Holiday Decorating on a Dollar

A few weeks ago I stumbled across a cool article that showed how an incredibly crafty lady made a chandelier using Mardi Gras beads from the dollar store - see it for yourself here. So that got me thinking about what kind of fun holiday things I could make using items from the dollar aisles and dollar stores. Here's what I came up with...

Decorative Packing Tape - $1
A while ago I discovered some amazing packing tape in the dollar section at Michael's craft store - here are some of the things I made with that find. I was so happy to see that Michael's is still selling the decorative tape, but this time it's holiday-themed! Here are a few of the styles I picked up:



A super easy use for the tape is to make drinking straw flags. To make these flags, cut a small section of the tape and attach it to a piece of paper. Then cut out a triangle on one end and glue the flag onto the straw.



One other use for the tape is to create place cards (no, I'll never get tired of place cards). I made this card by cutting a section of the tape and attaching it to a piece of cardstock paper. I then cut around the top part of the design and added a label for the name.




Holiday Pipe Cleaners - $1
Whoever came up with the idea of lining the checkout aisle with products was a genius - I fall for it every time! I found these holiday-themed chenille stems while waiting in line at Joann's craft store and just had to have them.



I think it's really cool when words are "written" out using different materials (like twine, ribbon, etc). So I thought I'd spell something using the pipe cleaners...not sure why I chose "MERRY" - it was just the first holiday word that popped into my head. I decided to mount the pipe cleaners onto the side of a box that can be used for a ton of things - in this case holding utensils for a dinner party.



Tabletop Deer - $0.25 (Clearance)
I found this deer in the clearance section at the dollar store. It was so unique (okay, and so inexpensive) that I had to buy it!



This is going to come as a shock and a surprise, but I decided to use this clearance find as a - wait for it - place card. Come on, you gotta love the addition of the little red nose!



Felt Ornaments - $1
Another dollar store find were these felt ornaments. It was the colors that first caught my eye, and then I fell for the intricate designs that are cut in the ornaments.



One super easy way to decorate with the ornament is to mount it onto a charger plate using hot glue. I displayed this one on the mantle along with other holiday decorations...



One other decorating idea for the felt ornament is to make a tabletop tree. One package of ornaments comes with 2 Christmas trees. To create this look, first cut one ornament halfway down the center starting from the top. Then cut the other ornament halfway up the center starting from the bottom. Finally slide the two pieces together to form one tree.



I'm working on another holiday dollar store project right now, so if all goes well I'll share those pics soon.