Tips for beginners and experienced crafters looking for a crafty bargain
Non-shopping
Tell people you know that you’re getting started in card making or scrapbooking and looking for supplies. Tell the people at work, in your Sunday school class or synagogue or mandir, tell your book club or your PTA.
If you yourself are under 50, tell your mother to tell the people she knows, too. My own mother is an octogenarian so her social circle is no longer large, but women in their 50s and 60s know people, and those people craft.
Crafters love to give their less-loved supplies to other crafters (or school teachers or Scout leaders, people who will use them.)
Now, if you are an experienced crafter and you have a crafty circle of friends, how about a craft supply swap? Or make and swap embellishments? That’s a lot less calories than a cookie swap.
There is a lot of cross-over between the various paper crafts of card making, scrapbooking, party decorations, origami, and even painting so don’t stint on who you tell.
If you really want to embrace non-shopping, consider junk journaling. This is a craft that involves making your own book and pages out of found materials, like empty cereal boxes and junk mail. Since it requires no special supplies, it’s perfect for the beginner or the bargain-seeker. Every craft gives you the opportunity to spend money, of course, and this one will too in the form of purchased printables and vintage-style supplies, but you can be successful here with household supplies and no shopping.
Now, on to bargain shopping
Be selective
Have a plan and be selective in your shopping. No matter how cheap the price, if it’s not what you really want, not something you end up using, or not your style then it’s not the right purchase.
We’re going to discuss several strategies
- category switching
- dollar stores
- secondhand
- unusual sources
- online general retailers
- craft retailer clearance and sales
Category-switching
If you have ever bought anything for a wedding you know that sometimes the label is more closely related to price than the item. Not knocking the retailers, just want you to be aware of the pattern. The bigger the shopping audience the smaller the price. Look at the kitchen, office supply, makeup, and party supply areas.
Kitchen
- baking mats are silicone, great for messy craft projects and a lot less expensive than craft mats
- dough scrapers, cooking spatulas, basting brushes, and fondant molds all have craft applications
- organizational containers like spice racks, lazy susans, risers, fridge bins
Office
- scissors
- rulers
- post-it notes for masking
- cardstock
- permanent markers
- organizational containers like paper sorters, magazine holders
Just a note here, if I were starting in scrapbooking today I would embrace the 8 1/2 x 11 size and use office page protectors.
Makeup
- brushes and sponges for blending
- face mask applicators
Party
- Wrapping paper
- Tissue paper
Wrapping paper is patterned paper. Look for heavy weight metallic and glitter wrapping paper especially.
Kids’ Crafts
This is a great area for basics, or to try out something new
- Watercolor paint
- Washable markers
- Crayons – wax or gel
- Glitter glue
- Modeling paste
- Air dry clay
- Jewelry kits
- Color pencils
Using watercolor as an example, I have an expensive Kuretake paint set and a set by Artist’s Loft. One costs $50 and the other $5. Is the $50 set nicer? Sure it is. Is it TEN TIMES nicer, and do I have the skill and interest to make it worth the price difference? Probably not.
Dollar stores
Even though not everything is a good deal even for a dollar, your local dollar store can still be a good source for some craft supplies. I would suggest checking for these items:
- Basic tools, like small scrapers, craft picks, inexpensive paint brushes, craft knife, foam tape
- Wrapping paper and tissue paper
- Glue pens – larger containers are not a great price here, but glue pens (at 1 oz or less) are a deal
- Remaindered hardback books (for junk journals)
- Makeup brushes and sponges
- Buttons, yarn
- Basic craft supplies – watercolor paint, acrylic paint, color pencils, crayons, markers
Different dollar store chains have different offerings.
Dollar Tree offers a craft section with patterned paper, washi tape, stamps, dies, and stencils. Their prices on air dry clay and jewelry findings are great.
Dollar General carries brush tip markers, patterned paper, acrylic paint markers, letter stickers.
