October 30, 2008

Secrets

Inspired by Lisa's post about her secrets, I thought I'd post some of my own. Since I have no need for nipple cream (see Lisa's post), I thought I'd direct this towards my being thrifty/crafty.


  • You can find a lot of free patterns and templates for crafts online, I just google what it is I want. I've found some great quilt patterns and baby bootie patterns by doing that.


  • If you can't find what you want online, try JoAnn's- but watch the circulars for when they have patterns on sale for a $1 or $1.99. That saves you a good $15! I usually don't need a pattern for a specific deadline, so I make a list of what brands/pattern numbers I want and then buy them cheap when it's on sale. I've got a lot of great patterns this way- skirts, bags, tree skirts, etc.


  • If you need a pattern for a deadline, don't buy it at Joann's...go down the street to Wal-Mart. Their patterns are always half off of retail price and they have a pretty good selection.

  • I like to pick up pre-measured fat quarters of fabric at JoAnn's when they go on sale for $1- there's lots of great prints available and I use them for projects and on scrapbook pages.


  • Sign up for coupons- I use a coupon whenever I go to Michael's or JoAnn's. At BB&B, do your math- are you going to save more with a 20%, a $5 off of $15 purchase or the new $10 off of $30 coupon? I used to have to tell customers all the time that the other coupon in their hand would save them more!


  • Go online: Since I don't have access to a lot of stores out here, I can usually find specific scrapbooking products I want on ebay and it's usually not too expensive. I used to buy nifty butterfly plates on ebay too. I go to Amazon for books, they're always cheaper and you can get free shipping for orders over $25. I get most of my photo/art books that way.


  • I love to go junking- and out here in rural PA you can find some good deals. Would you believe I got these silver pieces for $1.99 ea? They're in really good condition too. One even says "William Rogers" on the bottom- good stuff. I find treasures for just a couple bucks all the time.

  • I am a magazinephile, it's been hard to cut back now that I don't have an income. Our library sells donated magazine for 10 cents ea, I can usually find some good ones. Your library might do something similar. I can also check them out from the library as well.

  • I do always buy Martha Stewart Weddings though. I'm not trying to sound pathetic- I really like the photography and I get inspired by the color schemes shown. I've gotten some good party ideas (like for my 25th) too.

  • I can usually find great deals at Fashion Bug- every now and then there's something good and cheap on clearance. I recently got a little cover-up jacket for $11.

  • One good thing about PA- you don't pay sales tax on certain neccessities, like shoes. I didn't know that til I bought a pair of tennies last month! People come here from neighboring states to shop. PA does ream you in other tax areas, though so I don't know if that's really a bargain.

  • I buy my scrapbooking staples, like adhesive and ribbon, etc at Wal-Mart. I love glue dots- they hold anything together! Wal-Mart has stepped up their scrapbook selection- I love the new Martha Stewart products they carry.

  • I save all my useable scraps of cardstock- and I use them! I have a drawer full of scraps. By now, I have pretty much any size/color I need. I can make little accents on cards and pages.
  • Anything for scrapbooking that I buy has to have multiple functions- like with rubber stamps. They have to be generic enough that I can use them in several different ways on my cards and pages.

  • Stressed? Try playing with a kneaded eraser- it's similar to silly putty and helps break boredom and tension in my classes.

That's what I got so far, maybe I can think of more hints later.

3 comments:

  1. It's fun to read about other people's findings. It gives me good ideas. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  2. That was great. Thanks, for your secrets. Makes me want to go scrapbooking.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Nice post..! Joann is really online store. I've gotten some good stuff from Joann recently too.

    ReplyDelete