Hi everyone, my name is Barbara, and I am so glad you stopped by! I love to create beautiful decor items for my home on a budget. On this website you will find step by step tutorials for DIY home decor projects. I also have a you tube channel if you prefer to watch the tutorials https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWnKt-ESZfKwvHdnXLKaGLA
Looking for a budget friendly way to decorate your door this fall? For only a few dollars, you can create this adorable scarecrow door hanger, made using supplies you can find at your local Dollar Tree. See the step by step instructions below to create this fun and whimsical way to welcome your guests this fall.
Supplies Needed:
Raffia
Black Sharpie
Acrylic Paint, pumpkin spice, burlap, black, and white
Fabric color of your choice
Twine
Hot Glue
Dollar Tree round cutting board shaped sign
Dollar Tree burlap flower, or embellishment of your choice
Let’s Get Started On This Fun Scarecrow Door Hanger DIY
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We will be using a round cutting board shaped sign that you can find at Dollar Tree as the base of our door hanger.
Once you have removed the raffia bow and any labels, turn the board over to the back side to paint. I used an acrylic paint in the color burlap.
A khaki color would also work well.
Once dry, lay your fabric across the top of the board covering the handle. This gorgeous plaid fabric came from
Attach pieces of raffia underneath the fabric on the front of the sign using hot glue. I attached longer strands on the outside and shorter ones across the middle.
Make sure to glue the fabric to the sign as you are attaching the raffia.
Trim the bangs across the front to clean them up a bit.
Glue the folded fabric across the front down to create a faux seam.
Gather the fabric at the top, right where the handle starts.
Hold this together using twine, double knot it to make sure the fabric stays in place.
I decided to tie a sweet little bow in the front with the twine.
Flip your door hanger over and glue the back pieces of fabric to the handle to make sure they stay in place.
Trim any loose strands of fabric at the top of the sign to give it a clean look.
Creating The Face
Now for the really fun part, creating the face for your scarecrow door hanger. If you don’t like to free hand, you can find scarecrow images online and print and trace onto your project, or you could use your Cricut cutting machine and cut out a cute face design.
I used a pencil to draw out the eyes, nose, and mouth. It doesn’t have to be perfect.
Go over your pencil marks with a black sharpie. I painted the nose with a pumpkin spice colored paint.
While the nose was drying I painted the eyes with a black acrylic paint, and added stitches to the mouth.
To add a little more whimsy, I added dots onto the nose using the burlap colored paint.
Once the paint on the eyes were dry, I added in the white acrylic paint.
Look at that adorable scarecrow face coming to life! Using a fine tip sharpie add in a few eye lashes and details under the eyes.
Use the fine tip sharpie to also add stitches around the nose.
Add any embellishments you like to the hat. I used a burlap flower from Dollar Tree.
Decorate your home this season on a budget with these 10 Dollar Store Fall Projects.
These 10 Dollar Store Fall Projects will add some festive charm to your home this season without breaking the bank. And they are easy to make.
From wreaths, table top decor, and wall art, you are sure to find some inspiration on a budget.
For detailed instructions on how to recreate these projects, click the link below each photo.
This beautiful DIY project can be made with a few simple supplies from Dollar Tree, a faux wood charger, burlap, nautical rope, fall floral pick, and a wood word cutout. It can be displayed on your counter or hang it on the wall.
Instructions on how to recreate this Dollar Store Fall Project, can be found HERE.
Serve your guests with this gorgeous Fall serving tray, made using a wooden tray and placemat from Dollar Tree.
This dollar store project is not just for Fall, you can change out the placemat for any season.
Did you know you can transform a napkin into wall art? This tutorial includes a step by step video to show you how to create a welcoming farmhouse Fall hanger.
If you like more neutral Fall decor, you will definitely want to add this dollar store project to your to do list. It features calming colored pumpkins, greenery, and berries displayed in a beautiful basket.
These beautiful fall colors really pop on this black pumpkin shaped charger. Above all, you can hang this on your door to welcome your guests this Fall season.
Save your old wooden clothespins, because they can make a beautiful wreath. Paint them in several different fall colors and attach a Dollar Tree metal sign to the center. What a great way to recycle unused clothespins!
