If you’re a fan of crafting, you probably already know just what a great resource Dollar Tree can be. The only thing to note is that if you’re doing some seasonal crafting, things like Halloween or Christmas decorations will only be available at certain times of year – and they often sell out quickly. But check on the Dollar Tree website and you might be in luck! For newbie and experienced crafters alike, we’ve put together some of the coolest Dollar Tree projects we could find. Some might require a bit of work, while others just need a bit of assembly and a paint job. But all of them are made with things you can find at your local Dollar Tree store.
Sculptural Planter
Sometimes you don’t need lots of equipment or superior craft skills. Instead, it simply comes down to inspiration. Peony and Honey made this planter by gluing two ceramic bowls together, with the top one forming the receptacle for the soil.
The best thing about this design is that not only is it simple, but it can work with any bowls. All you need is a strong adhesive such as hot glue or E6000. Find bowls that have a design that suits your décor, or start with plain ones and decorate them yourself.
Textured Ceramic Bowl
It’s easy (and cheap) enough to buy a decorative bowl for your living room, but what if you want something a little more individual? Getting a designer piece would set you back a fair bit of cash, or you could save the money and make one yourself.
Interior design buff, Lone Wolf, came up with a way to turn a simple bowl into a custom creation with just a few things from the hardware store. He covered a plain bowl with caulk and spackling, then added texture using simply his fingers and napkins. Once it dried, it was ready to display.
Pumpkin Wire Wall Display
It takes a good eye to see beyond an item’s intended use and create a vision for something even better. Ellie Enchanted Crafts made use of a few pieces from the Dollar Tree fall offerings to create the ultimate fall wall display.
The pumpkin shape wire is intended to be a base structure for crafty folk who want to create their own autumn wreath. But instead of wrapping it in flowers or leaves as you are meant to, here it’s been used as a kind of frame for other fall-themed décor items including satin pumpkins and soft green leaves. It’s hard to believe that these items weren’t meant to go together.
DIY Pumpkin Planters
There’s something about the approach of fall that inspires many people to decorate their homes – almost as much as they do at Christmas. It’s easy to go for store-bought items to jazz up all areas of your home, but making your own will set you apart from everyone else.
Lemon Avenue Life saw some Styrofoam pumpkins that were made for display, and decided to turn them into something practical. They’ve been hollowed out to make space for fake plants and flowers. The decoration was simply a matter of giving them a coat of white paint and adding gold stickers.
Anthropologie-Inspired Planter Basket
Getting crafty with your décor isn’t just a great way to express your creative side, it can also be very useful for saving cash on something you’ve seen in a store. This style of planter was retailing in Anthropologie from $25 to $88, prompting this DIY version.
YouTuber, Glue Guns and Roses, found a very simple way to get rope baskets at home, and at much lower prices. All you need is a plastic planter, nautical rope, and access to a glue gun. It’s just a matter of coiling the rope around the planter and gluing it down as you go.
Amazon Snow Globe Ornament
Now, this Dollar Tree product was actually intended for crafting. It’s a DIY ornament designed for you to fill with your own glitter and decorations. But Facebook crafter, Plaisted Projects, found a way to turn it into an ornament we can all relate to in the festive season.
With so many people ordering gifts online, Amazon is almost as much a part of Christmas as Santa. So by crafting some miniature Amazon boxes and adding fake snow, it’s a scene typical of the modern Christmas. We love the added text on the outside too, “Here comes Amazon, here comes Amazon, right down my driveway!”
Festive Fall Wreath
A wreath is a simple way to add a lot of impact to your seasonal décor. Added to your front door or wall, it adds instant festive cheer. But buying a ready-made wreath can be expensive – prepare to pay at least $30 – and you can’t be assured that you’ll find one you like.
With Dollar Tree’s seasonal offerings, you can put together your own at a fraction of the cost. This wreath features a wire wreath ring for the base, which is then covered in ribbons in fall-appropriate colors. Add a toy scarecrow and cardboard sign for some extra seasonal joy.
Customized Scrabble Wall Art
This wall display is a great example of how crafts can look so much more expensive than what you pay for them. Ok, this one does require a bit of special equipment, but the wooden tiles themselves cost just $1 for a packet of six.
