Tuesday, December 7, 2021

12 Dollar Tree Christmas Crafts I'm Currently Obsessed With

Hi there. How ya hangin' in?

I hope better than me, since today I feel like the cat in that motivational poster from the guidance counselor's office.


STOP JUDGING ME VINTAGE POSTER I'M TRYING

So today we're going to take some nice deep breaths, snuggle something fuzzy (people, pets, & plushies all count), and look at crafts. Cool?

Cool cool cool.

In fact, I have one of my own crafts to kick us off! Y'all really seemed to love this one from my Stories:


That's not quite finished; after this I added a door wreath & handle and some side hearts made from candy canes.

For all of you asking for a tutorial, there's really not much to toot: just paint the base brown, pipe on plain white caulking for "icing", and hot-glue on a variety of real and fake candies. I originally made this to wear on my head, believe it or not, but by the time I added all the decor it was a little too heavy, ha. So now it lives on a shelf as decor. (You'll see my replacement silly hat later.)

That's my contribution, now let's look at a dozen more Dollar Tree Christmas crafts I've been saving up to show you. Most of these use low-demand DT materials, too, so hopefully you won't have to run all over town looking for supplies.

1) Candy Dish Lamp Post


This lidded candy dish was MADE to be a lamp post, y'all: just paint the lid black and add a tealight! You can make the stand from a variety of things: pool noodles, candlesticks, or two DT vases glued together like Honey did here. Here's her photo of everything she used:



Hit that link up there to see Honey's original post & instructions.



2) Cast Iron Pan Ornament


This is adorable for the chef in your life. Dena made a whole bunch, hit the link to see all the different designs she cut on her Cricut. The pan is the one material you may have to hunt for: it comes in this little kitchen play set at Dollar Tree:

I haven't spotted them yet at our local store, but since it isn't Christmas related I'm hoping more will come in soon. They should be in the toy aisle.


3) Pool Noodle Mickey Head Lollipops

I know you've seen the regular pool noodle lollies, but have you seen the Mickey ones?

By Amanda U. on Dollar Trees Creative Minds

Ermergersh. And only about $10 each to make! I've been planning an elaborate gingerbread house theme for the outside of our house someday, and when we do it, I'll finally have an excuse to make these. Hit the link for Amanda's instructions.


4) Dollar Tree Dollar Tree Gnome

No, that's not a typo. I probably shouldn't find it so amusing that Dollar Tree has dollar trees, but here we are.

Also apologies if you're over the gnome trend, but I find this totes adorbz:


By Kollett B. on this thread in Dollar Trees Creative Minds

I've seen a lot of these tree gnomes, and the one variable is the shoes. You can use real baby shoes, or Santa boots ornaments, or make your own boots out of soda bottles.

Everything else is DT, though: 2 trees, an ornament for the nose, and a scarf to make the hat & mittens. C'mon. SO CUTE.


5: Pool Noodle Candy Canes

By Melissa S. on Dollar Tree Craft Ideas

Another craft for my future gingerbread house. Melissa used a mop handle in the straight section, and a bent hanger to make the curve. So smart, and so pretty with the extra spriggy bits in the middle.


6: Foam Board & Shelf Liner Tree Box



By Tabitha M. on Dollar Tree Crafts

This is the most practical DIY on the list, and can save you a BUNDLE. Tree collars are all the rage right now, but they can cost anywhere from $30 to $60 or more. Even a tree skirt costs at least $15. But this rustic little box made from foam board & shelf liner? Just five dollars, and look how nice Tabitha's turned out:

The cross beams really sell the look, gotta remember this next time I make a tree box.


7. Punch Bowl Giant Jingle Bells



By Create and Craft with Katie, hit that link for her YouTube tutorial.

I love over-sized decor, and these are super high-impact, especially in groups of three! I've seen them in bright red and even gold, so lots of decorating options.


8: DIY Tinsel Sleigh

Courtney wanted a large sparkly sleigh for her yard, so she made one out of coat hangers:


Then she wrapped it in Dollar Tree tinsel, and look:


Imagine the possibilities. You could make your own snowmen, or stars, or any simple shapes. Add lights with the tinsel, and you've got professional looking yard decor!  Just use more hangers to make yard stakes and an easel back for display.


That reminds me, you know how light-up deer cost a fortune? And how I'm allergic to spending money? Well check out this project I did for a friend:


You can buy this 4-foot tall reindeer at Home Depot for $30, the best price I've found anywhere for the size. Trouble is, it looks kind of terrible. You can barely tell what it's supposed to be.

So here's how to make it look so much better.


Grab yourself 5 rolls of this sparkly mesh from Dollar Tree. It's plastic, so weather-proof.

Wire one end of the mesh to your deer, starting at her head, and wrap her up like a mummy. When you're done you can also add a festive ribbon scarf, if you like.

Now, look at the difference:

BOOYA.

My $30 skeleton looks like a fully fleshed reindeer! I am SO chuffed with this, y'all. The deco mesh diffuses the light at night, and during the day it has an iridescent sparkle, so it's a million times prettier night or day.

Anyhoo, hope that helps some of you out there who also own skimpy deer skeletons. ;)


Now, back to the crafts.


9: Glass Bowl Snowmen

These are great for craft night, since the basics are simple and they're fun to personalize. Hit the link for Kelly's instructions, but they're made from 2 glass bowls glued open sides together, with a light strand inside. (You leave the switch hanging out on the back.)


10) Candy Cane Form Unicorn Wreath



Not specifically Christmas decor, but snag one of those candy cane forms now so you can make this later.


11) Oven Mitt Santa Mittens

The original post is gone, but I found this in Dollar Tree Crafts.

This is another super customizable one: all you need are oven mitts and 2 fuzzy mop heads for the white cuffs. Folk are also using those mop heads to cover wreath forms, make gnome beards, or as fake snow in the bottom of glass bowls. Aren't crafters amazing?


12) Wreath Hoop Centerpiece


I highly recommend hitting up Pinterest for more inspiration on these, because there are sooooo many amazing ones. Some folks use the wire hoops from DT like this one, glued to a charger plate, and others are using DT hula hoops to make even larger versions. Either way you wrap them in fairy lights and hot-glue on flowers, ornaments, greenery, etc. Be sure to hang a few things from the top, too, for extra magic.


And finally, here's one last link that's stolen too much of my time today: Smart Schoolhouse has a whole page of tutorials for over-sized outdoor decor, and they are SO FUN. These aren't specifically Dollar Tree crafts, but a lot of the materials could be.

Spot the cake pans.

Have you SEEN these oversized Christmas lights?


So freaking cool. There's a how-to video for these, along with giant nutcrackers, bells, and lollipops.


 My favorite is this gingerbread house icing trim, which I want to start making immediately: 



Alright, I'm done, I'm done! Go see the rest over at Smart Schoolhouse, there's lots more to see.


******

P.S. Hey. Listen. No matter how you feel right now, whether you're on top of the world or in the darkest pit, remember it won't last. Feeling are temporary. Day turns to night turns to day again. So if things are good right now, cherish them. Hold these moments close. Dance in your underwear, eat too much ice cream. Make memories that will carry you through the bad times.

And if things are bad, just hang on.

Morning is coming. For all of us.

Here's a hug from the pit, though, 'til it gets here.

::squishy squeeze::


******




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12 comments:

  1. Hugs right back. Gotta show you these anazing ice flowers we're making.

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  2. Hugs, Jen. You are amazing and wonderful and we love you!

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  3. Deer? I have a lighted MOOSE in my front yard!
    Oh, and your deer has antlers. It's a boy deer.

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    Replies
    1. All reindeer have antlers, but males shed theirs in winter, so this one must be a girl! XD

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  4. I'm always AH-mazed by people's creativity and a little jealous because I lack any artistic vision whatsoever.

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  5. Thanks for sharing all these crafts and pictures! I may not get to any of them, but I really enjoy seeing what other crafters have come up with! Although I really like the lamp posts....so maybe :). *hug* back atcha.

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  6. After months of dollar tree being out of stock (both in store and online) of those cloche domes, I finally got some from Dollar Tree online! I refused to pay 5+shipping each from the resellers online, so I now have a box of 36 cloche domes. Some will get soot sprites a la your tutorial. And now I can explore other options too! Love some of these crafts BTW. So many ways to age the DT dollhouse...hmmmm

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  7. Jen, my craft room is under construction right now. I am going through withdrawal after seeing all your great pictures. I will have to book mark them for later. I really like the cast iron pan!

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  8. The creativity and joy here brought a bright spot to a crappy day. Thanks so much for sharing cool stuff, posting good thoughts, and all you do.

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  9. I had never thought of making my house a giant gingerbread house for Christmas, but I'm sure thinking that now!

    Also, I hate to be a downer, but, as nice as that tree box looks (and it does look very nice), made out of foam board, I don't see how that lasts through more than 2 Christmases, max, versus the tree skirt that might cost three times as much but will be usable for years. Just something to keep in mind when considering how much things actually cost.

    Gonna go start compiling gingerbread inspiration for next year now...

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  10. Thank you for the hug from the pit. Have one back.

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  11. There are some great ideas (that I'll never be able to do) at the DT FB page. Some are truly horrible, too, and I'm left wondering why. LOL

    Thank you for the emotional cheerleading that you give to everyone. I am one of those people that believe what you say...in application to everyone but me. I'm just a loser. No responses to this, please. I won't see them, and I certainly won't believe them.

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