Experience an elegant twist to autumn decor using pastel colored floral picks. You can find these every season at Dollar Tree, therefore you won’t be breaking the bank to create this masterpiece.
If you love buffalo check or gingham print, you will love this project! With the neutral black and white theme and a pop of green, this basket can go with any of your existing fall decor. Or use it as a statement piece all on it’s own.
Create a stunning piece of fall art using a Dollar Store canvas and spackling! Even though it is a neutral piece, it stands out with its beauty and texture.
It’s time to start our Fall crafting. What better way to kick off the season, than creating fall decor using scrap wood? I can’t get enough of these scrap wood fall projects!
Do you have piles of left over wood pieces from previous projects that you just can’t seem to part with? I mean they’re perfectly good pieces of wood, and you don’t want to just throw them away. My husband calls me the “wood hoarder” because I feel like there is always something that can be made with these scrap pieces. But over time, they do tend to pile up.
With the cost of wood being so expensive these days, I want to save every little piece I can.
As a DIYer, I have always loved working with wood. Taking a piece of ordinary wood and turning it into something completely different is so satisfying. It’s a passion that was instilled in me as a child. My dad was a General Contractor, so I grew up around all the wood working tools. Watching him build a house from the ground up was magical. And there were always scrap pieces of wood left over.
Let me show you five Fall projects you can make using these scrap pieces of wood. They are all beginner friendly. No crazy expensive tools required. It would be helpful to have a few things though:
Tape Measure
Pencil
Saw (Circular, Miter, or a good ole hand saw will work)
Drill
Screws
Painters Tape
Fall Color Paints
Wood Stems (or branches from your yard)
Ribbon
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Scrap Wood 2X4 Pumpkins
We are always building something on our farm, so we have plenty of scrap pieces of 2X4’s lying around. Let’s put those to good use by turning them into pumpkins.
Make a trio of pumpkins with different designs. Cut a 2X4 into three different lengths, 4″, 6″, and 8″. Paint each one in a spiced pumpkin colored paint. I prefer spice pumpkin because it is not as bright as the pumpkin orange. If you don’t have spiced pumpkin paint, no worries, just add a little brown into your pumpkin orange paint to darken it a bit.
I painted the 6″ pumpkin with white stripes. You could free hand the stripes, but I can’t paint a straight line, so I used painters tape to help with this.
Use two different sized Dollar Tree sponge daubers to paint the perfect circles on the 8″ pumpkin.
Glue a wood stem to the top of each one, add ribbon in the colors of your choice. Since the smallest one didn’t have any white paint, I decided to add some natural wood beads to the twine.
Rustic Candle Holder
We had a few ends of some fence boards left over. I thought this would be perfect to make a rustic candle holder.
Stain the wood the color of your choice. Attach a straight piece of the fence board to the taller piece using wood glue and screws. Embellish it with a fall pick from Hobby Lobby and add a battery operated LED candle.
You can use this as tabletop decor or add a saw tooth hanger to the back to use as a wall sconce.
Scrap Wood Projects (Wooden Pumpkin)
Speaking of fence boards, I hade quite a few ends left over. With the angles cut at each corner, I thought this would make the perfect pumpkin.
Glue four pieces together and paint it a spiced pumpkin color. Add a stem, raffia, and berry garland to complete this simple project.
How cute is this?
Personalized Scrap Wood Fall Pumpkin Project
Personalize your own pumpkin, with your initials and in the color you like to decorate with.
Using a 2X6 that measures around 5 1/4″, paint it the color of your choice. I wanted a more neutral color, and I love the farmhouse feel. I painted it white and distressed the edges with a brown acrylic paint. Add a decal with your initial (or a friends, if you are giving as a gift) and top it off with a stem and bow.
My Favorite Scrap Wood Fall Project
This piece was inspired by a piece I saw at Lowe’s priced for $56. Being thrifty, and cheap, I knew I could create something similar for far less.
This piece was made with scrap decking boards. Cut four pieces, one at 14″, one at 17″, and two at 21″. Paint the 14″, 17″, and one of the 21″ boards a spiced pumpkin color, and the other 21″ piece a brown oxide or you could stain it. Attach the pieces with wood glue and screws. Embellish with wood stems, Dollar Tree wood leaves, and a wreath made using Dollar Tree picks.
