This page contains the following solutions.
Alert all your crafter friends and family about a years end "craft de-stash" to clean out odds-n-end items or things you bought on sale and have no real need for. Swap the items by the bag or boxful by weight or item-for-item.
To cut your craft costs, it's best to stock up at Target during the summer when they have their back to school sales. White glue bottles, crayons, markers, rulers, and kid scissors are all the best price.
When you need templates for any kind of crafting; plastic sheets are available at most craft stores. However here's what I discovered: go to any "dollar" store and buy a pkg. of cutting board sheets.
Hold a monthly party and invite all your crafty friends to exchange items they no longer need or use. This can save hundreds of dollars and you can get fresh ideas as well.
This is a shopping tip for beaders and other crafters who use beads in their craftwork. I always try to hit the after-holidays ornament sales and stock up on beaded ornaments. You'd be surprised how many beads you can get from garlands and ornaments after taking them apart.
I'm a professional artist and like Cheryl of Missouri I have found another use for the plastic hangers you can receive from purchasing clothing.
I always have extra scraps of beautiful paper. I tear them into quarter size pieces for gluing onto cards. They make very pretty additions, to keep in journals, which is what I do with them. This would be fun to do with seasonal wrapping paper too ;)
If you sew, go to your local quilting shows and visit their boutique shop. You will find many discounted items for sale such as sewing patterns, notions, yarn, fabrics, books, and magazines. They also have some nice handmade items other than quilts such as table runners, placemats, purses, etc.
Snatch up Christmas craft supplies at dollar stores as soon as they come out. If you wait til closer to the holiday, you might have to go to a craft store and pay full price.
After going to the post office to buy stamps, sometimes they put them in one of their envelopes. They are often made of a material very similar to tracing paper. Keep these to use for when you need to make a pattern or tracing of some item, either for your child's school work or a craft project.
Spray your child's art work with hairspray to keep it from fading or getting dusty. By ElectricChameleon
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
Does anyone know of any places I can go to for really cheap beads and clasps? I've looked up the prices for clasps and they are so expensive!
By Loleini
Depending on the kind of clasp you want, if you have a few simple hand tools and some wire, you can make your own. I make jewelry, and I prefer handmade findings. Generally, they will end up costing less than buying clasps. If you don't have any tools and you need only a few clasps it might be cheaper to buy ready-made, but if you're making many pieces it might be worthwhile to buy a few tools and learn how to make them.
If you enjoy working with metal, you can even buy sheet and get yourself a jeweler's saw and make more substantial pieces. I made a really cool toggle to go with one of my bracelets that way.
If you scroll down this page to the Wire Working Techniques section, you'll find instructions for a simple clasp.
www.fusionbeads.com/
You can also do your own search and find other instructions. Jewelrylessons.com has a lot of tutorials (some are free).
As for inexpensive beads; what kind are you looking for? I have a sales tax license and usually buy mine wholesale. I mostly buy stones (never plastic, and very rarely glass). If I want Swarovski crystals, I usually order online. I try to make it to the Rings & Things bead show when it comes to our city (once a year), and load up. "Cheap" is going to be relative.
Sometimes you can get nice quality beads at a good price, but then sometimes "cheap" quality beads cost too much for what they are. If you have a Hobby Lobby or Michael's in your area they routinely have sales on beads/jewelry making supplies and coupons online or in the newspaper.
Keep an eye out at yard sales,thrift stores or Estate sales. Old clasps, beads from several items not just jewelry and other interesting things can be bought rather cheaply.
Keeper
I've recently started making bead crafts and have found amazing bargains on Ebay. I took a chance and ordered a few beads from Hong Kong. They are great. I could give you the names of some of the sellers if you like. Of course you can also buy more expensive better quality ones They are also mostly free postage items. I've bought lots of beads and jewellery making things, super buys and fast delivery.
Try Fire Mountain Gems. They have some pretty good prices and everything ships for $5 no matter the size of the order. www.firemountaingems.com
You need to check out the thrift stores. I often see beads and other craft items in these stores. People start projects and never finish them- the supplies are given to the thrift store.