Crafter, Linda Mrowinski-Turbyfill, started by painting these tiles with wood stain, but it’s entirely optional. She then used a Cricut printer to add wash-themed words to make this bathroom wall art. If you don’t have a printer, you could simply paint the letters onto the tiles. Get creative for different rooms in the home.
Mug Bird Feeder
What we love about this project is how such a simple design has such a cool effect. It really does look as if someone has spilled a mug full of birdseed, making the ideal meal for hungry birds nearby.
You can make this feeder with any cup and saucer you have lying around. But if you don’t want to sacrifice any of your crockery to the outdoors, you can buy these mugs and saucers for just $1each. Simply glue the cup to the plate, then hang it with a string through the handle. Add birdseed and you’re ready to feed!
Fall Centerpiece
You’ve probably noticed by now that there are quite a few fall-themed crafts on this list. Is it the nation’s favorite season, or is it just Dollar Tree’s fall items that make these DIYs so popular? Crafter, Pan McKellar Ross, showed that she’s a fan of both by creating this impressive centerpiece.
She started with a pumpkin-shaped wreath wire, which she then wrapped with nautical rope. Then it’s just a matter of gluing on miniature pumpkins, flowers, and foliage and adding a truck plaque. Some of these items are only available leading up to fall, but you could use this idea for any festive occasion.
Birthday Painted Jars
Dollar Tree knows just how popular their items are for creative projects, they do have a crafting section after all. So some of these great DIY ideas come from the store itself – just look at the craft section on their blog. These have been designed in a birthday theme, but the options are endless.
For the basics, all you need are glass mason jars and acrylic paint. To make them pop, these ones have had glass beads glued to the bottom, plus some 3-D stickers added to the side. You could use them for straws as they are here, cutlery, or anything else that you might need on a table.
Dia Los Muertos Wreath
As we’ve seen previously, Dollar Tree has wire wreaths shaped for Halloween. But they also sell plain circle wreaths all year round that you can use for other festive days or even just for non-holiday decoration.
This one has been adapted by Laura Morones to celebrate Dia De Los Muertos, the Mexican Day of the Dead. The sugar skulls and top hats are specific to this holiday, but the ribbons in bold colors are available any time in the store’s craft section.
Animal Jars
If you think about customizing a glass jar, what people normally do is decorate the jar itself, either with paint or stickers. But this clever idea – once again courtesy of the Dollar Tree website – adds all the decor and design to the lids.
All you need for this project is to glue the animals the lid, then paint both the animal and the lid to create a cohesive look. These have been created for a child’s bedroom, but you could use any ornament and paint color to make them suitable for other parts of the house.
Personalized Elf Plushies
Elves are a popular décor item or gift for Christmas, but with a few small tweaks, you can create custom plushies that will make the recipient feel extra special. These elves have been given name tags created by a Cricut printer, and the crafter has added glasses for extra personalization.
Unlike other projects, the craft element of these elves might be the simplest part. This DIY has become so popular that the plushies themselves tend to sell out quickly. You might need to check the website as well as your local store.
Face Ornament
In the lead-up to Christmas, Dollar Tree offers a great range of ornaments that are ready for decoration. These are often filled with glitter, ribbon, or fake snow, then embellished on the outside with stickers or paint.
Crafter Tiana Neal-Hunt took one of these ornaments and decided to make it a lot more personal, creating a face rather than something simply colorful. It’s filled with glitter to give a sparkling skin tone, then pompoms are glued to the side for hair. Once again, the Cricut printer comes into play to create a vinyl decal for the face, but you could also paint it on.
Faux Terracotta Candle Holder
Dollar Tree DIYs are so popular that these projects can become the inspiration for further creative projects. Youtuber Lone Fox took inspiration from the first item on our list, the sculptural planter, and put a spin on it.
He took two bowls and glued them together, but decided to use them for a candle, rather than plants. The candle was created by melting down a dollar Tree candle, then pouring it into the bowl over a new wick. For a designer touch, he covered the bowl with terracotta color paint.
Contemporary Ornament
One of the best things about making your own crafts is the fact that you can create things that you’re unlikely to find in store. In this case, Dawn Desadier-Harwell has created this Christmas ornament that will serve as a comic reminder of these unusual times.
