Friday 30 November 2012

How to Be a Thrifty Crafter, Part 1


If you're reading this, it's probably a fair bet that you're quite a crafty person. And crafty people often own all sorts of materials relevant to their creative interests, whether it be art supplies, wool and knitting needles, sewing patterns, paper or well - you name it. 

If you're like me, you also seem to gather crafting materials wherever you go. You never come out of Hobbycraft with just that glue you went in for. You often find yourself scrolling through the listings on eBay, drooling over pretty ribbons, stamps and novelty cookie cutters. And let's face it, few of us would like to tot up exactly how much we spend on craft materials over the course of the year. 

This crafting thing we do can get pretty expensive. Many retailers charge an absolute fortune for items too, leaving us feeling that if we want to finish a project to the high standards we set for ourselves, we need to spend cash.



One of my favourite ways to keep my art and craft supplies well stocked and ready for anything my imagination can throw at them is to buy from the kiddies' section of art shops. Glue, acrylic paint, brushes, paper, card and clay are all so much cheaper than in the 'grown up' sections. 

To be creative means to use your imagination to make something original. I firmly believe that your imagination is the only craft material you ever really need to make a craft project you can be proud of. Anything else is an added bonus. So I use my imagination to look at typical kids' craft supplies in a different way. Pom poms, dolly pegs, clay, balloons for papier mache, glitter, foam, googly eyes and felt can all be used to make some really professional-looking projects... and at a fraction of the cost.



Shops such as The Works, Wilkinsons, Hobbycraft and Homecrafts have great kids' art sections where you can not only pick up bargains, but bright, colourful art and craft treasures that will get you excited too, after all, they're meant to inspire imaginative play in children, so why not us! Just yesterday I picked up some stickers, glitter, a new paint mixing tray, some white acrylic paint and some card from Wilkinsons and The Works and the whole lot came to £4. Now I can play and experiment to my heart's content and not worry about wasting precious materials. 

You'll often find exactly the same product as in the more sophisticated arts section, but in different packaging. I get through a fair few paintbrushes, so I now only have a couple of expensive fine ones, and the rest of the time I buy cheaper multipacks I can use without feeling precious about them. 




Lastly, I often turn to shops such as those above for crafting related supplies such as disposable gloves, picture hanging wire, tester paint pots (brilliant - grab yourself a few!), sponges (Poundland), tin foil, wallpaper samples (those are free!) and items such as cheap lunchboxes for storing tiny beads and jewellery findings. By looking outside of the typical crafter's shopping haunts for your materials you can save a lot of money and find new ways to use interesting materials in future projects, too.

Join me on Monday when I'll be sharing a post on finding crafting supplies even closer to home... for free!

Do you shop for art and craft supplies in the kiddies' section? If you have any shop recommendations please share them below!

Have a brightly coloured, messy Friday,




13 comments:

  1. Such a great tip! I wouldn't have really thought of shopping in kiddies sections, but, it makes complete sense. I must admit, I get a lot of stuff from ebay. Generally tends to be cheaper, though, not great if you're itching to start something immediately since you have to wait for products to be delivered.

    x Elena @ Randomly Happy

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    1. I buy on eBay a lot too, because you're right, you can get those unusual craft supplies. I wanted very thin elastic the other day and it was on its way to me from eBay within minutes, despite my having trawled around several shops. The kids' section is great for those guilt-free impulse craft buys too! x

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  2. Dear Anna
    I absolutely agree! As a nursery nurse in a former life, I used to spend many happy hours looking in the shops you mentioned and buying things for the children at school and myself as well. Some projects require more art-quality provisions, but I like mixing media anyway, so all hail Wilkinsons, Poundland and The Works...long may you thrive! (And here's to wonderfully messy, enjoyable creative projects!)
    Best wishes
    Ellie

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    1. Mess is the best! I love doing arts and crafts with kids - I've never seen a child's picture of a person without it having a big smile painted on! x

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  3. LOVE this! Never ever thought about shopping in the kiddies section than the adults! What an eye opener!!! I love the works for cheap craft supplies, and often come out with more than I intended to (I needed that wire ok? and that pack of felt looked lonely!) One of my favourite sources of craft supplies are actually charity shops and even my own wardrobe! (though I have a feeling you will be touching on this in your next post!) xx

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    1. Oh The Works is such a temptation. If I manage to avoid the books it's the craft and stationery sections that seduce me. Cheap though! x

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  4. I like Ellie am a nursery nurse so the kiddies sections are always raided :)
    Victoria xx

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    1. You can't go wrong with big pots of bright poster paints! x

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  5. Completely agree - The Works has saved me time after time when I'm desperate to make something specific but on a shoestring, I've also found that the larger branches of Asda and Tesco often have some super cheap crafty bits in their children's section that can easily be repurposed :-)

    Jem xXx

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    1. Aha, yes, I hadn't really thought about supermarkets. x

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  6. Marvelous idea for a post - and such a timely one as well, for those of us who are are crafters on a budget who make a lot of their holiday cards and gifts each year. I like dollar stores for some inexpensive craft items (pipe cleaners, inexpensive embroidery floss, foam balls, sparkles, etc), as well as big box discount stores (such as Walmart here in Canada), and of course yard sales and church bazaars (I scored a big zip-lock bag full of mint condition lace at one earlier this year for, if I remember correctly, all of a dollar, and I've been using it up on my handmade Christmas cards this season) for (sometimes) more reasonably priced craft supplies.

    ♥ Jessica

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    1. It's true that handmaking cards and gifts should mean meaningful gifts for less money, but it's so easy to spend a fortune on the craft materials themselves. Pipe cleaners! I love pipecleaners. Those second hand finds are so satisfying, aren't they? Especially when you know how much crafting mileage you can get out of each bargain! x

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  7. Lots of good tips here! I love hobbycraft for it's choice but it is so expensive. My local haberdashery is a treasure trove of buttons, trims, and bits and bobs and a fraction of the price. Some supplies (like butterfly/star/snowflake hole punches) cost a bomb but to get used over and over again, so I see those as an investment. x

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