I can not believe that we’re already starting a new season! I want to thank all of you amazing readers for coming back time after time to see the fantastic inspiration and to make your vote count. And I most definitely have to thank all of the crafters – past and present – for all the hard work that they do for this contest so we all have something to come look at. You’re all amazing!!

Now enough sounds-just-like-an-acceptance speech mush (but I really do mean it). Lets get on to the new season. Here is a list of the 10 talented ladies that will be competing.

Kim @ Bugaboo, Mini Mr & Me
Tori @ Apostrophy Designs
Charity @ Cannwin
Shannon @ GoogieMomma
Kate @ See Kate Sew
Amy @ Nap Time Crafters
Tone @ Bless by Tone
Jill @ Made it on Monday
Becky @ Beckymae’s Journey
Macey @ Olivia Renn

This first week they all made a project using Dollar Store Items. How do they come up with this stuff?! Most of the time I walk into the dollar store and just see a bunch of nothin.

The voting will be open until 9pm MST on Friday, April 2nd. Vote for your favorite and tell all your friends to do the same!

Craft #1 – Sick-In-Bed-Set – Charity @ Cannwin

Every person wants to be showered with love when they are ill. I’m no exception, but one of the things I hate about being sick is trying to manage all those bowls and cups that end up in my bed with me.

Thankfully, I have the ‘remedy.’

The Sick-in-Bed Set is made completely from items found at the local dollar store.

Each piece has been carefully altered to make being sick in bed just a little bit easier.

*The Get Well Bowl is heart shaped and etched on either side with XOXO and GET WELL.

* The Warm Me Up Cup is etched to the measured 1/2C mark, to make preparing medicine easier on the nurse of the day.

*Even the Spoon Full of Love has a reminder of what’s most important.

*The Flowers for the Sick Vase has a tight seal to hold in the water and prevent spillage on the bed.

All set onto a nice silver tray (also found at the dollar store) you can guarantee you’ll be the coolest at-home-nurse in the neighborhood!

Craft #2 – Anthro Inspired Ruffle Shower Curtain – Kate @ See Kate Sew

I know what you’re thinking… Anthropologie inspired at the Dollar Store!?

It can be done! When I walked into the dollar store my mind was flooded with ideas. And then I remembered this awesome shower curtain from Anthropologie. I needed it of course. Needed. But at $168 it was a few (hundred) dollars above my budget. They have since lowered the price to $118. (Maybe they weren’t selling or something??!)

So then I saw the plain boring shower curtains that were available at the dollar store.

So I picked up a few and made my own, with an all-white color palatte, which is trendy and oh-so-Anthro!

I made this baby for 5 bucks. That’s really good for a shower curtain to begin with, and with the Anthropologie look that is even better! It just goes to show that aesthetics don’t have to mean $$$$! Now I’m showering in ruffled style. And for only 5 bucks!

Craft #3 – Spring Grass Sunburst – Kim @ Bugaboo, Mini, Mr & Me

If you’re like me, you’re pretty much over winter. Over the snow. Over the cold. Over the bundling up. Bring on SPRING!

My dollar store project is the perfect way to welcome spring onto your wall.

Have you ever looked at the um… UNattractive faux grass by the fraying flowers and wondered what in the world it could possibly be good for? With a few bunches of that, and just a smidgeon of other dollar store products, you can create a focal point on your wall that screams Spring. The curly tendrils of grass, the vivid green colors, the bright reflective mirrors, the sunshine inspired shape…

Can you feel spring in the air too?

Craft #4 – Forever Tulips – Amy @ Nap Time Crafters

Come tiptoe through the tulips with me!

We don’t have a yard, but I still wanted to celebrate spring with some cheerful tulips.

I found a darling pink bucket and some charming butterflies in the Target dollar aisle and then headed to the dollar store for some craft foam and rocks. If my scrap bin wasn’t already overflowing I could’ve also picked up some dollar store tees to make the tulips with. Mother nature was kind enough to let me use some twigs for the stems.

With a bit of time and $4 we’re ready for spring! And my tulips will last forever too!

Craft #5 – Portion Control Plates – Macey @ Olivia Renn

I have to admit, when it comes to a good meal, I have very little self control! On one of my many diet searches, I came across these really cool Portion Control Plates by Slimware. The only thing is they are $35.00 for a set of 4! It seems little pricey, considering I already have a set of nice dishes (and china), so I decided to try to make some myself.

This is where the Dollar Store, my Silhouette and some paint came in handy. I used my Silhouette to design and cut the images. I used the image like a stencil and painted them in.

This is what I came up with:

So basically, there’s going to be no more overfilling my plate, eating too much or wasting food.

I liked them so much, I decided to make some for the whole family.

Craft #6 – Inspiration Station – Jill @ Made it on Monday

Using an unusual assortment of Dollar Store items—wire cooling racks, fake flowers, jumbo paper clips, grosgrain ribbon and a bamboo place mat—I was able to make an inspiration station for my crafting space!