It might look like a regular Christmas ornament, filled with fake snow, glitter, and a cute cartoon character. But look closer, and Minnie Mouse is wearing a mask. As well as being a light-hearted look at this difficult time, it might help kids feel better about needing to wear a mask.
Acrylic Pour Art
If you’re a regular viewer or craft channels on YouTube, you might have noticed the recent trend of acrylic pour art. Dollar Tree certainly noticed how popular it is, and has now made all the materials you need available in their craft aisle.
What you’ll need is plastic cups, a blank canvas, acrylic paint in several colors, and the special pouring medium. No artistic talent is required, you just need to get the hang of adding the paint to the cup and carefully pouring it over the canvas. Your marble artwork awaits you.
Christmas Cookie Tray
This is such an adorable way of getting kids involved with the full Santa experience. Leaving out milk and cookies for the big guy in red seems much more special when he has his own labeled tray. There’s even a spot for Rudolph’s carrot.
The base is simply a bamboo cutting board from Dollar Tree. Kelli Murtha gave it the festive makeover with vinyl stickers, but if you’re handy with a paintbrush you could add the writing yourself. You could even get the kids to help with the decorating.
Spooky Spell Book
When it comes to Halloween decorations, jack o’lanterns, skeletons and ghosts seem to get all the glory. But if you want to take your seasonal décor to a new level, this super spooky spellbook will be sure to give your visitors a chill down their spines. This one requires a bit of work to get the full effect, but we think it’s worth it.
Start with any hardcover book, then sketch out the images you want on the cover, then go over your pictures with a hot glue gun. You can also stick on plastic toys such as these bats. The magic really happens when you cover the whole thing in black paint, then buff the raised parts with gold.
Wedding Table Centerpiece
Getting married might be one of the happiest days of your life, but paying for it can be a painful experience. So it’s becoming more and more common that strapped-for-cash brides and grooms will try and save money by doing a few things themselves.
Table centerpieces are a great place to start, as there’s nothing that can go too badly wrong, and they can be made ahead of time. This one uses a hula hoop from the games section as the frame, with fake flowers and tea lights added for decoration.
Instagram Photo Frame
With a camera on everyone’s phone these days, there are going to be plenty of photos taken at even the smallest parties. To turn your event into a night to remember, try adding a photo frame like this one. It will give all your party pics a professional vibe, as well as looking great on Instagram.
This one is Halloween-themed, but you can decorate it to suit any occasion you’re celebrating. You’ll need to buy a plain foam board, then cut out the middle to create the frame shape. Then it’s just a matter of sticking on the ribbons and other props to make it fun!
Organization Baskets
Sometimes it really doesn’t take much to give a store-bought item a step up in terms of personalization. Dollar Tree’s range of baskets are handy enough on their own, but adding a label will help you tailor it to your storage needs.
Youtuber Do It On A Dime started with black wire baskets, then used mini wooden signs and paint pens that she found in the craft section. No matter what you need to store, or what style of decor you need to match, there’s sure to be a basket or box to match.
Faux Flower Arrangement
Fresh flowers are a beautiful addition to any room in your home, but changing them every week as they die is a very costly and time-consuming affair. So you would think that a fake flower arrangement is the way to go – but even these can run into the hundreds of dollars.
Do It On A Dime found she could cut costs significantly by buying the flowers separately and doing the arranging herself. As well as the fake flowers from the craft section, she used a metal bucket, floral foam blocks to hold the flowers in place, and a chunky rope for some extra flair.
West Elm-Inspired Rope Balls
Creating cost-effective dupes of expensive décor is one of the more popular reasons people try Dollar Tree crafts. These rope orbs were much admired when they went on sale at West Elm, but at $29 each, the prices certainly weren’t.
YouTuber Glue Guns and Roses knew that they could be made for a fraction of the cost, and she might even have a little fun along the way. The frame is made from the plain wire wreaths available, which she then covered in nautical rope. The mismatched sizes and the rope finish give these a beach house look.
Crate and Barrel-Inspired Skull Candle Sticks
YouTube crafter Fia Garcia DIY fell in love with a skull incense burner that she saw at Crate and Barrell, but she didn’t want to pay the $20 price tag. So she opted to make her own version, which also allowed her to add some tweaks.
