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 have no idea how many metres of paper that is but 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 2007 Aussie Crafts