For a touch of elegance, wrap fairy lights around the wreath.
For exact measurements and detailed instructions on how to complete each of these projects, please watch my YouTube video below.
If you enjoyed these scrap wood fall projects, I think you will like this post too.
Make your own budget friendly farmhouse door or wall sign using this DIY wood round tutorial. Each DIY wood round costs less than $5 to make.
This post contains affiliate links, if you purchase through these links, I will receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.
Amazon carries the exact same size and thickness with out the twine hangers. You can purchase a 12 pack for $12.99.
Modern Farmhouse DIY Wood Round
To create this beautiful modern farmhouse wood round, measure 7 1/2″ from the right hand side and make a mark.
Place a piece of painters tape on your mark. This should be roughly 1/3 of the wood round.
Measure and mark 4″ from the top and the bottom of the wood round.
Place painters tape on those areas too. If you are concerned with paint bleed through, you could apply a coat of Mod Podge before painting.
Time To Paint!
On the right hand side, paint the top and bottom with two coats of a black acrylic paint. Allow the paint to dry.
Place painters tape along the two black lines.
Paint the center section white. You don’t have to paint all the way across, just far enough to past the black lines on the left.
Once your paint is dry, apply a layer of Mod Podge to the natural wood surface.
Allow the Mod Podge to completely dry. We will be covering the natural wood area with a piece of scrap book paper that has a herringbone pattern. You can find this at Hobby Lobby.
To adhere the scrap book paper, lay the wood round onto a heat protective mat. Line your scrap book paper edge to the line you create on the wood round. Lay a piece of parchment paper on top of the scrap book paper and gently go over this area with a small iron set on 300 to 325 degrees. This will heat the dry Mod Podge up and adhere your paper to the wood.
Allow your wood round to cool, then using a piece of sandpaper, go around the edges in one direction to remove the excess paper and give you a nice clean edge.
To protect the paper apply a thin layer of Mod Podge over the surface. I applied to the entire wood round to make sure everything has the same sheen.
Adding Embellishments
Once the Mod Podge dried, I added a decal I made using my Cricut machine. If you don’t have a Cricut or vinyl cutting machine, no worries. I have a free printable, you can download the PDF, print at home and trace this onto your project. Then fill it in with paint or a marker.
If your planning on hanging this on a covered porch, I recommend using a long term permanent glue.
Line the other two dowels from the edge of this dowel along the black lines.
Mark, cut, and glue the same way.
Adding Greenery and a Bow
The greenery I chose for the top of this wood round DIY, was two stems of boxwood picks from Wal-Mart.
Place the greenery stems end to end and wrap with twine to hold them together. If you are using a wood round that does not have a hanger, you can also use the twine to create a hanger on the back.
I made a simple bow using some burlap ribbon, and placed a burlap flower from
Did you know that Dollar Tree’s MDF wreath base form fits perfectly on top of these wood rounds? I painted sections of this round with white paint and celery green paint. Using a Dollar Tree furniture marker, I went over the lines to give them a pop of color. Added a decal with two different fonts, and placed the MDF wreath form painted a khaki color on top of the wood round, embellished the top with two wood birds and a wood flower, found at Dollar Tree during the Spring season.
A Fun Owl Door Hanger DIY
How fun is this door hanger? Paint a wooden owl from Dollar Tree with Dollar Tree’s furniture markers in the color maple and oak. Fill in the top and eyes with a black acrylic paint, and the beak with a pumpkin orange paint. Dry brush an ivory color along the edges to give it a feathered look and glue to a Dollar Tree sign.
I hope you enjoyed this post. If you have a favorite, leave me a comment below.
Dollar Tree is carrying brand new designs of removable wallpaper. Transform your space with these affordable wallpaper DIY’s.
Creative ways to use Dollar Tree wallpaper, other than on the walls.
This post contains affiliate links, if you purchase through these links, I will receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.
Dollar Tree sells a variety of beautiful wallpaper designs that are removable. Not only is this renter friendly, but is great for crafting. If you decide later you want a different design on your project, simply remove the wall paper and replace it with another design.
