Dollar Tree Unicorn Valentine's Day Card Box

 Valentine's Day is about a month away.  I work at a school, so I know Valentine's Day is a pretty big day in the classroom, especially at the elementary level.  It can be quite exciting for kids to make a card box to hold all of the class valentine cards. 

I made this Unicorn Valentine Box a few years ago using almost all Dollar Tree items.  The items not from the Dollar Tree were items you may have laying around your house. 

** This post also contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

Here is what you will need 

A box for the body (shoebox, tissue box, gift box or even a mailbox)

4 cardboard tubes for the legs

2-3 curly bows (multiple bows on each) for the mane and tail.

round container/tumbler with lid (something unicorn head shaped) or floral foam for the head 

craft foam or pre cut glitter hearts for snout

googly eyes

colored wrapping paper  or paint 

cardstock (color of choice for horn) 

I used a box with a slot cut in the lid for my unicorn body. Whatever type of body you choose to use, there needs to be a way to get the valentines easily in and out of the box.   My box was already white, so I decided to make a white unicorn, but you can make yours whatever color you like.  

To make the legs, paint four cardboard tubes

When I made my unicorn, I had a hard time deciding which head shape I wanted.  In this picture are what both options looked like. 

I covered both items with white wrapping paper. Expert tip.. If you chose to go the square floral foam route, DO NOT remove the plastic off the foam! It's much better to wrap the entire brick as one piece.  I found out the hard way that the floral foam is made from five smaller bricks that I had to re-attach, and it was a little bit messy.   I personally preferred the shape of the plastic container head, which is what I decided to use in the end.  You can attach the head with hot glue or double sided tape. 

I found it easier to attach the legs to the bottom of the box with hot glue instead of tape.

 

The curly ribbon bows have several smaller bows on each card.  Arrange the bows as desired to make the mane and tail as full as you prefer.  I used four smaller bows for the mane, and two for the tail.  

 

I had some pink craft foam on hand from the Crafters Square aisle, so I cut out small hearts for the snout. If you prefer pre-cut hearts, I have also seen them available at the Dollar Tree. 

I rolled a piece of cardstock into a cone shape to make the horn, and hot glued it in place.

The last step on the unicorn is to add some googly eyes, and if desired some eyelashes. (Dollar Tree sells fake eyelashes in the make up aisle that would look really cute!)  

Here is the finished Unicorn Valentine Box.. 

If you love all things Dollar Tree like me, be sure to follow me on Instagram. Over there I share Dollar Tree hauls, finds and DIYs. 

Read More »

5 Simple Spring Crafts to Try With Kids

If you are a long time follower of my blog, you will know that I don't share a lot of guest posts. I do from time to time though, when it is a post that I feel it is something that my readers will benefit from. During this time of uncertainty, and sheltering in place I feel this article about simple Spring crafts you can do with your kids at home is very appropriate and timely.

So with that, I hope you enjoy this guest post..

5 Simple Spring Crafts to Try With Kids

by Caitlin Parsons

As we spend more time in our homes, it can become more and more difficult to find things to do around the house, especially with kids. On top of that, you may be struggling to keep the children's spirits up amidst everything that’s going on in the world. To combat the stress they may be feeling, it can be helpful to really dive in and find out what activities will provide entertainment and help to nurture their minds during this difficult time. Thankfully, activities like crafting are a great way to combine the two. The range of projects you can do will certainly keep them busy and can become a simple way to relieve their stress as well. Many, like Sara Corwin from the eCommerce Merchandising department at Michaels, consider crafting to be a form of self-care and believe it should be used to help kids with stress as well. Corwin says:

“Crafting is a great form of self-care. We pride ourselves in providing spaces and tools for makers and encouraging others to take the time to try and learn something new. Crafting helps take the mind away from stress and the noise surrounding you, and focus on the fun of creating.”

With the stress that you or your kids may be experiencing, crafting can be a huge help. Thankfully, there are plenty of crafts that are kid-friendly too, making the activities fun for everyone. If you need new ideas of crafts to try with kids during your time at home, keep reading.

DIY Birdhouse

As spring blooms, this is the perfect time to make your own creations to display outside. A great way to do this is by having the kids make their own birdhouse to hang in the trees. There are several creative ways you can do this which gives you the opportunity to choose what works best for you and your kids. The easiest way would be to use an empty paper carton of milk. You’ll want to go for the paper cartons to make it safe for the birds and typically, the half-gallon size is perfect. All you have to do is draw a rectangle on each side of the carton and then cut it out. After that, just fill the bottom with birdseed. Use any string or ribbon to hang it from a tree and there you have it! You can also build your own birdhouse with just popsicle sticks and hot glue but if you’re not the DIY type, you can always use a birdhouse kit.