I love wire baskets, but don’t always love the cost. 7 cooling racks (only 50 cents each!) were kept whole, clipped, tied and glued together to make the perfect size baskets to hang on the wall. I cut up the bamboo place mat to create a solid bottom in the baskets so items wouldn’t fall through. One basket holds patterns while the other holds hanging files with my sorted paper cut-outs in them. The flower tag holders are strung through what would be the feet on the cooling racks.

The flower tag holders were made by taking apart the fake flowers and gluing them back together. A button was glued to the center to add a touch of cuteness and a jumbo paper clip was glued to the back to hold a tag or a picture or anything else I feel like putting in there! The grosgrain ribbon was tied to look like leaves on the stem. And that stem is from the bamboo place mat!

The flowers were too cute and fun to make, so I added a few to a vase, tied some of the ribbon around it and had to add buttons for some more cuteness. Just put some pictures of my favorite ideas I’ve found online in the clips and it’s an idea bouquet!

Craft #7 – Date Night Clutch – Becky @ Beckymae’s Journey

Date Night Clutch Handbag…..made from dollar store items!

Two woven place mats (I chose tan and green place mats to match the napkins I found,) 3 satin napkins, some Velcro, felt and some random buttons and pearls found in the craft room. You’ll need a sewing machine, glue gun, fabric tack and needle and thread!

WOW, look what you get after to put it all together! Two great clutches for the night out with that special someone…guess what it only cost me 6 bucks to make both clutches.

Here is a up close shot of the green clutch with two pretty flowers that even the beginner crafter can make.

So when you are in a pinch and want a cute new handbag and don’t want to spend a ton of money, head to your local dollar store and look around..you will be surprised what you can find to make any outfit look like a million bucks! Now take that new clutch handbag and go show it off to all your friends…and they thought you could not craft..boy they were wrong! Even your husband will be amazed what you can do with a few buck!

Craft #8 – Dish Towel Outfits – Tone @ Bless by Tone

I’ve been to the Dollar Store several times. The first time I came
home with some cheap yarn. I started to knit, but decided it was too
boring. Then I went back and I found these dish towels and fell in love
with the fabric used. I bought two of the pink/white towels and made a
pair of pants from them. I loved them so much, I went back and got some
more towels – and some in the other color (which I didn’t use) and some
hair clips.

Out of six towels, I made three looks. This one with a coat and pants. One
with a vest and pants and one where the coat is worn as a dress. I can
even dress two girls from these looks.

I used the (tiny) scraps that were left to make a hair clip rose and a pin
rose. The pin is really neat – I can use it to close off the coat – making
it a dress, it can be worn as an accessory and I used it to keep the vest
closed. I made the patterns my self.

I am really happy with the look – and even better, so was my model.

Craft #9 – Springtime String Lanterns – Tori @ Apostrophy Designs

We spend a lot of time during the summer on our patio. The patio is an add-on with a neat tin roof and wooden enclosure, but when the natural light is gone it can be very, very dark.

For the Dollar Store challenge I wanted to come up with something that would be stylish during the day and provide some light at the night time, so we can enjoy our patio even more.

So I came up with some Summertime String Lanterns!!

So I went to the Dollar Store to pick up the supplies, suprisingly enough, it cost less than $5.00!

**Warning: making String Lanterns will make you wish it was Summer in your neck of the woods. I wish it was!

Craft #10 – Dollar Store Monogram Wall Hanging – Shannon @ GoodieMomma

The Dollar Store challenge, no pun intended, presents a challenge–namely–how do you make stuff from the $1 Store NOT look like it’s from the $1 Store???

That’s a tough one–for me at least! So I wandered around looking for inspiration, and finally decided my motto for this one would be “Go Big or Go Home!” I figure a nice big statement piece that makes an impact–done right–has a good chance of looking like more than the sum of it’s parts.

And here’s what I came up with:

{3-d Monogram Wall Art}

the sum of these parts? about $8 worth of supplies from the Dollar Store.

And hanging over top of my daughter’s desk they have just the impact I was looking for. They fill up an otherwise empty spot that needed something–and they certainly don’t break the bank!

I love that they’re 3-D–just adds to the look! These letters can have a million uses–they can be done in any color, any font, any size–your choice! I can’t wait to show how I did it in the full tutorial!

{ 12 comments }

1 Janice March 28, 2011 at 8:17 am

Wow! It’s really cool being the first person to vote!!!

2 stacy March 28, 2011 at 8:55 am

can we get there tutorials on they did their projects?? thanks

3 Missy March 28, 2011 at 8:58 am: The winner will post a tutorial here on SYTYC after the poll closes. Most of the other crafters post the tutorials on their own blog so be sure to check them out!

4 Catherine March 28, 2011 at 9:07 am

I agree with you! I’m super impressed with anyone that can put together a creative project using dollar store stuff. I feel totally uninspired when I go to the dollar store. Great work, everyone! I had a hard time choosing a favorite.

5 Charity March 28, 2011 at 9:17 am