I Heart the DT

What do you do when you put away all of the decorations from the past holiday? Well, go to the dollar store of course, to see what's new for the next holiday. And, as usual, I found a few fun things to buy.
I think that the dollar store is a lot like the thrift store. If you look with an open mind, there are always treasures to be found!
Here's what I bought:At first glance, this may not seem like much, right?
Look again!

A roll of holiday ribbon is always a good investment. I have a favorite little boutique that always looks beautiful for each holiday and season. One of the tricks they use is to tie festive ribbon on the items that they always have on display. They tie it to apothecary jars, candles, lamps, wherever! That little touch changes the look of the whole store. It's a great idea to use at home too.

A bag, or two, of conversation hearts is a MUST for Valentine's. Put them in a pretty bowl, jar, or heart shaped container for a treat or a gift. Use them as fillers in hurricanes or apothecary jars. They look fun just spread along a shelf or down the center of a tablecloth. One year, I made a simple and quick gift by gluing the candy hearts onto inexpensive candles. They can be glued on in a random pattern or in a few rows at the base of the candle. I used hot glue, but I put the glue on the candy piece, not on the candle itself.

Rub on letters can be used for more than just scrapbooks. Rub them on a mirror for a special message to your loved ones. They can be put on a glass container that holds candy or a candle. Or you can add them to a heart shaped wooden plaque for an easy, inexpensive decoration.

Holiday ice cube trays are great! Think about freezing red drink mix instead of just water. You can use the trays as molds for melting chocolate to make a batch of homemade chocolates. One year I mixed up a batch of plaster of paris and poured it into heart shaped molds. When the plaster was dry, I painted the hearts and gave them as favors. You could even add a magnet on the back of each plaster heart.

Heart shaped tins can be used for holding the homemade chocolates or magnets, or any small gift. You can use them as a family mailbox for placing love notes inside. The tins could be personalized with paint pens or permanent markers, or decoupage an old fashioned valentine, or monogram onto the top.

What ideas can you come up with for these little dollar store goodies?