Instead of creating a burner, she made a twin candlestick set, with the skull sitting in the middle as an ornament. She bought three glass candlesticks and attached a ceramic skull to one of them with E6000. The finishing touch was to paint them all over in gloss black.
Upgraded Photo Frames
With this project, Youtuber Justin Wray hasn’t altered the function of these photo frames, he’s just given them a whole new look. It might be hard to believe, but when he purchased them, these frames were basic black plastic.
The wood effect is achieved by gluing popsicle sticks around the outside in a carefully arranged pattern, giving it the appearance of bamboo. On one of the frames, he’s also added some additional embellishment by adding lines with a wood-burning tool.
Tarot-Inspired Jewelry Tray
With many of us using shower gel and liquid hand soap these days, there’s not as much use for soap dishes these days. But on her YouTube channel, Tine Le gives this classic soap dish a new lease on life as a tray for her rings and earrings.
The designs have been added with a simple white paint marker. These markers are cheap but do sell out quickly at Dollar Tree. If you can’t get your hands on one, you could also use acrylic paint. For a longer-lasting design, finish by coating with a spray sealant.
Designer Candles
Have you ever picked up a designer candle and gasped at the price? It makes you wonder what the difference is between these and the ones that you might find in somewhere like Dollar Tree. The truth is, it’s mainly in the aesthetics.
Chic on the Cheap saw through the expensive branding and opted to make her cheap candles look more high-end instead. Part of the trick was buying a brand that came in classy black jars. Then it was a matter of designing printable stickers to add to the outside and the lids.
McGee & Co Sculpture Dupe
The YouTuber who came up with this DIY dupe has a whole video dedicated to creating cut-price copies of designer items. Momma From Scratch includes this ball sculpture, which was inspired by a McGee & Co item retailing at $60.
All of the items she needed were taken from the craft aisle: ping pong balls, floral wire, wooden dowelling, and a block stand. She also needed some spray paint in both almond white and gold. Once the paint was dry it was just a matter of assembling.
Picture Frame Terrarium
Terrariums are a great way to grow small plants indoors. The idea is that sunlight enters through the glass, then the heat is trapped to form a warm and humid microclimate. It allows you to grow warm-weather plants and needs less watering.
Terrariums are usually sold ready-made in one piece, as in shapes like fishbowls and pyramids. This one was thought up by the Home Talk blog, who saw the opportunity to glue together cheap picture frames to create the same effect.
Hanging Rope Basket
We’ve already seen just how much value a flower arrangement can add to a room in your house. And we’ve also seen how crafters have made taken basic buckets and turned them into something worthy of a classy coastal home.
This DIY project combines both of these creative elements. The base is a bucket covered in Dollar Tree nautical rope which has been painted white. Then all you need to do is put some floral foam in the bottom, and fill the bucket with fake flowers.
Double-Decker Farmhouse Tray
Farmhouse décor is designed to look like it comes from an old-fashioned country home. But although it might look simple and even a bit ramshackle, these items are expensive when buying from stores like Home Goods.
The good news is that farmhouse décor is quite easy to do a recreation of. This project was posted on the Dollar Tree blog, and only involves a few items. The trays are cake pans, held up by candlesticks. Then the whole thing is painted white and given a light sanding to provide an antique effect.
Party Banner
Any bookworms out there might be horrified at the thought that someone would cut up a book for something so frivolous as a party. But you might feel better if you realize that Dollar Tree does sell books at bargain prices – no need to damage anything valuable.
This garland was made by creating a template, then cutting out the pages in this shape and gluing them to string. The letters were added using stamps, but you could paint them on by hand. You could even cut the pages from a children’s picture book for extra decoration.
Valentine’s Day Wreath
When it comes to Halloween and Christmas, people aren’t shy about flooding their homes with decorations. Even Easter makes a bit of an appearance. But when it comes to Valentine’s Day, it’s often overlooked as a reason to deck the halls.
Hopefully, this Valentine’s Day wreath might change your mind. It’s an example of how much can be done with a hot glue gun and a trip down the craft aisle. The best thing is, many of these items can also be found at Walmart or Target.
