13 Creative DIYs To Use Around Your Home With Dollar Tree Plastic Straws

Dollar Tree's plastic straws aren't as mundane as they seem. Although simple in nature, both the flexible and boba versions can be repurposed into innovative home DIYs. In most cases, all it takes is a little paint and embellishment to turn Dollar Tree plastic straws into decor that ranges from rustic to elegant.

Most of these ideas can be done primarily with items from Dollar Tree, ensuring a budget-friendly journey to accentuate bedrooms, bathrooms, dining rooms, kitchens, and other living spaces with custom decor. And in most cases, a layer of spray paint is enough to disguise the straws as key players in these projects. When glued or adhered to other items, the finished projects make great pieces for countertops, tables, shelves, and even walls. Check out the ideas below to learn how to turn these basic drinking utensils into a creative home DIYs.

Although most of Dollar Tree's pots and planters are on the way out until next spring, this YouTube tutorial shows that you can still DIY a cute planter using their Neon Bubble Tea Straws and a well-rinsed can or cup. Use hot glue to secure the multicolored straws around the small cylinder, and finish the look with a decorative Floral Garden Polyester Burlap Ribbon. Since these straws and ribbons come in many colors, it's easy to make a flower pot that matches the rest of your interior. Just avoid putting live flowers in this DIY planter unless you drill a hole for drainage at the bottom. 

Fashion a stylish sunburst mirror using an assortment of dishware from Dollar Tree with this YouTuber's idea. Arrange Neon-Colored Super Flexible Straws (and spoons, beads, or other three-dimensional objects) around the outside of an upside-down plastic charger with hot glue. Then spray paint the base in a shiny gold, silver, or other metallic paint before adding the Luminessence Glass Mirror Candleholder in the center. The finished product should look like a classy, modern sunburst-style mirror at a fraction of the cost. This DIY is lightweight, so prop it on a tabletop using a Special Moments Plastic Display Easel Set or hang it on the wall with a Command Strip.

Don't pass up on the bulk pack of Multicolored Flexible Plastic Straws to DIY a budget-friendly and unique Dollar Tree centerpiece. When combining the straws together, drag a glue line horizontally across a row of multiple straws, instead of hot gluing each straw side-by-side. Arrange the rows around a candle, glass jar, or other cylindrical item and stick a glass orb on top like this YouTube user. The finished product is a unique and elegant tabletop piece. If you want to make it match the rest of your tablescape, pick a spray paint color that matches accents like your silverware or napkin rings.

For a budget-friendly impact, DIY trendy art to dress up a boring wall using Dollar Tree items, such as a geometric design made of plastic straws like this YouTube project. Spray paint the straws in the color of your choice, and add them to a decorated charger plate or wreath base bordered with Crafters Square Wooden Bead Garlands, Foam Ball Garlands, or other accessories. Glue the straws across the middle of the base to create a striking wall piece for art deco or modern-style rooms. Since these are simple and low-cost to make, you could even create a set to breathe life into a long, blank wall or staircase.

There are plenty of unique ways to DIY a planter using Dollar Tree items. One of them is using an assortment of straws with a base made of Readi-Board White Foam Boards to house artificial vines, flowers, or succulents. Make a pair to decorate both sides of your fireplace, TV unit, or another focal point of your room like a mirror in this YouTube video. Make this decor more rustic by embellishing the outside with Crafters Square Natural Jute Cords, or make it more flashy with Floral Garden Colorful Diamond Mesh Ribbon. If you're feeling festive, you can even swap out the embellishment for different seasons. For example, add Christmas House Wire-Edged Ribbon when the holidays roll around.

Try an easy Dollar Tree DIY to impress your guests. Transform a basic mirror and a simple glass jar candles into elegant tabletop centerpieces for coffee or dining room tables. Cut a pack of flexible straws at several different lengths, and hot glue them around the mirror and candle holders in a staggered formation. If you like the variety of playful colors, you can leave the straws as they are. Or spray paint them a metallic color to embrace a classier look like this YouTube DIYer. The finished mirror serves as a table tray, where you can put the candles and any other matching decor that befits your interior design.

If you don't have room on your tables or shelves, create a three-piece set for your walls instead. Pair the Dollar Tree glass mirrors with plastic straws again to make an elegant three-mirror design. Once the mirrors are fastened together, there are two ways to go about arranging the straws. Layer them in a geometric shape, as seen in The Keya Way's YouTube video, or create your own arrangement around the outer rim of the mirrors. Spray paint the straws black for a more modern look, or try a bold color to create more vibrant and maximalist-style wall decor.

Dollar Tree has a large assortment of wreath accessories to DIY boho-chic fall wreaths and other seasonal-inspired creations. Don't go traditional with a cardboard, foam, or wire wreath base. Instead, use plastic Dollar Tree straws like this Youtube project. Choose from their seasonal straw collections or paint traditional flexible ones to make a unique, eye-catching wreath for the holidays. This is a great alternative to traditional style wreaths, without taking away any creative freedom. It may have a unique backdrop, but you can still add ribbons or the Seasonal Collection Halloween Wreath Decoration Kit. 

There are plenty of tutorials for DIYing plastic straws into wreaths, vases, and planters. However, there are also ways to make plastic straws into artificial flowers that go inside. Chop up flexible drinking straws into short pieces and glue them in a circular pattern to emulate flowers like this YouTube user demonstrates. You can hot glue the plastic petals to another uncut straw or to Cooking Concepts Bamboo Skewers, which can serve as the stems. Put your completed bouquet into vibrant Milk Jar Color Vases or neutral Designer Dolomite Vases, both of which are found at Dollar Tree.

Given the shape of a plastic straw, it's easy to make geometric ornaments to add character to a room. Take six straws, the thicker the better, to make a 3D triangle as seen in the YouTube tutorial. Spray paint the finished triangle in any color, and it's ready to accentuate your space. You can leave the shape as a standalone piece, or liven it up with accessories. Lean artificial greenery against it, wrap it in Floral Garden Colored Mesh Tubing, or drape it with Colorful Metallic Beaded Party Necklaces to add a personal touch.

Dollar Tree drinking straws are the secret to a high-end planter DIY at a low price. Surround a simple plastic planter with freshly painted drinking straws. Keep in mind that metallic colors lean toward a classier and more modern look, like the silver finish this YouTube crafter used. Putting the straws in a vertical pattern creates raised stripes that add texture and dimension to an otherwise plain design. If you use real planters and poke drainage holes in them, like the GardenCollection Mini Plastic Planters, consider filling them with living houseplants. When taking this route, ensure the paint is fully dry, covered in a waterproof sealant, and only on the outside of the planter so it doesn't harm the plants thriving inside.

Embrace a Dollar Tree DIY to decorate your family photos at home, specifically one that uses plastic straws. Measure the photo dimensions before beginning, so you know how short to cut the straws to fit around it. Then, paint the straws or leave them as they are, like this YouTube user. If you do paint the straws, do it before gluing them to your photograph, as it'll be much harder to keep paint off the photo after they're attached.

Add a farmhouse-style wall planter by following a Dollar Tree DIY you can create using a cutting board and plastic straws on YouTube. Glue the plastic straws in a staggered formation on the cutting board, like the Cooking Concepts Bamboo Cutting Board. Use a ribbon, twine, or another fabric around the middle, and stick artificial flowers or plants into the individual straws. Hang it on a wall with adhesive Command strips, or lean it against a kitchen backsplash as countertop decor.