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Wallpaper Wood Panel DIY’s
This project is quick and easy to make. It’s also a great way to decorate your walls for only a few dollars.
In Dollar Tree’s Plus section, you can find 12″ square wood panels for $3.00 each. I purchased 2.
Back
Front
Stain or paint both frames the color of your choice. I used a brown acrylic paint, once dry, I dry brushed white over it to give it a bit more character. It will also go well with the wallpaper design I chose.
No need to paint the inside of the panel because the wallpaper is pretty thick and you can’t see through it.
Once you have trimmed your wallpaper down to fit within the panel, simply remove the backing of the wallpaper to apply to the inside of the frame.
I paired the panels with a beautiful decor piece I purchased from Hobby Lobby at 50% off the original price.
The Finished Wallpaper Panel DIY
They look beautiful with or without the Hobby Lobby piece.
Decorative Rolling Pin Wallpaper DIY
Wooden rolling pins can be purchased at thrift stores, Wal-Mart, or Dollar General for a few dollars. Or perhaps you already have some that your not using. By simply adding wallpaper, you can have a custom decor piece. ***This is for decorative use only*** Since we are using removable wallpaper, you can simply remove the paper later if you decide you want to use your rolling pin for cooking.
The wallpaper sheet is large enough to cover two rolling pins, or you could use two different designs like I did.
I chose to leave the handles a natural wood color and placed the wallpaper 1/4″ from each end of the rolling pin.
Which one do you prefer, the eucalyptus or the butterflies with flowers?
Decorative Wallpaper Tray DIY
Typically you can find silver oval or rectangular trays at Dollar Tree. These make great magnet boards to add to your desk area.
In addition to magnet boards, you could use them as a decor piece or a decorative tray. I painted the oval tray in a Mineral Chalk Paint, once dry I dry brushed White Chalk Paint over the edges to bring our the beautiful detail. **If you choose to paint your tray, I recommend spray painting or using a chalk paint to make sure it adheres to the metal. If using chalk paint, add a layer of Mod Podge over the dry paint to ensure the paint doesn’t chip off.**
Finally, add the wallpaper of your choice.
Stylish as a decor piece or as a tray.
Elegant Wallpaper DIY’s
Wrapping a battery operated LED candle with wallpaper can really elevate your decor. I DO NOT recommend adding this to a real candle.
Great accent piece to compliment the first project.
Transform an ordinary glass vase into a statement piece!
Place artificial or real florals for a classy look.
If you have a favorite project out of todays post, please let me know in the comment section below.
If you prefer to watch the step by step tutorial on any of the projects you see in this post, please watch the video below.
Want your home to look expensive without breaking the bank? Try out these high end decor dupe DIY’s on a dollar budget.
This page contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links I will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.
If your like me, I love to browse through high end stores, but every time I pick up an item to look at the price tag….I gasp and quickly tell myself, I can make that for a lot less. With the cost of everything sky rocketing these days, I can’t afford to spend $60 on wall art, or $100 on a lamp. Today I will show you how I created 5 decor dupes on a dollar store budget. Once your finished reading, make sure to leave me a comment at the bottom of the page letting me know which one was your favorite❤️
Photo Frame Ladder Decor Dupe
The first inspired piece was a beaded photo frame collage ladder at Kirkland’s originally priced at $79.99
On a recent trip to Dollar Tree, I came across 4X4 beaded wood photo frames. Even though I quickly purchased 5 of them, I will only be using 4 for this project. I saved the fifth one to do a separate project with.
You will also need 4 wooden garden stakes from Dollar General. They sell these for $1 a piece. I thought I could make this using three garden stakes, but you will need the fourth one to complete the project.
Cut two of the garden stakes down to 34 3/4″ each, then cut five 8″ pieces using the other two garden stakes.
Make sure to give each one a good sanding because this wood is pretty rough.
Measuring from the left hand side, make a mark on each of the 8″ pieces at 1 5/8″ and 6 3/8″, try to mark them in the center of the wood pieces, like this.
Using a 5/16ths drill bit, drill a hole through each of your marks. Make sure to place these on another block of wood to protect your work surface.