An update about FireMountainGems.com. As of September 2017 their shipping has gone up to $5.99. This is the first increase I have seen in about 20 years.
I'm looking for anything that has to do with sewing and quilting. I'm trying to start projects making blankets and bibs for Alzheimer patients. I don't have a lot of money as I'm doing this free for our local elderly. Please help me with ideas for where to find supplies. Anything will work thread, fabric, buttons, scraps, I mean anything. Even books on sewing would help as I'm always willing to learn new projects. Thank you very much for any and all help and just for reading this.
By nicole from Roseburg, OR
Hi Nicole,
If you have a local quilters guild, they may be able to help with this. Our local quilters guild is a service organization and makes quilts for all kinds of charities.
Hancock fabric is involved in a lot of charities. Try your local store.
Another thing you can do is contact your local churches. The can get supplies from their members. I used to take my quilt pieces to a cancer research hospital where the patients used them.
Freecycle can sometimes be a good place to try. I have received lots of fabric this way for a project I do.
Also if you have any locally owned fabric stores talk with them.
I get free things often from freecycle.org. Try joining a local group in your area and around your area. All they ask is that you give something, (old clothes, shoes, yard sale stuff) and then after that you can ask for what you need.
It is a great way to keep things from going into the trash that other people can use!
I got a free ferret cage. Those are expensive.
Blessings,
Robyn
Go to the garage sales and ask for donations of unsold clothing or fabric. You will be surprised how many people will give stuff away for a great cause! Especially if they aren't able to restore it or recycle it and are bound to throw it away instead.
My dad has Alzheimer, and I just want to thank you for what you are doing for those people. Even if they don't understand, their family members will certainly appreciate your effort. You may want to try making stuffed animals too. My dad loves stuffed animals now. Thank you again and God bless you!
Have you heard of www.freecycle.org? It is free to join, and a recycling group can probably be found locally. To make or read posts, you must join.
You could post a request on freecycle for your crafting needs. There are many wonderful people in the recycling community who are more than willing to share items they don't want to go into a landfill, that they no longer have a use for. I have had many people share denim jeans, fabric, upholstery fabrics, etc. with me for crafting. I hope you have great success!
I have no money, am handicapped, have seizures, and have not worked for a year.
By Debbie
I need to donate a box of sewing supplies, including thread, and would be happy to send them to you. I no longer have the time or the space to use them.
I have sewing thread I would like to donate to you. I need permission from you and Thrifty Fun to have your address, I will send and pay postage even.
Where can I find costume jewelry that people are giving away?
By Finao I.
There are two websites where you may be able to get free costume jewelry. The free items page on Craigslist may have some. Google Craigslist and the name of your nearest city to find it. Freecycle.org also gives away many things including costume jewelry. After you have satisfied the joining requirement, you can post a "wanted" for the jewelry. Google Freecycle.org for a group in your area. I have given jewelry away and gotten some through Freecycle. I make jewelry, and take pieces apart for the beads. Hope this helps.
Tips for finding craft materials at thrift stores from the ThriftyFun community. Post your own ideas below.
By Jeanne
I just love the idea of NOT wasting but even making use of left over scraps for blankets for animals at the shelters! What a great idea! Oh, and you could make little stuffed animals to, maybe even put a little cat nip in a little stuffed mice for the kitties!
By HungryArtist
By lmr5140
By Susan
The back panel of a thrift store or outgrown shirt, folded in half and stitched and stuffed makes an excellent throw pillow for a kid's room. I used to make them out of favorite shirts which no longer fit.
I need help getting fabric and shoe boxes and any craft or art supplies. The reason I'm asking is I'm disabled, and making things makes me feel useful and happy. We are on a limited income. So I am asking for help.
By Emma F. from Selma, NC
ThriftyFun is one of the longest running frugal living communities on the Internet. These are archives of older discussions.
When scrapbooking, save all your scraps. They can be used when making cards, etc.
For those into crafting, with the upcoming holidays and all, check out your local thrift stores for cheap craft supplies
