Wednesday, March 23

Spring crafts for under $5

I challenged myself to see if I could create some springy decor for less than $5. To do that, I headed to one of my favorite sources for craft supplies: Dollar Tree. These two things seemed to have potential.





You may know that I have a collection of crosses, so when I saw this cross magnet I snatched it up, even though I didn't think its finish was very pretty. I spray-painted it with Oil-Rubbed Bronze paint and then sanded it a bit to highlight the raised parts. But what to do with it?

I looked in my craft closet for inspiration and found this plaque which I purchased on clearance for 99 cents. A craft board, a piece of wood, or even a piece of foam core would have worked just as well, but I used what I had.


Then I looked through a hymnal for hymns involving the cross. I chose one of my favorites, When I Survey the Wondrous Cross, which I photocopied onto a piece of scrapbook paper. Then I carefully cut out the paper to be the size of the plaque, and I ModPodged the hymn onto the plaque. (Tip: When you're waiting for your first application of ModPodge to dry, wrap your foam brush in a piece of plastic wrap. Your brush will stay nice and moist.)



The hymn didn't completely fill my plaque, so I left some blank space to the side. I added a springy blue ribbon to the blank space (I stuck it to the back of the plaque with double-sided tape). Then I hot-glued my dollar store craft right to the ribbon, and

voila!



I think it looks really pretty displayed with my other crosses. You could do the same thing with a cross ornament if you happen to have one. (I have lots of them, but they're packed away with my Christmas things.) Other great cross hymns include O Sacred Head Now Wounded, The Old Rugged Cross, and Beneath the Cross of Jesus. Or you could choose a glorious Easter hymn like Christ the Lord is Risen Today or a bit of Handel's Hallelujah Chorus.







And what about that tile from Dollar Tree? I simply gave it a coating of Heirloom White spray paint (looking better already!)


then used Valspar's translucent color glaze in Mocha to highlight the design. I simply wiped on the glaze with an old rag, let it set for a minute, then wiped most of the glaze off. I concentrated on getting the glaze into the indented parts of the tile, particularly the words. When I had the look I wanted, I put the tile out in the sun to dry.

I love the way it looks on a plate stand beside a little nest! Just another reminder of the power of God to make all things new.






My expenditures:

Dollar Tree tile: $1.00
Dollar Tree cross magnet: $1.00
plaque: 99 cents
scrapbook paper: 50 cents
foam brush: 25 cents
spray paint, glaze, Mod Podge: on hand (I used just a little)

Total spent $3.74

That's two crafts for less than $5.00! Yippee! Now to get the Easter things down from the attic so I can complete my spring decorating!

**I'm joining Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesday and The CSI Project for The $5 Challenge. and Wendy at The Shabby Nest for Frugal Friday at Check out all the great projects!**


21 comments:

  1. Really Awesome! I am heading to the Dollar Tree!!

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  2. I love the sheet music with the cross!! It's looks so beautiful on your table! :)

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  3. i am SO impressed!!!!! wow. we just have a new dollar store that opened and it is pretty nice so i am going to go scouring. course i'll think of you while i'm there :)

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  4. Superb! You are way ahead if you're having Easter thoughts already. I love how you display your crosses.

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  5. Oh, Richella, I love your hymn art! We talked about that hymn on Sunday, (but didn't sing it!). I haven't tried to verify this, but the preacher said that When I Survey... was the first English language hymn to use the word "I", making it a personal experience.

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  6. I have that same exact tile from Dollar Tree, but I never did anything to it-and now it just sits in a box! :(

    Thanks for the inspiration, I'll definitely do something with it now!!

    http://www.iheartmygluegun.com

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  7. Oh, my goodness! That little plaque is so pretty now! I don't know what it is about Dollar Tree stuff, but they always seem so "overdone," for lack of a better phrase. : )

    The hymn I'd do for the cross project would be "One Day," which has been redone by several artists (like Casting Crowns...but I like the Jeff Johnson version better : )) and called "Glorious Day."

    BEST. HYMN. REMAKE. EVER. : )

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  8. LOVE!!!! I actually saw that plaque at The Dollar Tree and passed it by b/c I thought it was icky. I would never have though to repaint it. Great job!!! It looks marvelous. :)

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  9. Genius! You know I love me a good dollar tree creation! Love them both and so impressed at the price tag. :)

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  10. oh my gosh, these are gorgeous, I am so going to the Dollar Tree!

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  11. So pretty, and so inspiring! Thank you - and you can bet I will be adding this to my list of to-do's.

    came by from Wow us Wednesdays!

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  12. Why is it that I get no inspiration when I visit Dollar Tree? You created some awesome things for your home with such little money.

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  13. I love your wall of crosses! Absolutely beautiful and a great reminder to the whole family what is most important.

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  14. Its Good Look!! really i m impress and lovely your recently posting . Beautiful all pics of spring crafts. interesting this post so thanks

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  15. just saw that tile and a bunch like it at the Dollar Tree... might have to make a return trip!!

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  16. Great ideas! I was just at the Dollar Store yesterday, but I had a very specific item in mind, and two small children in tow, so no time to browse around! I think I will head back there just to look around and see what I can find! Thanks for the clever ideas!

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  17. Love your creations--the tile turned out great!

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  18. I haven't been very crafty lately, mostly because of the $$ involved. THIS makes me happy! Cheap, quick, and beautiful results. Thanks!!!

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  19. Absolutely GREAT! Do come link it up with us at our DIY CRAFT TUTORIAL LINKY PARTY, http://www.finecraftguild.com/diy-craft-tutorials-party-32/

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  20. I had my doubts when I saw what you had to work with but the final projects are great! Thanks for sharing!

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