You will likely have to re sand these to clean the holes up.
Lay your two 34 3/4″ garden stakes side by side and make a mark at the following measurements: 1″, 9″, 17″, 25″, and 33″
Using these marks, you can line up your 8″ pieces and glue the ends to your larger garden stakes using wood glue. Make sure your holes are on the sides as you glue them down, as seen here:
To make sure your glue seals well to each piece, clamp the pieces together and let the glue set up for several hours.
The Frame Is Complete!
You can paint or stain your project your desired color. I preferred the natural wood look, and the beaded wood frames match perfectly with the garden stakes, so I didn’t paint or stain mine. Using Dollar Tree nautical rope, feed one end through each hole on one side and tie a knot.
Pull the rope from left to right to tighten as you go and tie another knot at the opposite end.
Once that side is complete, add the nautical rope to the other side the exact same way. To attach the frames to the nautical rope, apply hot glue lining the beaded portion up with the nautical rope.
Try to keep the frames centered in each section as you add all four frames.
If you prefer, you can also add staples to the back to secure the frames to the rope.
You are still able to access the backing of each frame and change your photos out.
The Final Result
We were able to create this for $10.25 verses the high end stores price of $79.99!
Pampas Grass Beaded Frame Decor Dupe
Our next decor dupe costs $89.99 at Kirkland’s, however we can create something at a fraction of that cost.
Granted our dupe will not be the exact same size as the inspiration piece because we are using an 11X14 frame from Dollar Tree.
To give this the antique gold look, you could spray paint the frame or use Folk Art’s Metallic Antique Gold acrylic paint like I did. This really helped to bring out the details on the edge of the frame.
For the fabric backing, we will be using a flour sack. You can purchase a pack of two at Dollar General.
Add a layer of Mod Podge to the glass and allow it to fully dry.
My Favorite Way To Use Mod Podge, Leaving No Wrinkles!
Set the glass onto a heat protective mat, lay your flour sack on top of the side of the glass with the dry Mod Podge. Set a piece of parchment paper over the flour sack. Using a small iron, gently and carefully go over the parchment paper to adhere the flour sack to the glass. I have my iron set on around 300 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat from the iron will “reactivate” the Mod Podge allowing the fabric to seal to the glass.
Give the glass time to cool down, flip it over and set it on a cutting board. Using a utility knife, carefully remove the excess fabric from the edges.
You could reinsert this into the frame and continue, however I didn’t like the stark white look of the fabric.
To really make the fabric stand out, I painted it with a coat of chalk paint in the color French Linen. Because the chalk paint is fairly thick, you may want to water it down a bit to avoid streaking and clumps.
Allow time for the paint to fully dry before reinserting into the frame. The paint gave the fabric a velvety look.
Using some pampas grass that I already had in my craft room. I gave it a good shake to remove any loose particles. To help it hold its shape, I lightly misted both sides with hair spray. You can find similar pampas grass at Amazon.
Once you have your desired shape, simply glue the grass bundle to the fabric using hot glue or the glue of your choice.
Because I already had the pampas grass and paint on hand, this project cost me less than $3.00 to make.
Metal Milk Can Decor Dupe
The farmhouse style is definitely what I have always gravitated toward. This distressed galvanized metal milk can is no exception. It is absolutely gorgeous and only $15.99, but is no longer available.
Luckily, I have a metal cookie container that resembles the shape. This is a true trash to treasure project.
After removing the label and giving this a thorough cleaning, I took it outside and gave it two light coats of a high gloss white spray paint.
To achieve the distressed galvanized look, I used a piece of a bath sponge from Dollar Tree, a dry brush, and Folk Art’s Metallic Acrylic paint in the color gun metal gray.
I started at the top rim using the dry brush, applying paint to all of the rims including the handles.
To achieve the larger galvanized areas, I used the sponge piece and lightly dabbed the paint in all the areas that I thought looked good.
This project did not cost me anything, because I already had all the supplies! By giving this container new life, we saved it from the landfill.
High End Lamp Decor Dupe
This project was inspired by two high end lamps. I love the color of the Charcoal Lamp at Kirkland’s, which they are asking $129.99 for. But I love the shape of the Composite Lamp at Wayfair for $235.99.