Wreath Making

A great way to make use of the items you have around your home is by implementing them into your crafts. A common theme of decorations that many have at home and only use once a year is holiday decorations. Thankfully, there are great ways you can use the decorations throughout your home and in your crafts. Standard holiday wreaths and garland are perfect to revamp and redecorate to make into a spring wreath. Most commonly, some crafters will add pastel ribbon and floral accents to the wreath to make it fit the spring season. If you want to take the project a step further, you begin working from just an embroidery loop or wreath frame to make your wreath from scratch. Instead of using all of your garland from your holiday decorations, use clippings and add them to the wreath where you see fit. Then you can add other flowers, bows, and lettering to the wreath to make it your own.

DIY Garland

Another great way for the kids to pass the time while they’re home is to create their own garland. Depending on the look you’re going for, you can use everything from construction paper to felt, ribbons, and bells. Given the wide range of options you have for creating your garland, this is another great opportunity to utilize supplies around your house. Paper, of course, is found in any household and easy to use in a garland craft as well. There are tons of paper garland crafts you can try and plenty of ways you can decorate them, too. An all-time favorite is to spell out a child’s name with the sections of the garland. This way, the child has something to be proud of and hang in their own room.

Recycled Material Crafts

Similarly to reusing decorations you have stored away, you can also recycle empty household items to use in crafts as well. An all-time favorite for crafting is the use of empty toilet paper rolls. There are hundreds of ways you can utilize them but just to name a couple, the kids can create animals from the rolls and even their favorite Disney characters. For example, to create a butterfly:

1. Paint the toilet paper roll whatever color you want your butterfly to be and decorate it with googly eyes and pipe cleaners for antennas
2. Cut out a similarly colored set of wings for your butterfly 
3. Decorate the wings with paint, glitter, stickers, buttons, etc.
4. Fold the wings in half and glue the center of them to the back of your empty toilet paper roll

After completing those quick and easy steps, you’re finished! The kids will be able to challenge their minds creatively and be proud of the work they’ve done. They may even want to display it as their own “decor” around their rooms. For a different approach, here’s another toilet paper roll craft to create everyone’s favorite Disney character, Olaf!

Collages and Vision Boards

While these other crafts may work for your younger children, you want to make sure that you keep older children in mind too when crafting this spring. Older kids may typically resort to technology for their entertainment, however, this can be a change of scenery for them to try a more hands-on craft. A great craft that allows them to have their own creative freedom is making a vision board or collage. Basically, you will need a large poster board or just a simple piece of paper to decorate. Then, you’ll want to give the kids a theme. Maybe, their favorite things to do, or what they want to be when they grow up. It’s crucial to allow them to do the rest themselves! They can search through old magazines, books, and catalogs for pictures and phrases that they like.

They’ll then place and glue their pieces wherever they’d like on their board or paper to showcase their vision. This is a great time to use your Cricut machine as well so the kids can make their own elements to add to their vision board. Of course, they’ll need some guidance with the Cricut machine but otherwise, they’ll enjoy creating their own authentic masterpiece!

These are only a few of the hundreds of crafts you can try to keep the kids busy. Start with these and then keep searching for your own ways to do fun activities at home with your kids. With the stress that you and your kids may be dealing with, crafting may be the perfect activity to help ease your minds. You’ll love the time spent with your kids and they will be excited to make their own crafting creations.

Read More »

Quarantine Cardboard Tube Crafts

As we are all stuck at home sheltering in place to flatten the curve of the Coronavirus, we probably have a lot of cardboard tubes on hand that we can use in crafts. Here is a list of some of my favorite cardboard tube crafts. Now that Spring and Easter are here, how about these baby Spring animals . You could use them to play with, or fill with bags of candy or treats. 

 

I know we just had St. Patrick's Day, but these Leprechaun Treat Boxes were a lot of fun. 

I used a paper towel tube to make a set of Turkey Napkin Rings one Thanksgiving.  While Thanksgiving is still pretty far off, that basic idea could be used to make bunnies or spring chicks for Easter. 

This was one of my favorite cardboard tube crafts to make a few years back.  I have always loved the Despicable Me movies, so I shared how to make Despicable Me Minions.

This Snow Owl Ornament is probably my most famous craft.  Back in 2015 it went viral and was featured on many popular blogs, pages and websites.  I still hang them on my Christmas tree every year. 

My daughter used several tubes to make this Rainbow Flower. It was made for a school upcycle project and sold in a special fundraiser auction. It loved how big and colorful it was.  I think it is about time to make another one.  

