18 Dollar Store Christmas DIYs To Make Holiday Magic

It's a Christmas miracle: Your holiday decorations don't have to break the bank. Whether you're looking for ways to refresh your festive front porch decor, upgrade your tabletop display or revamp your ornament collection, you can overhaul your Christmas decorations with items from the dollar store. And the results are so chic, your holiday guests will never know you decked the halls on a budget.

First up: sparkling, candlelit Mason jars. Craft your own holiday lanterns on the cheap using glitter, glue and empty glass jars from the dollar store (or the recycling bin).

Turn a vase full of evergreen boughs into a tabletop tree. All you need are a mixed set of ornaments from the dollar store to spruce up your fresh greenery. If your short on space, place the vase of branches on a console or side table and place gifts below it in lieu of a traditional tree.

Inexpensive plastic figurines can become sparkling Christmas decorations with some simple glue and German glass glitter. This glitter sparkles like no other and can make these simple objects look high-end. To recreate this wintry vignette, place the finished deer atop a vintage book, place a fresh evergreen branch beside it and cover everything with a glass cloche.

Represent the excitement of the holidays right outside your door with a wooden gift box sculpture. Pick up lightweight wooden boxes from the dollar store, then paint them with latex paint in your desired holiday color scheme. Cluster them together with screws or small clamps, then dress them up with ribbon. Add a picture hanger to the back, then place it on an outside wall or door.

Take your servingware to the next level with dollar store holiday wrapping paper. Trim your gift wrap to size (be sure to avoid papers with glitter), then line your favorite cookie trays to give them a fresh and festive look for the holidays. Bonus: Lining your platters makes cleanup a breeze.

Infuse your natural holiday decor with color with these yarn-wrapped pinecones. Select shades of yarn at the dollar store that coordinate with your holiday decor, and wrap the strands around foraged pinecones — no glue required. Pile them in a bowl for a nature-inspired centerpiece, nestle them among mantel greenery, use them as gift toppers — the possibilities are endless!

Craft this nostalgic ornament using a toy car or truck from the dollar store, a bottle brush tree and red-and-white baker’s twine. (We painted our car with nail polish for a more vintage look, but you can skip this step!) Remove the wooden base of the tree with wire cutters, then place the tree on top of the car. Secure it with the baker’s twine, then hang it on your tree using an ornament hook.

Make gift cards feel more special this season by stowing them in envelopes crafted with origami paper and paper doilies from the dollar store. With just a few folds and a tied ribbon, you can add a handmade touch to this always-practical present.

To create this snowflake-covered wreath, paint a wire wreath form white, and it place on parchment paper once dry. Hot glue discount snowflake ornaments around the wreath form until fully covered. Once the glue has dried, pull the parchment paper off the back and find the perfect spot to hang it.

Create a meaningful ornament with a mini dollar store picture frame and festive ribbon. First, remove the back of the frame and the glass, place the frame on a prepped surface and paint with gold spray paint. Once dry, thread a piece of ribbon through the frame and slide the glass and your photo of choice into place along with the frame backing. Tie the ribbon, and it will be ready to hang!

Try this playful twist on a standard holiday wreath. Just wrap fine-gauge wire around sections of discount rope, working the wire between the rope's twists. Shape the rope into letters to spell out a favorite holiday sentiment, then hang the letters using a wide, brightly colored outdoor ribbon.

Pro tip: Attach removable adhesive hooks upside-down to the inside of the door. Tie the ribbon to the hooks, then drape the letters over the outside of the door for a seamless look.

Dress up dollar store pillar candles for the season. Clip stems off a metallic leafy spray using wire cutters and tie them around each pillar candle with velvet ribbon. The result: an elegant and cozy display.

To craft an adorable mini snowman bauble, thread three white vase filler balls onto a metal wire. Use pliers to bend each end of the wire so the balls stay put. Finish the look with a scarf made from yarn. Hang your Frosty-inspired pal on the tree with an ornament hook.

Pinecones are a hallmark of the holiday season — and nature drops them in your yard for free. To fashion this afordable door display, tie dollar store ribbon around the base of eight pinecones. Stagger the length of each ribbon to add visual depth, then knot all the loose ends together. Conceal the knot with a big bow or glitzy ribbon, and proudly post it to your front door.

Whether you need a place card holder, a napkin ring or just a festive embellishment, head to the dollar store for a pack of little gold bells, floral wire and ribbon. Thread the bells onto the wire (so that every bell faces the opposite side of the one before it) until you have about 5-6 inches of wire covered. Tie the wire tightly to create a circle and cut off the excess with wire cutters. Tie a festive bow to cover the knot and complete the look.

To make a beautiful garland on a budget, buy a pack of inexpensive gold star ornaments. Use scissors to cut open the string loops, then tie the ornaments to one another using the strands. (You could use the same technique to make snowflake garland, too.)

Pro tip: If your ornaments are sparkly, choose your work surface carefully.

Dress up the mantel with oversized wooden ornaments. Paint over large wood hanging signs with white paint, and let them dry. Use stencils and red paint to spell out “Fa-La-La” across the ornaments. String them onto beaded garland and drape them across the mantel.