About 4 years ago, I turned a glass bottle into a lamp. If your interesting in watching that video, here is the link.
As much as we have enjoyed the faux marble look, it was definitely time for a change. To prep for paint, I wrapped all the parts that I did not want paint to get on with painters tape.
I found this beautiful textured spray paint at Lowes. It was perfect because it had tiny white speckles in it.
Because textured spray paint costs more than regular matte spray paint. I applied two thin coats of the cheaper paint to the lamp first and allowed that to dry over night.
The next day, I applied two coats of the textured spray paint, going in several different directions.
I love the final result! It gave my DIY lamp a higher end and more modern look. And it only cost me one bottle of textured spray paint.
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If you prefer to watch the step by step tutorial, click my YouTube video below.
Have you ever received a gift in a beautiful gift bag and thought it was way to pretty to throw away? Aside from reusing them to give gifts, let me show you five ways you can transform them into home decor using these gift bag hacks.
Repurposing Gift Bags
If you don’t currently have a gift bag to repurpose using these hacks, you can always purchase one. One of the most affordable places to find gift bags is at Dollar Tree. They carry a variety of different styles and sizes for every season.
This page contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I will receive a small commission at no extra charge to you. Thank you for your support.
Create a door hanger or wall art using the patterns from a gift bag. This project was made using a Dollar Tree wood round, mod podge, a Dollar Tree gift bag, and a decal made with my Cricut machine. You could always substitute the decal for stickers or hand paint. I have the image of this decal as a free printable here. Once you are on the free printable page, scroll down until you find it. You can download as a PDF and print at home, then use the printed page to trace onto your project and hand paint or use a paint pen or marker.
This is very affordable to make, less than $3.00
Create Bookmarks Using a Gift Bag
Cut your gift bag to the desired size for your bookmark. Cut two pieces the same size so it will be double sided. Using a piece of clear packing tape, place this sticky side up and place your cut gift bag piece with the pattern down onto the tape. Place the other cut gift bag piece on top of the first one, pattern side up. Then place another piece of packing tape, sticky side down to seal the pieces together. Use something with a flat edge to ensure there aren’t any wrinkles. Trim the excess packing tape leaving a small edge on each side of the book mark. Use a hole punch at the top, and create a tassel.
These make great gifts for the book readers in your life.
Add A Gift Bag To A Decorative Frame
Repurpose an old frame with a little paint and gold rub and buff. Insert the gift bag of your choice. If the holes at the top of the gift bag are showing, cover them with a piece of ribbon, like you see here.
Create Unique Art Using Gift Bags
Adhere the gift bag to a canvas using Mod Podge. Add a decorative touch with ribbon around the edges. If your gift bag is too thick to adhere, you can use packing tape on the back side of the gift bag to gently remove some of the backing. Take your time, so you don’t pull too much away and ruin the image on the gift bag.
Transform An Inexpensive Frame Using A Gift Bag
Jazz up a Dollar Tree frame with a fun and colorful gift bag. Adhere the gift bag to the frame using Mod Podge. Once dry, use sand paper to remove the excess gift bag.
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Which project do you like the most? Leave me a comment and let me know ❤️
If you would like to watch the step by step tutorial on how to create these, see my YouTube video below.
Make your own custom rain barrel to provide fresh water for your garden or potted plants.
Rain water provides much needed nutrients for not only your garden, but also for potted plants. Have you ever noticed how vibrant your plants are after a recent rain? Something you can not achieve using tap water. This post will give you step by step instructions on how to DIY a rain barrel.
Garden
Here is a look at our vegetable garden. My husband and I love to collect rain water to provide to the plants. This helps them to thrive and flourish when rain is not available for an extended period of time. We notice a huge difference when using rain water verses tap water.
Potted Flowers
Rain barrels can be extremely expensive, especially if you need more than one. We currently have three to make sure we keep enough rain water on hand in between showers.
My husband was gifted several of these barrels. We knew they would be perfect for rain collection. You can find barrels like this for sale on Facebook, Craigslist, and even online at Container Exchanger, see below.