I don't have a tutorial for this flower garland that I made for a friends birthday party several years ago. Each flower was made with a painted tube that was cute in 5 pieces and glued in the shape of a flower.  I am thinking about making another one to add some color around here.  

Here is one more spin on cardboard tube flowers .  She painted and cut the tubes to make a bouquet to put in a pretty vase. If you are unable to go out and get real flowers, these make a nice long lasting substitute.  

We are currently working on some ideas for new cardboard tube crafts, so stay tuned... 

Read More »

Glowing Olympic Torch - Dare to Share Feature

It is hard to believe it is has already been four years since the London summer Olympics. In just one week  new games will begin in Rio, and the entire world will be watching.  A lot of times kids want to feel like they are part of the action and celebration.  This Glowing Tealight Olympic Torch by Oh My Creative is the perfect craft for them to pretend they are lighting the Olympic flame during the opening ceremony.  Stop on over to Oh My Creative to see how to make your own torch before the big night. 

Read More »

Make a Recycle Monster

Today is Earth Day, a day when we become more aware of ways to save the Earth.  I recently saw this idea in Family Fun, and I thought what a great way to teach kids to recycle.  All you need to make a Recycle Monster is two paper bags of a the same size, scrap paper, and a glue stick. 

Read More »

Homemade Olympic Medals

With the Olympics starting tomorrow, I thought it might be a good time to reshare a post I shared  during the summer Olympics in 2012.   We had a lot of fun making our own Olympic medals using items we found at the dollar store. This would be a lot of fun for kids as they may want to have their own Olympic games.  You can see the full post at this link, Making Your Own Olympic Medals

Read More »

Christmas Bell Craft - Feature of the Day

Today's Feature of the Day by Wesens-Art is a  perfect craft to make with kids, and it would make a great gift for family and friends.  These Christmas Bells are not difficult to make, and can easily be personalized. Be sure to see how to make these colorful Christmas Bells on Wesens-Art  here.   Thank you so much for linking up this great craft on Dare to Share! 

Read More »

Guest Post on Tutus and Tea Parties Today

I was asked by my friend Lauren of Tutus and Tea Parties if I would like to do a guest post for her while she was on vacation.  I said yes of course, and then for several days was not sure what I was going to post about. Then during the time my mom was visiting, we went to go see the movie Despicable Me 2.  We all really enjoyed the movie, especially the minions.  Then it hit me, why not make minion puppets from the movie. Once I knew what I wanted to make, everything quickly came together.  Be sure to stop over at Tutus and Tea Parties today to see how I made my minion friends. 

Read More »

How to Make an Earth Day Necklace

In just 11 days, on April 22nd, it will be Earth Day.  I was curious as to how Earth Day started, and did a little bit of research.   The first official Earth Day was in 1970.  Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin had been trying to get a day recognized about the environment  for most of the 60s.  He finally saw it happen on April 22, 1970. Twenty million people participated that year, and it has grown in size  every since.  The first International Earth Day was celebrated in 1990.  Earth Day is now the largest, most celebrated international event with more than a  billion people from 192 countries participating. 

Read More »

Turkey Pumpkin

A new member joined my Pumpkin Gang  this weekend. Meet Mr. Tom Turkey Pumpkin.

I painted one of my extra Dollar Store pumpkins brown.  Since they are no longer available, a regular pie pumpkin would work for this craft as well.

** This post also contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links

I glued the face onto a peanut shaped body made from brown craft foam.

Read More »

Crafting with Kara- Wishing Stars

My girls recently found a new thing to pass the time. My oldest read somewhere that if you make 100 origami stars with a wish inside, one of the wishes will come true.  Since then I have been finding paper and stars all over the house.   Luckily for them, I have a huge stash of scrapbook paper to choose from.

Read More »

Make Your Own Olympic Medals

We are planning on having a Homemade Olympics with some friends this week..  One of our first crafts for this event  was to make our own medals.

At the dollar store, I found a 24 pack of pre-cut  foam circles and packages of  metallic glitter.

Using some paint I already had on hand, I painted 12 of the circles.  I used yellow circles for the gold medals, and orange for the bronze.  I didn't really have an appropriate color for the silver medals, so I used green which I thought might be the easier to cover.  Once painted, I added the glitter while it the paint was still wet.   The craft foam is thin enough that we were able to use a hole punch.  Since we would need a lot of ribbon which would run up the cost, we decided to use yarn we had on hand.

Once dry, we took the medals outside.  I love how they shimmer in the sun.

Kara pretending to be Michael Phelps.  They funny thing is, she is  only  wearing 12 medals.  She would need 7 MORE medals to have as many as he does.  She would also need a lot more gold.

I will be linking up this craft at these great linky parties HERE.

Read More »