10 NEW (Dollar Store) Summer Essentials and HACKS

Summer is here, and your local dollar store is the perfect place to stock up on summer essentials. Today, I'm sharing my favorite dollar store finds for Summer and HACKS you are going to want to try!

Click the links for more details.

1) Personalized summer essentials bag - It's super-convenient to have an "easy to grab" bag full of summer essentials, and the dollar store has everything you need to stock it inexpensively.

2) Compact beach towel - The dollar store beach towels are cheap, colourful, and thin enough to pack it easily.

3) Water bottles - The dollar store has water bottles to fit any style. I love this big one with a straw. It helps me stay hydrated all summer long.

4) Solar lights - I love using solar lights on my patio. They are very low maintenance and provide a great atmosphere all season long. The small string solar lights are perfect for the roof of my gazebo.

5) Personalized detangling brushes - These brushes are perfect for wind-blown, pool, or beach hair. They are inexpensive and fun to personalize with a Cricut decal.

6) Economical (and fun!) movie night treats - Buying your favourite candy and packaging it in dollar store condiment containers is clever. It also looks great and helps with portion control.

7) Campfire essentials - Campfires are a summer essential... so you need to make sure you have lots of campfire treats on hand. I love this dollar store bucket, goodies, and personalized roasting sticks.

8) Storage solutions - To make room for summer, pack away winter clothes and blankets. The dollar store has extra large bags that work perfectly.

9) Citronella candles - The dollar has many options for these candles that help keep the bugs away. My current favorite is this cement version. It's very "on trend".

10) Glow sticks - Glow sticks are a summer staple in our home. They are great for taking for walks in the dark and for playing tag at night. They are also great for providing light... especially at the bottom of a cooler. Functional AND fun!

For a closer look and MORE great ideas... check out the video below.

I hope you head to the dollar store and pick up some of these summer essentials. These products are definitely worth buying and the hacks are definitely worth trying!

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

You might also like the dollar store diys for summer you can find here.

The BEST Dollar Store Cricut Blanks... and DIY gifts friends and family will LOVE

Did you get a Cricut for Christmas? Or have you had a Cricut for awhile, but need some inspiration? Today, I'm sharing some FANTASTIC Cricut craft ideas you are going to love. All the blanks come from the dollar store... and the DIYs create gifts friends and family will love. They are fun for your own home too!

1) These dollar store night lights are perfect for personalizing. The flat service is perfect for applying vinyl with your Cricut.

2) These dollar store LED lights come with a remote. You can change the colour and make it flash. I love the idea of adding some vinyl to make them custom. Cute, right?!?

3) The dollar store has many styles of water bottles, wine glasses, and mugs. They all make perfect Cricut blanks. 

4) Cookie jars make great gifts, and the dollar store has a couple of fun options. I love these ones I made with my Cricut. They say, "Mom's Cookies... hugs accepted as payment".

5) Dollar store jars can be used for other things too. I love this style. I made one into a memories jar and one into a cat treat jar. Which one is your fav?

6) The dollar store has many giftwrapping supplies, but I these plain brown bags are my favourite. They are easy to customize with a Cricut. Here are some I made for my son's hockey team.

You can take a closer look at all my finds in this video I made.

Seriously... aren't these fun ideas?!?!?

Which one of these is your favourite? I hope I've inspired you to head to the dollar store, grab some inexpensive supplies, and make something great!

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

5 EGGcellent Easter DIYs 🐰 They look high end (but are made with dollar store supplies)

I love crafting with inexpensive materials... especially during the holidays. Today, I'm sharing five fantastic Easter DIYs you are going to love. They are easy to make, budget friendly, and super cute! No one will ever guess they only cost a few dollars to make.

1) Bunny topiary - I am obsessed with this adorable Easter craft. I added a bunny face to a dollar store tin bucket. I used my Cricut to make a vinyl decal, but if you don't have a Cricut, you can use sharpies, stickers, or paint. Then, pop a dollar store plant into the bucket, and insert bunny ears into the greenery... securing with hot glue. (Note: I used scissors to the cut the bunny ears from a headband.)

2) Easter cutting board - I purchased a dollar store cutting board turned it over, and painted the back (which is what I used as the new front) pink. 

Then, I used hot glue to attached a bit of checkered ribbon to the bottom and a bit of twine to the top. 

Add a cricut decal or paint, and that's it! I also added a pom pom tail to my bunny... but that's totally optional.

3) "Carrots 4 Sale" sign - I found this wi-fi password sign at my local dollar store, and I knew I could make it into something great. 

I flipped it over and painted the back white. (Again... the back becomes the front.)

Then, I added the words "carrots 4 sale" using a Cricut vinyl decal. (If you don't have a decal, you can use a marker, stickers, or paint.)

Finish by using hot glue to attach dollar store carrots, and tie a piece of ribbon through the hole at the top.

4) Personalized Easter basket - I found these adorable buckets at the dollar store, and I thought they would be even cuter if they were personalized.

I added a decal I made with my Cricut, attached it to the bucket, and added tissue paper and plastic bunny eggs (which were also from the dollar store). Cute, right?!?

5) Jelly bean jar - I used a Rae Dunn inspired font to create this decorative jelly bean jar. I found this lidded jar at the dollar store, filled it with dollar store jelly beans, and added the words "Jelly Beans" with my Cricut.

How cute are these 5 DIYs? I absolutely love them all, but the bunny topiary is my favourite. What do you think?

For a closer look at how I made these 5 Easter crafts, check out my YouTube instructional video here:

I hope you liked these easy and inexpensive Easter crafts. I hope I've inspired you to head to the dollar store, stock up on supplies, and make something great!

♥ 
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Find MORE fun Easter ideas here.

5 Easy and Inexpensive Gifts to Make Using a Cricut

Homemade gifts are fantastic because they are unique, customizable, and budget-friendly. And, if you have a Cricut, you can easily make wonderful gifts that the recipient will love. Today, I'm sharing FIVE easy and inexpensive gifts you can make using a Cricut.

1) Christmas Ornaments - Personalized tree ornaments make great Christmas gifts. For my boys, I purchased hockey SVGs from Etsy, printed them out on permanent black vinyl, and added them to wood slices. I also added their hockey numbers with white vinyl.

Inserting a baby hat into a plastic bulb, and adding personal details with vinyl, is fantastic idea too!

2) Personalized Drinkware - Bottles and glasses are practical and useful, and they are really fun if they are personalized. I made water bottles for my son to give with his friends, and their names and the logo for his YouTube channel. It's also easy to customize wine glasses, beer mugs and coffee cups.

3) Home Decor - A Cricut allows you to create simple and inexpensive signs, wreaths, and other home decor items. Search Pinterest for ideas, gather some supplies from the dollar store, and get to work!

4) Gift Baskets - Personalized reusable containers filled with goodies make THE BEST gifts. I like to personalize popcorn bowls and s'more buckets. Cute, right?!?

5) Personalized Jars - Upgrading dollar store jars with a Cricut is a wonderful way to create a personalized and thoughtful gift. It's a lot of fun to make personalized cookie jars for the baker in your life. Memory jars are fantastic too!

Aren't homemade gifts the best? I love a unique gift, and the Cricut machine makes it extra easy. Which of these Cricut gifts are your favourite? I love them all!

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)