It’s been a while since I’ve done a Dollar Store craft and I have to admit that I missed them dearly. With Halloween (arguably my favorite holiday) coming up I decided to mask up and brave the local DollarTree to see what I could find! The hardest part of the trip was settling for what type of craft to do but in the end, I settled for this fun dollar store Crystal Ball project! I think they will go perfectly with the potion jars we made a couple of years ago.
Since I never know exactly how a craft is going to turn out I tend to buy a lot of supply ‘options’ and then figure out what I like best while actually making the project – as such I ended up with some extra Halloween mesh, clip-on bats and other items pictured below that I’ll just save up for another project! I mean when you can buy the craft supplies for $1 why not?
This craft was pretty easy, I expect that older kids could get along with it just fine if they have used a hot glue gun in the past and you’re sure they understand how to be careful. Younger kids might need help to keep from burning themselves but it’s a quick craft that you can whip up in a few minutes once the candlesticks are painted. If you like this craft make sure to check out some of our other Halloween dollar store crafts! You might as well get everything in one trip to make your house spooktastic this year on a budget!
Similar Halloween Dollar Store Crafts!
- Dollar Store Skeleton Bird Cage
- Dollar Store Haunted House
- Dollar Store Potion Jars
- Glow In the Dark Wreath
- Spooky Spider Vase
- Autumn In A Bottle
Dollar Store Crystal Balls – Supply List
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From The Dollar Tree
- 2 Large PLastic Snow Globes
- 2 Glass Candlesticks
- Black Acrylic Paint
- Clear Nail Polish (or use a spray on top coat of your choice like Krylon from Amazon that is less time consuming then the nail polish top coat option but does cost a bit more.)
- 1 Roll Seasonal Mesh
- Seasonal Floral of Choice
- Plastic Skulls
- Floral Picks – I used some black and purple berries and just cut off the stems!)
From Home
- Glue Gun
- Scissors
Dollar Store Crystal Balls – Directions
Paint Your Candlesticks & Snow Globe bottoms
If you’re really lucky you will find them in black or another suitable color already. I have seen them in the past! However, they only had clear when I went so I decided to paint them. I used acrylic paint for this dollar store crystal ball project and it took a few coats before I got the look I wanted and because it’s acrylic on glass I used a top coat to help keep things from peeling. I have used nail polish for this in the past and it works quite well but if you want a faster method I highly suggest Krylon – it’s not a dollar store product but it’s well worth the investment if you do a lot of crafts.
I also went ahead and painted the bottom caps of my snow globes. Then I let everything dry completely before continuing. This might be a step you plan on doing the day before as it can take a while for everything to dry in between coats. I then glued the snowglobe caps onto the top of my candlesticks using a hot glue gun.
Decorate the Snowglobes
At first, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to put inside my snowglobes! I was thinking perhaps a skull tower or maybe some bats for a ghost of some sort. In the end, I went in a completely different direction and glued a plastic skull to the middle of a flower.
I loved the deep purple colors and it is kind of a creepy vibe which is perfect for Halloween. I let the skulls dry onto the flower well and then stuck the whole thing inside the snow globe. The flowers are quite large so there was no need to glue them into place (and this means I can change them out for something new next year if I want to!) though you might have to push it around a bit until all the petals are facing the way you want them to. A pencil worked really well for unfolding petals that got stuck upside down in the process.
Attach Top Of Globe to Candlesticks
The snow globes come with screw-on bottoms and plastic plugs, Since we already glued the bottoms to our candlesticks I just popped in the plugs and screwed the tops on! This will make them really easy to alter or change if I decide to switch them out for something else next year!
Decorate your Dollar Store Crystal Balls
You could leave them as is I suppose but I think adding a bit of decoration to the outside really makes them unique and fun! This is where I decided to use my skull tower ideas! The tiny plastic skulls are the perfect shape to be stacked and glued on top of one another. I had some fun making them a bit off-center.
Afterward, I decided I wanted to fill in some of the stacking gaps and hide the glue marks so I cut apart my berry picks and glued the berries into places around the skulls like pebbles and rocks. I expect you could use tiny plastic bones, spiders, and all sorts of things for this but my store was sadly out of those options! I also cut a few lengths of Halloween-colored mesh and twisted them together to make a messy bow-type shape to glue behind the skulls.
The end result is a fun set of spooky crystal balls that will look great on a table or mantle!
