Shopping for Craft Supplies

Now come on who does not like shopping?  OK, I know a few men who don’t, but us women love it!  I wonder why that is?  Shopping for craft supplies is one of my most favourite things, even when I don’t have any funds! Oops!  Still, I do keep a very keen eye on the overdraft then and try hard to resist any impulse buys, if I can!   Now are you an impulsive shopper, or an “only buy what’s necessary” shopper?  I wish I could say I was the latter, but impulsive buys are much more fun!

Before I get too carried away telling you about my shopping experiences and recommendations please have a look at the beautiful handmade items decorating this blog post today.  It was Breast Cancer Awareness Day yesterday (25.10.2013) and many folk on the folksy daily listing club shared pink items from their shops, so I thought I would share with you a few of those pink items!  I hope you like them.  Please click on the photos and take a peek inside these wonderful seller’s shops!  You won’t be disappointed!

Now back to shopping.  I keep a list by the computer of supplies that I need and add and delete as needed.  But, I am always open to buying impulsive supplies if I see something I have just got to have.  This week I visited a wonderful page on Facebook called UpcycleRecycleMakeDoMend. I purchased some beautiful beads and elephant charms to use in my bag/purse charms.  This is a destash album so the prices are amazing! If you are looking for a bargain – this is the place to go! I now have a huge stash of beads and charms which is growing all the time!  I didn’t think it was possible to be a fabricholic, laceholic AND a beadholic!  (Not sure they are words but you get my meaning – I’m obsessed!)

Another on-line shop that I have been a customer of for some time now is Rag Rescue. There are pros and cons about buying from this one.  I’m not sure the postage costs are very reasonable e.g. my order was the cost of a large stamp (90p) but I was charge £3.50 for postage.  Can’t get my head around that one, but I do have a bee in my bonnet about postage charges and do resent paying over the odds!  However, this shop is a treasure trove of vintage fabric, lace, trimmings and lots of different things, so if you are not bothered by the postal charge, then it is somewhere you definitely want to visit.  I purchased some fabulous vintage fabric and some fabulous antique/vintage lace!

Now you can stop reading at any moment you get bored!  Which might be about to happen!  Recently I restocked my supply of board, good quality recycled paper and glue sticks.  This is needed for my notebooks and journals.  I plan to make some new notebooks and journals over the coming weeks (lots of ideas and fabric I am dying to use!) as I haven’t made any recently because my shop has been fully stocked, but fingers crossed I am hoping this will change!  You would be surprised how difficult it is to buy good quality recycled paper.  I am a bit of a fuss pot where paper is concerned.  I prefer a certain weight because hope it won’t tear when I am stitching it together, but it is also important that it is recycled paper.

Are you still with me or have you fallen asleep!?   I could give you a huge long list of fabric suppliers (I like to shop around!) but you’d be off in a nanosecond, especially if fabric is not your thing!  But, I do want to recommend one place you may not have thought about.  It is the Victoria and Albert Museum shop. There is a 20% discount offer on at the moment (limited period) on all fabrics.  Their fabrics may not be “popular” but I love them! Their shop collection of beautiful printed cotton fabric is inspired by the V&A's collections, created by Westminster Fibers.   If you love fabric you definitely must pay them a visit.

Another on-line shop that I must recommend to you is an organic textile company. I have made several purchases and sometimes I feel a bit reticent about recommending them – not because there is anything wrong – far from it, but I want to keep them as a secret for my own private use.  How daft is that?  Well, now the cat’s out of the bag!

I hope you have enjoyed shopping with me and find some of the links helpful/useful.  Now, I need some wide grosgrain ribbon, so I’m off to Ebay to see what they have......

BFN

Edwina

FROM TOP TO BOTTOM: Handmade by Edwina, Sewflair, Bojanglies, Oakapple & Rose, I Love Sparkly Stuff, Loutul, Whimsy Woo Designs and Knittingtopia