for fall! 

Once the spray paint dried, I lightly added a bit of black paint all over the toolbox to make it look older and less “flat” – if that makes any sense. 

Next, I popped a block of floral foam inside the toolbox.  The rectangular floral foam from Dollar Tree is the perfect fit for the toolbox. 

Next, I got to work cutting faux florals and placing them into the floral foam.  

I had a stem of faux leaves set aside to use, but decided that the colors didn’t look right with the flowers I was using, so I ultimately ditched them. 

Once I had the flowers in place, I worked in some of the Dollar Tree wired ribbon, and then added several of the faux pumpkin clips.  Those clips are great because they just attached right to the flowers, exactly where I wanted them! 

Finally, and not pictured here because I forgot to photograph this step, I dabbed a little gold acrylic paint on the metal word “Harvest” and let it dry.  Then I glued it to the inside of the toolbox for a little extra flair.

It all came together super cute and much prettier than the toolbox in its original form.  🙂 

I can’t stop making Dollar Tree crafts – I hope you’re not sick of them! 

This entire toolbox planter cost $7 in Dollar Tree Supplies and $4 in paint.  I had the rest of the supplies already, so there was no cost there.  That is not bad at all! 

So what do you think – will you be transforming a toolbox into a pretty planter for your home?  Let me know!

-Bre