Just because you are trying to save a few bucks, doesn’t mean that you have to give up crafting. Here are some ways to save on craft supplies.
Buy Off Season
Just as clothing and other items go on sale after a holiday, so do many craft supplies. Everything from beads to scrapbooking papers to kids craft kits will hit rock bottom prices at some point if they happen to be seasonal. So forget paying $7.99 for a bucket of pumpkin foam shapes. Wait until the day after Halloween and get them for only $2.99. Store seasonal crafts to use the following year, or integrate them into other holidays or everyday use. For example, those pumpkins would be perfect for Thanksgiving.
Repurpose Materials into Craft Supplies
Why spend $10-$20 a skein for high Quality wool when you can get several skeins for under $5. How? Just by repurposing it from wool sweaters that you can purchase cheaply at a thrift store or yard sale. Pick a sweater that is made of 100 percent wool in a color or colors that you like, bing it home and unravel it. Washing it will take out the kinks in the yarn. Just make sure to hand wash with a gentle detergent to avoid damaging the wool.
You can apply the same principal for quilt making. Purchase colorful 100 percent cotton clothing (the thicker the better) in the largest sizes, and cut it into pieces for your quilt. If you don’t want to purchase anything second hand, do it the old fashioned way, by utilizing your own family’s outgrown or out dated clothing.
Painters can repurpose thrift store canvases for their own use. In fact many masters used to do this. A coat of white or a dark primer on the canvas will have it ready for your new masterpiece. If needed, gently sand the canvas first.
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