A Bevy of Cheapy Crafty Delights

Oh the delightful Dollar Store! A few short months ago I was oblivious to the joy of the Dollar Store. And then one day...I saw it - http://dollarstorecrafts.com/. I clicked on a link from somewhere, it was a link on a crafty blog (I have no idea which one - it was during one of my bloggy crafty binging sessions and I was clicking like a mad woman). I swear I heard a chorus of angels singing when I clicked. Oh.My.Goodness. Crafty ideas for CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP. Sure I went in the Dollar Store now and again, looking for wrapping paper or cheap party supplies. But I never realized the wealth of crafty treasures hidden among the shelves. There I sat, clicking through craft after craft, my inspiration growing with each new project. The very next day I went to the Dollar Store with new eyes...and I spied an ugly little bird, a truly hideous painted candlestick and glittery mini easter eggs. And then to Walmart for two $3 vases and Kmart for two $3 candlesticks. Add in a little paint and glue and here is what I ended up with:




Oh how I love these!! I wish I had taken before photos - bad bad me! So let's have a breakdown shall we?

• Glass vase from Walmart: $3
• Glass candlestick from KMart: $3
• Glitter turned Robin Eggs: $1 (plus paint)
• Flirty birdy (c'mon...you can see it right?): $1 (plus paint)
• Candlestick: $1 (plus paint)

So that's a grand total of...$9 for this little vingette (not including the paint that was on hand). Under ten dollars! For all that lovliness! I am officially addicted to cheap crafting - especially since if it's not cheap, it's not in my budget! Let's have a little comparison of what I could have spent for all this:

• Glass Pedestal Vase from PB: $39
• Robin Eggs from PB: $14
• Ceramic Bird from Target: $5 (I saw a similar one there a month or so ago)
• Candlestick from PB: $24

For a grand total of ...$82 That means I saved 73 dollars! Now I know my time has to account for something, but still! The three items probably took 60-90 minutes total. At that rate I would have to be charging at least $48 an hour. The difference in price is AMAZING. And the bonus of saying that I made it whenever someone compliments one of the items... Ok, I'm HOPING someone will compliment something - otherwise I would have to figure out how to throw it into conversation. Me: "What's that - you're going to Hawaii for vacation? Have you seen my awesome robin eggs handmade by moi?" See - that might make for akward conversation ;)

Here's the brilliant tutorial for turning glitter eggs into lovely Robin Eggs:
http://dollarstorecrafts.com/2010/02/robins-egg-vase/

And here's the equally brilliant tutorial for turning a vase & candlestick into a pedestal vase:
http://design-aholic.blogspot.com/2010/02/mass-o-glass.html

Happy Crafting!

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