Dollar Store Decor

So last week I bragged about the crafty finds I scored at the Dollar Tree. Today for Amy's Round Robin I thought I'd share some of the ways that little trip has helped me get into the spirit of fall!

Remember I told you about these awesome fall leaves that came in a 10 pack? They are even more awesome than I first thought! They're poseable! So you can just crinkle them a little and they look SO REAL! But that's not what I used them for first. First I rounded up a couple of sheets of scrapbook paper, this dollar store picture frame that I roughed up a little with some sand paper... And also my handy-dandy can of glitter spray. This my friends is a crafters best friend. You know my motto "Everything's better with glitter!"

I sprayed the leaves with glitter, followed by a coat of clear acrylic spray to keep it from wearing off, cut the scrapbook paper down to size and glued it all how I wanted it (glue stick on the paper, and just a couple of dabs of hot glue for the leaves) and there you go!

The picture doesn't do it justice, it's very pretty and sparkly! This project cost me $2, because I already had the paper and glitter spray. It helped me turn this:

Into This!: Next I took these fun little gourds. They have those little plastic beads on them that make them kind of sparkly, you know what I mean? Anyway, I confess that these actually came from Walmart, not the dollar store...but they were still only $1!

These flowers that WERE from the dollar store,

And I glued the flower heads around the base of the Gourds...I love how they turned out! I used them to replace the candles I had in my candle holders on the mantel.

My mantel BEFORE: And AFTER!:

See how cool the leaves look, just scrunched a bit? And the glass and vase on the left are just filled with little mini-gourds I picked up from the dollar store...something so simple, but it really adds a lot to the mantel.

Last I took more of those Dollar Tree flowers, and this grapevine wreath that also was from Walmart...it cost me $3! (gasp!). I rounded up a few pinecones from my backyard, glittered them with my spray, and also used a few small pumkins I had left over from another project. I arranged everything how I wanted it,then went through and secured it all to the wreath with my hot glue gun.

Again, the picture doesn't do justice, you can't see the sparkles! And the flash doesn't show the true vibrancy of the colors. Please excuse the messy work surface, it's still on my craft table!

Here's a little close-up so you can kind of see how full it is!

This whole project cost me $8...Do you know how much one of these is at a boutique, or a home decor store?

I have had the best time getting in the mood for fall! Could any of these treasures show up in my Handmade For Fall Giveaway? Perhaps...You'll just have to wait until October 1st to find out!

Thanks Amy for hosting another fun Round Robin!