The Container Exchanger has a variety of different sizes, shapes, and prices. Wherever you purchase yours from, make sure that it was previously FOOD SAFE. This is important! You don’t want to use a barrel that previously held chemicals that could be toxic.
Let’s Transform This Basic Barrel Into A Custom Rain Barrel
This barrel came with a lid and ring to secure the lid.
Always make sure to thoroughly clean the entire barrel, inside and out. I used Dawn Power Wash and a scrub brush.
Rinse thoroughly and allow it to air dry.
Wash all the soap and grime away.
Air Dry
Although this blue is a beautiful color, I wanted a color that coordinated better with my house and yard. I chose a Matte Vintage Gray.
Spray a light even coat, allow to dry, then apply a second coat.
Only spray the outside of the barrel. Let the final coat dry for several days.
I wasn’t sure of the type of metal the ring was made of, but I wanted to make sure to add a layer of protection to prevent any rust. Using a clear spray, I applied two thin coats to the ring.
Several Days Later…Time to Install the Spigot
To extract the rain water, you will need a rain spigot. We found this one on Amazon. You will also need a drill bit the size of the spigot.
Measure from the bottom of your barrel. Take into consideration a few things. Will you be attaching a hose or using a watering can? If using a watering can, you will need to sit your barrel onto something to give you enough height to sit your watering can under the spigot.
Once you have drilled the proper size hole, you can install the spigot. It comes with a rubber washer and nut that will be placed on the inside of the barrel.
I measured roughly 4 inches from the bottom of the barrel.
Rubber washer and nut to place on the inside of the barrel.
It will take two people to tighten the spigot. One holding the spigot on the outside and the other tightening the nut on the inside.
To give a custom look, I created a decal using my Cricut Machine and applied to the outside of the barrel.
We wanted to use this barrel under one of our gutters. Using a hole saw slightly larger than our gutter, I determined where to drill the hole in the lid. This will allow the rain water from our gutter to flow freely into the barrel.
6 3/8″ hole saw, typically used to install recessed can lights.
Clamp your lid down to a piece of wood to prevent it from moving while you drill the hole.
After drilling the hole, I used a metal file to smooth the area out.
Final Result
We now have a custom DIY rain barrel. Since we decided to use watering cans for this barrel, we dry stacked blocks to give the barrel some height. My husband cut the gutter so it would fit inside the hole on the lid. And this is how it turned out.
Custom DIY Rain Barrel
I made another custom rain barrel using a stencil and hand painted it to look like brick.
Since we will be using a garden hose with this one, I installed a screen to keep leaves and debris from falling into the barrel. If you would like to see how I made this, check out my YouTube video below.
If you enjoyed this post about these DIY outdoor projects, I think you will enjoy this post as well.
Grab these Dollar Tree wooden trays and transform them into high end custom home decor using these genius hacks.
This page contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I will receive a small commission at no extra charge to you. Thank you for your support.
I found these beautiful wooden trays on the bottom shelf, in the Crafters Square Section, of my local Dollar Tree. Immediately, I thought of a few projects I could make using them. Let me know if you have seen them in your store.
Two Tier Tray Project
The edges were a bit rough, so I sanded them with a fine grit sand paper attached to my finger sander.
Paint or stain them the color of your choice. I chose Waverly Antique Wax and mixed with water to give it a lighter color.
While the wax was still wet, I used a dry paper towel to blend it in and remove any excess. I painted all sides of both trays and allowed time for them to dry.
Dollar Tree carries glass votive candle sticks in a few different sizes. This one measures 6 inches in height.
Using the rim of the candle holder, sit this in the center of the inside of one of the trays.
Trace the rim with a pencil.
Using the bottom of the candle holder, sit it in the center of the outside of the other tray.
Trace around the bottom of the candle holder using a pencil. You should now have a circle on the bottom inside of one tray, and a circle on the bottom outside of the other tray.
Apply a permanent glue to the rim of the candle holder.
Sit the rim of the candle holder onto the circle on the bottom of the inside of the tray.
Now add the permanent glue to the bottom of the candle holder, and place the bottom of the other tray on top.
Glue
Allow several hours for the glue to set.
