Have a Happier Easter with the Dollar Tree

** Disclaimer I was provided with supplies from  Dollar Tree for the purpose of entering the Happier Easter Contest.  As always, this post and all opinions are mine.  If selected I will win a $500 Visa gift card from Dollar Tree.  No other compensation was received.**

I know that it seems like Spring will never get here. A “no-snow” snow day for the kids yesterday was just one more reminder that we are still in the grasp of old man winter… but that doesn’t mean you can’t get a jump on your Spring Decorating!

And what better way to spruce up the winter blahs than with some fantastic finds at your local Dollar Tree?  

Besides the fact that the Dollar Tree has EVERYTHING you need to fill your Easter Baskets – including the baskets themselves – they also have great finds to decorate your home with.  It may not be spring outside but no reason you can’t have a little spring indoors!

I was able to make two cute crafts to share with you today with almost nothing besides what my local  Dollar Tree has in stock.  Seriously.  I know – I even surprised myself.

Plus… Mini me had fun playing with the toys and such

 They have such a wide variety of basket fillers – of course they have candy, but what about for those who are limiting their intake of sugary treats or dyes or have allergies?  Dollar Tree has you covered too!  Like these fantastic bunny glasses that I had to pry off of mini-me so that I could take a picture of the basket.  They have tons of plush animals and pinwheels, bubbles and games, pencils, notepads, stickers, bunny ears, treat bags, and even a ceramic painting kits!  There’s sure to be something for everyone and since it only costs $1 you can stock up and really fill the basket!

First up, a sunny centerpiece that only takes a few items to bring some color to your table:

 Spring Blooms

The What:

Dollar Store supplies:

• Tall Glass Vase
• Coastal Bay Speckled Jelly Beans
• Easter Grass
• Floral Garden Irises, daffodils, etc.
• Alphabet Wood Blocks

Additional Supplies:

• Hot Glue gun & glue

 The How:

1. Take your alphabet blocks and find your letters  and glue them in a tower.
2. Place your tower of letters in the vase and fill the bottom with some of the Easter Basket grass to hold it in place.
3. Confession: I didn’t buy enough Jelly Beans to fill my glass jar. That meant that I had to use some of the Easter basket grass to fill the bottom.  If you properly plan, you can skip this, but happy accident, I like how it turned out!
4. Fill the vase about half way up with Jelly Beans as your next step.  Not all the way just yet – you need to add your flowers!
5. Arrange your flowers in the jelly beans.  They hold the stems in place quite well while you play
6. Add jelly beans to the vase to fill it to the top and you have a fun and festive centerpiece sure to brighten any room!

 Next is my FAVORITE craft I may have ever done… in fact, when I sent a pic to my bestie, she demanded I make one for her too!  Luckily almost all of the items can be found at Dollar Tree so it isn’t going to cost a fortune and we can both have these happy door decorations.  Plus, it’s SUPER easy to make {Just don’t tell her I said that}

Spring Showers Door Decor

The What:

Dollar Tree Supplies:

• Artificial Pansies, Irises, Daffodils
• Easter Egg Picks
• Floral Garden Sheer Butterflies
• Floral Garden Burlap Ribbon in coordinating colors
• Springtime Pinwheel
• Plush Easter Pal
• Pastel Colored Tissue Paper

Other Supplies:

• Umbrella (Had on hand)
• Hot Glue Gun
• Wire Cutters

The How:

1. Take an old umbrella and tie coordinating colors of burlap ribbon about halfway down the umbrella.  
2. Crumple tissue paper and fill the umbrella sections to give it a bit more volume.  You won’t want to fill every section – I did every other one and it was perfect.
3. Separate your floral bunches into individual stems and begin to arrange them around the front half of the umbrella.  You will want a balance of color so every once in a while, step back and see what yours looks like
4. Next, insert your Egg Picks amongst the flowers.  The Egg Picks already come on long sticks so they should slide easily between the flowers and the tissue.
5. With your hot glue gun, attach a few butterflies to the umbrella and the handle.
6. Sit your Easter Plush inside the middle of the umbrella.  You can attach it with hot glue, or if it will be displayed indoors, he can just sit on the tissue paper nest you made in step two. 
7. Last, using your hot glue, attach the pinwheel to the front of your umbrella where you knotted the burlap ribbon.  You could just make a bow, but I find the burlap is a little klugy to work with.  The Pinwheel gives it a bit more whimsy.

That’s it!  You could use another container besides an umbrella if you don’t have one.  A watering can would be just as adorable! 

Now for the best part.  I’m entering both of these crafts in the Happier Easter Contest sponsored by Dollar Tree.  Soon, you can vote on these or any of the other amazing crafts.  But this isn’t ALL selfish… ten lucky voters will ALSO win $50 Dollar Tree gift card so you’ll WANT to be sure to vote for one of my your favorite craft in the contest!  Voting begins at 12:01 a.m. (CST) on Monday, March 16 and ends at 11:59 p.m. (CST) on Monday, April 6… but don’t worry – I’ll bug you again… and again… and again… 🙂 You love me for it!