Craft Supplies On A Budget

When times get tough our hobbies are generally first to suffer the cutbacks. The list below has just a few ideas to help you save money on craft supplies and you may also find yourself a new creative burst by trying them. Crafts don’t always have to be so expensive and it is fun to improvise.
 

Paper and card
 

Newspaper offcuts: A great place to get plain paper, particularly for kids crafts and drawing is a newspaper office. Our local newspaper has always had huge rolls of plain white paper available for around $10 - $15, that is a roll that is over a metre wide and 30cm in diameter. I believe it was over 100 metres of paper, well my daughter has had the same roll for over 5 years. It isn’t great quality but it has tons of uses like as a drop sheet for other projects, making patterns for sewing.
Scrapbooking paper and card: If you are finding the scrapbook stores too expensive try looking in newsagents, office supply stores and department stores for paper and card. They may not have the same range and quality but you may find something to help your supply of better paper last longer.
 

Op shops and flea markets
 

Fabric and wool: Second hand clothes found in opportunity shops and flea markets can often be a great source of fabric when you don’t need large amounts. Even when clothes are fairly old there are generally parts that are not faded or worn.
Used knitwear is great for small amounts of wool for wool crafts.
Leather: Look out for old handbags, belts and leather jackets for leather scraps and fittings.
Beading: Op-shops often have old jewelry, which can be reused for findings, beads and pendants.
Buttons, zips and buckles: All types of sewing notions can be found in opshops, the biggest consideration is will be able to be removed easily.
Bears and dolls: Bits and pieces for dolls and bears could be found in opshop toys.
 

Mosaic
Second hand stores and garage sales are often a great source of plates that can be broken for use in mosaics.
 

Nature
Mother Nature has an endless bounty of craft supplies for free. Plus you get fresh air and exercise while you are beach combing, walking or fossicking. Shells, sand, driftwood, seedpods, pebbles, leaves and grasses are but a few things that can be used in many crafts.
 

Wood
Sometimes small timber stores or hardware shops have a bin of offcuts that could fit many uses. Salvage yards and secondhand stores can be another source of wood and old furniture that may be able to be recycled too.
 

Making your own
Some of the things we use in crafts can be made instead of purchased. For example decent paper glue can be made with cornflour, beads can be made with salt dough and there are ways to make stencils and stamps yourself too.

Narelle Davison comes from a craft background but changed careers to marketing and web development. She has created the Australian arts and craft site, Aussie Crafts, to provide information and promotion for craftspeople through interviews, articles, forum and directory. If you are an Australian craftsperson and would like to be interviewed (and get free publicity and links) please visit http://www.aussiecrafts.com.au/interviews.html This article can be republished if the byline links are kept intact.

Craft Sleuth - Hunting for Craft Projects

Not every crafter is creative enough to come up with craft ideas to use the many supplies that can be found in craft stores. Thankfully, there are people who devote their lives to finding the perfect crafts for you to make at home, and you only need to follow a few simple directions. If you're an avid crafter, however, finding all of these new projects can be tricky-there are a lot of craft projects available that are not good for you. Some crafters are looking for quick and easy projects, while others want long-term projects to complete with the utmost care. Still others are looking for inexpensive crafts, and some are looking for crafts involving a specific technique, like quilting, rubber stamping, or sculpting with clay. Don't worry. No matter what your needs, there are craft projects available for you!

The first place you can look for new craft projects and ideas is online. The Internet is a great resource because it is ever changing and you can often talk directly to the author of the article via email to ask specific questions. Blogs are a great source. Basically, a blog is an online column that is updated rather frequently by the same author. Blogs usually have a specific topic, so by searching for ones about crafting, you can find updated ideas almost every day.

If you aren't connected to the Internet or don't understand how to search well, another great source for project ideas is crafting magazines. You can subscribe to a general craft magazine or one that is more specialized to your specific wants and needs. Good news-if you run a business by selling your crafts, trade magazines are tax deductible! Of course, you'll have to wait a month for a new issue, but crafting magazines still reflect current trends, like blogs and articles do no the Internet.

However, sometimes you just want to learn the basics to a specific craft. In this case, books are a great resource. If you're short on cash, you can even simply borrow them from your local library. You can purchase or borrow crafting books on every subject, and they are great to use in conjunction with magazines or even a crafting class.

No matter what your crafting needs, there are a number of resources in which to find new project ideas. Of course, you also could just walk up and down the isles of your local craft supply store and see if any new ideas come to you!

Visit TheGreatBigCraftShop.com for all your craft supplies and accessories. Both US and UK stores are available.