It should look like this. You could paint the candle holder the color of your choice. I like the look of the glass, so I decided not to paint it.
This project is complete. It would make a great jewelry holder, organizer for your bathroom, or you could decorate and use in your every day decor. I chose to decorate it for spring by adding faux greenery on the bottom tray.
On the top tray, I added a metal birdhouse, birds nest, and two small resin birds.
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Image 2
This is the final result. Leave me a comment below and let me know what you think.
Decorative Tray
For this project you will need one tray and four wooden snowmen from Dollar Tree. If you can’t find the snowmen at Dollar Tree, here is an Amazon Link.
Glue the bottom of the snowmen to the bottom of the tray, one on each corner.
Paint the bottom of the tray, including the snowmen, white. No need to paint the sides on the outside of the tray.
Unpainted sides
Unpainted inside bottom
Paint the sides on the inside of the tray, no need to paint the bottom on the inside. We will be covering this as well as the sides on the outside.
Choose a scrapbook paper design. This is a distressed floral print from Hobby Lobby.
Cut the paper to fit the inside of the tray exactly. Cut strips to cover the outside sides of the tray, make sure to leave excess paper for the sides since it has curved edges.
Attach the paper to one side of the tray using Mod Podge. Then repeat this process on the opposite side of the tray.
First side
Opposite side
Allow these two sides to dry before proceeding to the next step.
Using a fine grit sand paper go in one direction to remove the excess paper from the curved edges and the sides. Then repeat this on the opposite side.
It should be looking like this.
Now you can attach the scrap book paper to the two remaining sides using the same method.
When you are finished, the corners will look like this.
Finally, you can attach the paper to the inside of the tray using Mod Podge.
Here is the final result. Isn’t this gorgeous?
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Image 2
If you would like to watch the step by step tutorial, make sure to click on my YouTube video below. (There is an extra project on there I think you would enjoy).
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Create these colorful outdoor decor DIY’s using items from your local dollar store.
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There is something about beautiful pops of color in the yard or patio that makes my eyes happy. Does it make you feel the same way? It’s an added bonus that you can make these for just a few dollars using items from Dollar Tree. Let me show you how to make these adorable mushrooms. If you prefer to watch the step by step video on this project as well as a few other dollar outdoor DIY’s, click on my YouTube video at the bottom of this post.
For the top part of the mushrooms, we will be using a plastic garden dish and two plastic bowls. These can be found at Dollar Tree. The small bowls come in a pack of three in the party section.
We will be painting the bottom of each of the bowls in a different color. I chose to use chalk paint, because it adheres to almost anything. You could also spray paint them. I painted the garden dish in Crimson Red.
I wanted a lighter color yellow for the final bowl. I mixed white chalk paint with the yellow I had on hand to achieve this.
I’m sure your wondering what we are using for the base of our mushrooms. For the two smaller bowls, I am using two 3.5″ terra cotta pots, you can find these at Dollar Tree. For the garden dish, I am using a plastic tumbler that is the same diameter as the terra cotta pots, but it is twice the height. I found this one at Wal-Mart on sale for 50 cents.
Paint each one of these with two coats of white chalk paint.
Grab three different size sponge pouncers from Dollar Tree. We will be using these to make the circles on our mushrooms.
I used the largest one for the garden dish first, then used the medium size to add circles between the larger circles. And used the medium and small one to do the same thing for the two smaller bowls.
Since these will be outdoors, we need to seal them. I used Mod Podge with a gloss finish. You could use a clear spray sealant if you prefer.
Time to assemble!
Now we can attach our tumbler to the garden dish. I applied E6000 (a permanent glue) to the bottom of the tumbler. I also added a little hot glue to hold it in place while the E6000 set up. Then placed this in the center of the inside of the garden dish.
I repeated this process for the terra cotta pots, however I chose to apply the glue to the rims instead of the bottom. I thought it looked better that way.
All finished, and I love the final result.
Before you leave, I wanted to share another cute project made using Dollar store items. It’s an adorable turtle plant holder. If you would like to see how to make this one, watch my YouTube video below.
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Looking for free printables? Click here, scroll down until you find one you like. You can download in PDF, print at home, and use to trace onto your projects.
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