Search Makings and Musings

January 6, 2012

FRIDAY FAVORITE SHOPS: SUPPLIES

I thought today I would do a little post about where I like to shop for supplies.  I think this could be a great opportunity for us all to share tips on getting the best prices for our crafty adventures, cause unless you are independently wealthy, which I am not, the economy is a little crappy right now.  There is something to be said about getting a bargain, but sometimes quality is an issue as well.  Its not worth it to get a great price if the quality of the product is in question!  At any rate, read on for my own tips and tricks for getting the best prices, and please share yours as well!

We all love a bargain!  This post is about where I get my best bargains on supplies for crafting, needle working, make up, etc.  I hope it helps, and I sure hope you will share your secrets with us too!  I do think one of the best bargains on the web is the availability of free patterns.  Whether you crochet, knit, craft, sew, whatever you do, there are tons of sites that offer a seemingly endless supply of free patterns and ideas!  Here are some of my favorites:

Needlework:  I use the following sites to find patterns and ideas for my needlework projects, for the most part, crochet:
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/crochet They have patterns for everything you can imagine, not just crochet, but also knitting, tatting, etc.  They also have groups, forums, a shop, tons of stuff!  There are tons of free patterns, but also some you can purchase.  I do think that there are enough free patterns out there that you don't ever have to buy them.  Once in a while you do fall in love with one though, so occasionally you gotta do it.  Just make sure to look around first.  There is nothing worse than buying a pattern just to find a free one that is so similar there is virtually no difference.
http://www.crochetpatterncentral.com/directory.php   This is another all purpose free pattern site.  I use it a lot and it is quite extensive.  There are links for tips and tricks and other resources available here as well.  Check it out.
http://www.freepatterns.com/   This one is much more commercial, but still has lots of free patterns!
http://www.crochetnmore.com/
http://www.crochetville.org/forum/
http://www.allfreecrochet.com/#
Here are a few more I don't know too much about, but they look intriguing:
http://www.knitting-crochet.com/found/
http://www.crochetandknitting.com/
http://knitandcrochetnow.com/
http://crochetncrafts.com/
Also don't forget the Yarn Company Websites and things like councils and organizations, oh, and the craft store web sites, like JoAnn's Michaels, etc.:
http://www.craftyarncouncil.com/project.html
http://www.sugarncream.com/pattern.php
joann.com

Good Grief!  That's a lot of sites and not nearly all the ones I have bookmarked.  If you do a search you will find tons more!
As for supplies for yarn and accessories, I have only used the main stores, Etsy, and Ebay.  I have been able to get yarn for less that a dollar a skein on Ebay every time I look.  Etsy has some gorgeous hand spun and dyed yard shops!  Here is a short list of places I buy these supplies from:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/SheepingBeauty?ref=seller_info
http://www.etsy.com/shop/tayloredfibers?ref=seller_info
http://www.etsy.com/shop/LittleMonkeySnS?section_id=7869441
http://www.ebay.com/

CRAFTS
Craft patterns are the same.  There are free patterns and ideas all over the net.  Just do a search and you could spend days and days looking through them (I have, trust me).  Here are my favorites:
http://www.favecrafts.com/
http://www.allfreecrafts.com/
http://www.craftbits.com/
http://www.craftown.com/
http://www.craftster.org/
http://search.about.com/?q=crafts
There are tons more!  My personal favorite is to look through blogs.  I never would copy a craft exactly, but use them for ideas to create my own.  A personal touch makes a world of difference!  Just like with the needle work sites, the big craft stores and craft company sites have ideas for free too!

You can get lost in all the free craft patterns and ideas websites!  Once you have found yourselves, here are my fave places to buy craft supplies:
Oriental Trading Company  This one is great for very basic supplies.  They don't have everything, and what they have you generally have to buy 50 of, but it is so cheap its cool.  Here is where I will say a word about quality.  Not everything you get from the ultra cheap stores is of high quality, so be selective.  They are fine for the basics, construction paper, foamies, etc.  There are a lot of things that look like they are geared at kiddies, which is awesome if that's what you are doing.  That's not what I am doing.  I am aiming at making beautiful pieces to display in my home or give as gifts.  Nuff said.
http://www.createforless.com Prices are great here, but the images are so small and they require you to buy multiples sometimes.  I don't like that much, but if you don't mind it, you can get some awesome prices!
http://www.save-on-crafts.com/ OMG! Beautiful things here!  Love, love, love this one!
http://www.consumercrafts.com This is my absolute favorite for craft and jewelry supplies.  Great prices and an awesome inventory!
http://www.pandahall.com/beads/wholesale-acrylic-rhinestone/0-131-1.html  Great prices on beads
http://www.abeadstore.com/?ext=F more great beads
There are tons more!  Just google it!
For books and things like that Amazon seems to have the best prices!

As you can see the possibilities are endless!  Just always be careful if you are purchasing ANYTHING online.  Make sure the check out process is secure, pay with Paypal if you can, they offer buyer protection if you get duped and it automatically hides your bank info.  I buy exclusively online and have never had a problem since I am smart about it!  lol.  Please share with me your favorite places to catch a bargain on supplies!
Happy hooking, crafting, and buying!
Love and Hugs!
Jillie

No comments:

Post a Comment

Comments! I love comments!!!