Five Below has a good assortment of basics, but the unusual offerings are iridescent and pearlescent watercolor paint sets, multiple types of gouache, glow in the dark paint.
Daiso (only located on the west coast, Las Vegas, Phoenix, New York, and Texas right now) offers an array of stickers, washi tape, paper flowers, tiny envelopes, and origami paper.
Since I’m trying not to buy craft supplies, i generally avoid haul videos. I generally don’t watch them, and I never record them when I fall off the wagon and go shopping. However, these can give a good idea of what is offered by various retailers. Most people in the US have access to a Dollar Tree, but if you are considering whether it’s worth spending drive time to something further away then those haul videos can be helpful.
Secondhand
Thrift stores and garage sales can be hit or miss on craft supplies, but search for “creative reuse” and “art supply thrift store” to find more focused thrift stores. I will link in the description box to some lists of this type of store by location and a couple that are online.
USA by state, Canada, Australia, UK
https://swoodsonsays.com/a-creative-reuse-center-near-me-map-resource/
USA by state
https://www.indigohippo.org/creative-reuse-directory
Online
I would be hesitant to buy used electronic anything, but if you are in the market for a mechanical die cut machine (e.g. Sizzix Big Shot) then keep your eyes peeled at the thrift store or garage sales. If the handle turns, it works.
Unusual sources
Grocery stores. Hey, you’re there anyway. Check the seasonal merchandise immediately before and after any holiday to pick up wrapping paper, garlands, paper napkins, gift bags and other clearance merchandise. Wrapping paper is pattern paper! Garlands and banners are embellishments! I love metallic and glitter wrapping paper for crafting. Grocery stores don’t have room to keep this stuff, so they discount hard and fast.
Hardware stores. Many a craft trend has started in the hardware store, including foam tape and drywall mesh. These are also a good source magnetic cups, used in auto repair, for storing small dies as you work. The Harbor Freight version is significantly less than the Spellbinders version.
Online retail
Overseas: This category is Temu, AliExpress, Wish, et al. These platforms operate much like third-party sales on Amazon, with the company providing a platform for many, many individual sellers. There can be issues with product quality, delivery, and customer service and there have been complaints of mishandling of user data and malware. There is a lot of intellectual property infringement and design theft. However, the price cannot be beat for basics like nesting shape dies or flower stickers.
If you would rather do business with someone in the US, check out Gina Marie Designs for rock bottom prices on dies https://wholesalecraftingsupplies.com
Amazon: This comes with its own issues, but anything by Sizzix or Stampers Anonymous that has been out for even a short while is generally less through those storefronts on Amazon than through their own website. You do need to calculate what a new email signup coupon might be worth and watch for sales at the retail websites, but Amazon gets the lowest price all the time. I notice these brands in particular because I’m such a Tim Holtz fan, but if you favor a particular wholesale line check it out on Amazon.
Craft stores
I’m going to give some counter-intuitive advice here, and that’s not to go straight to the clearance section. I may be projecting my own problems, so you do you, but I end up buying junk because it is cheap. Don’t be me. Be thoughtful and selective and buy WHAT YOU WANT. Be selective and have a plan.
When you have a plan, watch for coupons and sales, and don’t skip the email signup for the new customer discount.
Compare prices. You do it for gas and soft drinks, do it for craft supplies. Any brand that is sold by multiple retailers has multiple prices. I’ll go back to the Tim Holtz example. Simon Says Stamp carries everything he ever designed, so I’m going to watch their sales, but I’m also going to check Scrapbook .com, A Cherry On Top, and Amazon.
Craft stores also sell re-packaged, re-branded art supplies. Card-making did not invent markers, paint, or crayons so why not go to the source? The “store brand” behemoths for art supplies are Arteza and Dick Blick, and they make great products at great prices.
Arteza https://arteza.com
Blick https://www.dickblick.com
These are not affiliate links.
Papercraft Crystal 