Come shopping with me at my local Dollar Tree, where I’m sharing my favorite dollar store craft supplies and shopping tips for crafters.
Tips for crafters and DIY-ers when shopping at the dollar store.
Hey there! Today we’re going shopping at my local Dollar Tree. Come along while I share my favorite craft supplies to buy at the dollar store.
Just watch this video below:
Dollar Store Craft Supplies
Dollar Store Seasonal Decor & Crafts
For starters, let’s talk seasonal décor and crafting. The seasonal section is usually at the front of the store, and it’s filled with TONS of fun items crafting and entertaining items.
I filmed this video and took these pictures in mid-October, so there were a TON of fall and Halloween items, as well as a few Christmas items. My favorites are door hangers that you can re-paint with chalk paint and miscellaneous seasonal items that I can use to make wreaths.
You can also usually find seasonal craft kits for the kids.
There are usually also seasonal silk flowers – and this might be a controversial stance. I rarely buy silk flowers at Dollar Tree for two reasons. First, I like more neutral colors, and most Dollar Tree flowers are bright colors. Second, with a few exceptions, like red Christmas berries, I’m not crazy over the quality of Dollar Tree silk flowers.
I would rather pay a dollar more and get something that I love from Walmart or the craft store. Crafter pro tip: Wait until the end of a season, and buy faux greenery at the craft store when it’s marked down to 70%-off. I keep a stash of things like boxwood and lambs ear to craft with year-round.
Dollar Store Party Supplies
Next up: the party supply aisle. Here I like to grab gift bags, especially the solid color gift bags that you can decorate yourself with rubber stamps, permanent markers, vinyl or stickers. These are also great for having the kids decorate themselves with their own artwork when giving gifts to teachers or grandparents.
Paper plates and silverware are great buys – sometimes. I use them for parties when we invite school friends over, or I’m just serving light snacks or finger foods. But if you’re having a gathering with adults and a full meal is being served, I would probably go for better quality plates and utensils at a big box store.
Dollar Store Office Supplies
The office supply aisle is my favorite place to stock up on poster board and foam board – I use these for solid backdrops when photographing or filming crafts.
These are also great for school projects – and will save a TON of money versus shopping at the craft store or office supply store when the kids have a presentation to prepare.
Dollar Store Tools and DIY Essentials
The DIY aisle has been a complete life-saver since we bought our house. My must-haves are : felt pads for under furniture legs, twine and rope, paint trays, throw-away form brushes for stains or small paint projects, tarps and crazy glue.
I also keep a few green 3-foot extension cords around – they’re super handy for holiday lights, a laptop charging cable that won’t quite reach, and for my hot glue gun that has a ridiculously short cord.
What to skip?
I do NOT buy the paint rollers, they are just too flimsy. Also, I use dollar store masking tape for smaller craft projects, but if you’re taping off trim for a painting project, spend a little more for the blue or green tape at your home improvement store.
Dollar Store Decor and Picture Frames
The home décor and craft aisle has a wealth of supplies for crafters. First, I love their picture frames. They’re great for DIY projects, since they can be so easily changed to match your home décor using just chalk paint or spray paint. Also, grab a few picture frame stands, since the backers on dollar store frames are usually pretty flimsy. But seriously, where else can you get an 11×14 frame for a buck? Hello, gallery wall project!
Dollar Store Floral Items
They’re also got non-seasonal floral items, which I discussed before. If you want to make a colorful floral project, stock up here. The dollar tree is my go-to place to grab wreath forms, rope, twine, and moss, as well as this fantastic burlap ribbon which I use on TONS of projects.
And let’s talk FOAM – There is no where you can get craft foam cheaper than at the dollar store. These things would be several dollars at any big craft store. So this is definitely the place to buy foam.
Floral wire cutters are a great buy – as well as a variety of buckets, vases, and vase filler. If the vases aren’t quite your style, this is a great time to grab the spray primer and chalk paint.
Dollar Store Crafting Supplies
NOW – let’s talk about the kids and crafting aisle. My 7-year-old twins LOVE shopping at Dollar Tree for craft supplies – It’s a great way to make their chore dollars stretch pretty far. BUT I also have a few go-to buys from this aisle as well.
These little canvases are great for smaller painted projects, and I love their little white plastic paint trays. I usually skip the paint brushes and paint, and buy better-quality at the craft store. But I never miss their assortment of Velcro fasteners, small plastic containers and bags for staying organized, and miscellaneous wooden items like wooden letters and numbers, along with craft sticks.
Dollar Store Kitchen Items for Crafting
The kitchen aisle is also a great place to find inspiration – Their place mats are super cute. Pair one with a dollar store frame for some fun DIY wall décor. I did this a while back, so I’ll link to that project for you all.
Wine glasses and other drinking glasses are fun craft blanks if you are a Cricut or Silhouette crafter. Glass jars are great for keeping supplies organized. Then let’s talk about white mugs – look at this HUGE coffee mug! Think about all of the vinyl decals you could put in that guy.
Pot holders and tea towels make great blanks for iron-on vinyl decals, no matter the time of year. I also like to craft with baking pans and serving trays – give them a quick coat of spray primer and the chalk paint possibilities are endless.
There you have it – a walk through my local Dollar Tree store and a quick run down of my dollar store craft essentials. Did I miss anything? Let me know in the comments below!
More tips for craft supply shopping…
read this blog post all about how to save money on craft supplies:
Popular Dollar Store Crafts
Now that you’ve got all of the Dollar Tree craft supplies you can imagine ever needing, it’s time to get crafting. Here are some of my most popular dollar store crafts:
