Dollar Store DIY ~ Boston Terrier Valentine Mail Box

Ever since Gracie started school, I was excited to help her make a Valentine Box for her classmates to drop in their cute little Valentine cards.  I didn't realize that her classes didn't make Valentine boxes for Kindergarten or First Grade.  I was bummed.

I cannot even begin to describe how happy I was that Grace and I could work on designing a Valentine Box for her to take in to her 2nd grade classroom.

One afternoon, last week, Grace and I sat down and browsed Pinterest for some cute Valentine Box ideas.  We saw lots of creative boxes and Grace decided she wanted us to create a Boston Terrier Valentine Box.  Since, you know, we're obsessed with Boston Terriers.

I'll admit, I was really proud that Gracie chose our favorite breed as the theme, but I was a bit nervous about designing a Boston Terrier Valentine box.  I really didn't have any idea on how I was going to go about putting that together.

We started by choosing a box that fit into the size specifications given by her teacher.  After that, the only idea I had was to cover the box with wrapping paper.  I figured either black or white paper would work.

I stopped at Dollar Tree to see if they had plain white or black paper and I was thrilled when I saw a super-glittery Boston Terrier gift bag!  I suspected it might be the perfect size to cover her box, so I grabbed three!  Just in case we messed up and needed a spare!

So after gathering our supplies, Grace and I got to work on assembling her box.

• empty box
• wrapping paper
• card stock
• Boston Terrier gift bag
• marker
• glue stick
• clear tape
• glitter tape
• paper doilies 
• stickers
• scissors

We were both very pleased with how it turned out.  The only thing we didn't do, was make a trap door for removing her Valentines either at her social at school or after she comes home.  We did make the slot a bit on the big side, so Grace should be able to slip her hand inside and get her cards out.  I'll have to remind her to reach in carefully so not to ruin the box, since I have a feeling she will want to add this to our Valentine decor for years to come! 

I'm participating in these link parties:

• Creatively Crafty Link Party #53
• Think Tank Thursday #222
• Valentine's Day Kid Crafts & Activities
• Funtastic Friday Link Party

Dollar Store DIY ~ Kid's Valentine Door

I'm sure you've all seen this idea done before.  It's been all over Facebook and Pinterest for a while now.  I came across the idea several weeks ago and completely forgot about it, so I was glad when Grace's aunt sent me this link:  Valentine Heart Attack by Skip to My Lou.

Right away, I loved the idea of posting little love notes on Grace's door telling her all the reasons that we love her.   Just like Cindy at Skip to My Lou, suggests, I planned on taping a new heart to Grace's door each day from February 1st until Valentine's Day.

So, when I spotted these great, heart-shaped doilies at Dollar Tree I knew they would be perfect for the little, positive, love notes for Grace to wake up to every day!  What's even better is that they are only a dollar for a pack of 30.  One package would have been plenty, but I knew that Gracie would like the combination of pink and red.  Plus, for the price, the leftovers will be a great addition to the craft supplies stash!

I grabbed a piece of pink card stock from my craft supplies, attached a doily to it with some tape and wrote "We love you because..." with a black marker.  Then I taped it to her door.  The best placement ended up being over a Princess decal that was already stuck to her door.

After that was done, it was time to start adding a new heart each night after bedtime.

(don't mind the stickers that Grace has started adding to her door as well)

Since we still have some time until Valentine's Day, this is still a work in progress.  I'll come back and add another photo or two as we add more hearts to her door!

  

Grace loves waking up to see her new love note attached to her door each morning.  I love that this is such an inexpensive and easy way to make her feel special and surprised.

What better way is there to start the day than to be reminded that you are loved?


You can find this post linked at these linky parties:

• Teaching What is Good
• Tutorials & Tips Link Party
• Making a Home
• Think Tank Thursday #222
• Creatively Crafty Link Party #53
• Valentine's Day Kid Craft & Activities
• Funtastic Friday Link Party

Friday Favorites ~ Dollar Store Solutions

After reading my recent post about my dollar store party supplies, my buddy Nicole from Colie's Kitchen reminded me of all the great dollar store tips and tricks that can be found while browsing Pinterest.  So it only seems fitting to make that the topic of today's Friday Favorites! 

Photo Credit / Project Link

On Pinterest

This first Dollar Store Solution is pure genius!  We've been wanting to get a backseat organizer for the truck for a while now.  But whenever we are in the automobile aisle at Walmart, I always think of other ways to spend that twenty bucks!  Heather from Decor-ganize shows how she turned a 5 pocket shoe organizer into a backseat organizer!  For a Buck!!! 

Photo Credit / Project Link

On Pinterest

Deanna from Shady Tree Diary (love the name of her blog!), shares a clever idea for storing decks of cards and other small toys.  Grace is loving flash cards these days.  I normally keep them in small tins, but she has a few sets of cards and I'm out of the small tins right now.  Plastic soap dishes from the dollar store are a great, frugal solution for storing those different sets of cards! 

Photo Credit / Project Link

On Pinterest

I've had my eye on this dollar store craft for a while.  Even before I knew about Pinterest.  It's hard to believe that this wonderful creation by Kara was once a plain silver serving tray from the dollar store!



My final Friday Favorite is something I think would really come in handy when we eat at Sonic.  This padded lap desk was created using a few dollar store finds.  I can't wait to check out our local dollar store....I'm hoping to find those great polka dot trays and place mats!  (I reallywanted to share the photo here, but tried 3 times to save the photo to a file and didn't succeed.)


To see more of my dollar store finds, check out my Dollar Store Stuff board on Pinterest. 

This post has been linked to the following blog carnivals and linky parties:

• Friday Favorite Finds at Finding Joy in My Kitchen
• Frugal Friday at Life as Mom

Party Tips ~ Dollar Store Party Supplies

Dips seem to be insanely popular these days and I have to admit, I have recently hopped onto the I Love Dip bandwagon! 



Over the holidays, I shared a recipe for Easy as 1-2-3 Funfetti Cake Batter Cookie Dip.  I found the original recipe on Pinterest and couldn't wait to give it a try.  I made a small serving of the dip before making a larger batch to take to a family house warming / birthday party.  The dip was a hit! 

Being someone that hosts a few family gatherings during the year, I love when guests bring a food item to the party, but the one thing that I hate the most is having to remember which containers need to be returned to which person.  I decided to make things easy on our hostess and arranged the dip, along with all the necessary scooping items (cookies, graham crackers, pretzel rods) on a dollar store chip and dip tray! 

This made things easier on my sister-in-law and also, I didn't have to worry about needing it for another event before I had the chance to get it back from her.  My plan actually back fired, though, since my sister-in-law is crazy-super-organized and returned my dollar store tray the following week!

I did the same thing when I made the dip for my mother-in-law's annual Christmas Eve party!  So easy!  I'm sorry I didn't get photos of the assembled trays, both times I was in a hurry to get out the door on time and didn't have time to snap a picture! 

This idea would also work well for taking fruit salad to summer barbecues, especially if you include some Fruit Dip! 

Instead of glass, switch to inexpensive chip and dip trays from the dollar store!  

I've managed to pick up a few in a variety of different colors to keep with my party supplies, for anytime an occasion comes up that I need to bring something to a party. 

I even picked up 2 football shaped containers that worked perfectly for our small Super Bowl party over the weekend!   


This post has been linked to the following blog carnivals and linky parties:

• Works for Me Wednesday at We Are That Family
• Frugal Friday at Life as Mom