Farmhouse Shelf
When it comes to furniture hacks, you’re probably more likely to think of IKEA than Dollar Tree, but this set of miniature farmhouse shelves will prove you wrong. Sure, they might not be big enough for larger books, but they make a nice display for your trinket and photos.
The cool thing about this project is that it’s not just taking shelves and giving them a makeover. It’s actually made from six wooden boxes that have been painted, then hot-glued together to makes shelves. You can use boxes of any size to suit your needs.
Mirror Jewelry Holders
Find the right way to store your jewelry can be difficult. Jewelry boxes are the traditional way, but chains, in particular, tend to get tangled when you put them away. The best idea is to hang them, as you see here.
These Dollar Tree jewelry holders not only provide your storage needs but also look amazing. What you’ll need is some small mirrors – and these hexagonal ones add a more decorative element. Then a drawer pull has been glued to the center to serve as the hook.
Peppermint Candy Cane Wreath
Isn’t this scene from Better Homes and Gardens just exactly how you imagine the perfect Christmas home decor? The red and white of this candy cane wreath captures the spirit of the holidays, but sadly it’s not edible.
Like many of the crafts on this list, this project starts with a plain wreath wire from Dollar Tree. The bulk of the decoration comes from candy canes and round peppermints. These need to be unwrapped from their plastic covers, then glued to the wreath mold. To keep them from getting sticky, cover the whole thing in spray sealant.
Golden Frames
Like most of these DIY projects, you could make these candleholders in any color you like to match your décor. But we think the gold gives them a special touch and makes them look much more expensive than they are.
Adding stands to the bottom of the photo frames is a great idea – it means that your photos aren’t stuck on the wall, and can be placed anywhere around the room. All it takes is a glass candlestick securely attached with glue before doing the paint job.
Wool Felt Coasters
If you want to protect the surface of your wooden furniture, using coasters is essential. You could pick up a pack at any homewares store (or Dollar Tree for that matter), but why not opt for these adorable home-made ones instead.
Start with pieces of felt, then simply glue on some mini pompoms, which can be found in the craft aisle. Not only will they brighten up your living space, but they’re also totally practical if you have kids – they won’t break if dropped on the floor.
Mason Jar Vases
Mason jars are a popular item for DIY projects – we’ve even featured a couple on this list – but we’re always fascinated to see just how creative people can get with them. These jars have been transformed into the ideal décor for summertime, and perfect for these sunflowers.
Covering the jars with chalk paint gives you a light, summery canvas to work with. The next step is to wrap a strip of burlap around the middle, followed by a piece of cream lace. Choose your flowers and these jars are fit for the kitchen tables.
Doormat Wall Art
Sometimes giving something a new purpose is only a matter of changing your perspective. Like taking something that was meant for the floor (like a doormat for example), and hanging it on the wall as a piece of art.
If you find the right design, there’s no cutting or remodeling required. This foam mat has the same design as some mandala art pieces, so it just needed painting. First, give it a couple of coats of white paint, then sand it back a little to make it look antique.
Gold Tack 3D Art
Sometimes a craft project can come about by wanting to make a plain item look a whole lot better. But we’re pretty sure this one was the opposite – someone saw these super cute gold thumbtacks and wanted to find a way to use them.
It’s a very simple technique that gives you stunning results. All you need is the thumbtacks and a blank canvas from the craft section. Trace out the design you want to create, then add the thumbtacks – overlapping them slightly to ensure no white spots show through.
Animal Bookends
Looks like these plastic animal figurines from the toy aisle are more versatile than you might think. It’s just a matter of painting them to get that uniform look. Earlier we added them to jars, but here they make for some adorable bookends.
This one does require a bit of proper DIY. To create the bookends themselves you’ll need to assemble two pieces of wood. Then it’s just a matter of gluing on the animals and adding a new coat of spray paint.
Sunburst Mirror
Like many retro designs, sunburst mirrors have gone in and out of fashion over the decades. Now they are most definitely in again, so getting your hands on an original might a little tricky -not to mention expensive. Even a modern replica could set you back $100.
It might not look like something you could make yourself, but The Gathered Home has proved us wrong. This one has been made by gluing extra-long bamboo skewers to the outside of a small mirror. Covering it in gold paint will bring it all together.