Crafting on the Cheap

In the movie of my life, one of my favorite lines will be, "Goodbye honey, I'm off to the craft store!"  Which will invariably be followed by a foreboding "dunh dunh duhn."  My husband will then look at the camera with terror in his eyes.  Maybe he'll even fall to his knees, shaking his fists and crying, "We'll never survive!!!!!"

You could say I kind of like buying craft supplies...and fabric...and home decor...yep.  I might just have a mild addiction.  Oh, stop rolling your eyes, husband dear.  FINE.  I AM OBSESSED.

The good news is, that I have found some great websites so I can save money while feeding my addiction passion. And now, my friends, I am going to share them with you! Husbands everywhere, BEWARE.

1. Pick Your Plum.  My favorite so far, and the one I've had the most experience with. I have "picked" buttons, thread, vinyl, paper, post-its (another obsession), straws (those stripey ones Jamie used in her mojitos), cupcake liners, metal punches, earrings, necklaces, bakers twine, ribbon...WOW!

They have one deal a day, and they sell out most days, so check early (the deal starts at 7 a.m. MST).  These incredible goodies are made more incredible by the amazing prices--usually at least 50% off retail price!  And there's one shipping rate for each deal, whether you order one or the limit--so I like to call my Mom and see if she wants to order some and split shipping! My order always comes fast and I love to eat the Laffy Taffy inside the box :D  I literally have to check Pick Your Plum every day.

And now that we are a Pick Your Plum affiliate (wahooo!), you can support our blog by clicking on the link on our sidebar when you want to order from them!

2. The Plaid Barn. Same sort of deal-a-day here, but in plaid.  They have the same sorts of things: cabochons (plastic flowers), washi tape, buttons, vinyl, earrings, stickers.  Good stuff.  UPDATE: We are now a Plaid Barn affiliate as well (hooray!), so clicking through our blog to buy Plaid Barn goodies will support us as well!  Thanks in advance!

3. Finger Snapper.  Exactly the same kind of deal.  This site has a lot of wood craft kits.  Check them out--especially if you need some craftsy cute home decorations!

4. Crafty Steals and Stitch Steals.  Whoooeee!  There's more than one deal on each of these siter-sites, and some of them are SCREAMIN'!  Scrapbooking Kits, stamps, idea magazines, ribbon packs, be still my heart!  And that's just a few of the things on Crafty Steals!  If you are like me and in love with designer fabric, going to Stitch Steals may be super dangerous!

5. Peachy Cheap.  Another delicious deal-a-day site!  I ordered from them for the first time today, while setting up this post (don't tell my honey...oh HI, Honey!).  Super cute stamps that I couldn't resist!  And I'm not huge into stamping--I usually like to use my computer instead.  But these were irresistible.

Peachy Cheap also has a sister-site: A Side of Peaches.  These deals seem to be more jewelry oriented.  I just BARELY resisted buying today's deal--a set of gorgeous bracelet kits.  You can also check out Peachy Chic--an online crafty and jewelry boutique. 

6. Crop Chocolate.  And who could resist such a name?  The deals switch out all the time at Crop Chocolate--they have several every day!  Sometimes the deals are Huh-mazing, like the time I almost bought a Crop-o-Dile II Big Bite tool for $20 (it's usually $45).  There's always some gorgeous stuff there. 


7. Must Have Craft (couldn't get a picture).  These guys have more than one deal at a time as well.  I've seen a lot of Tim Holtz stuff here--distressing inks, sponges, trays, etc.  Stickers, stamps, fabric, oh my!

8. Scrapbook Daily Deals.  I love the pictures at this site.  The deal is usually a whole big pack with a lot of pieces, and they always have it broken down into smaller pictures as well so you can see everything.  It's their BRADS that I covet.  My GOODNESS.  Hide your wallets when they have a brad pack up.  Whooo-ee!  But their other deals are great too--buttons, papers, mega kits, epoxy stickers, all sorts of yumminess!

9. Flowers to Flourishes.  If you like Spellbinders Nestabilities Die cuts, check this deal-a-day site out!  I always loved looking at these at Roberts (my heart BLEEDS that you are closed, my favorite craft store), but they are pretty darn expensive.  But you can get them often at this site for half off!  There are other crafting goodies available too.

10. Craftsy.  These guys have got some good deals of fabric and yarn.  I'm not a knitting fiend like Lauren, but it looks like it's the serious business kind of yarn too.  But their biggest appeal for me?  The online classes and workshops!  I could learn how to play with fondant like Jamie (there's a class on making feathers with frosting?!?), or knit like Lauren.  Or make "Classic Croissants at Home."  The classes are not cheap--so they had better be seriously awesome! The workshops look more affordable--you get patterns, step-by-step instructions, and access to the designer if you get stuck.  If you are looking to learn a new skill, you may want to check out Craftsy.

WHEW! I check my favorite ones every day, the others I check as I have time.  It's dangerous--I have a hard time saying no to 1.A fabulous craft item that's 2.A great deal!  Though I have found that having several sites available to me has made it easier to be picky.  I don't have that panicky "if I don't get this now I'll NEVER EVER get a deal like this again!" feeling (which is a major marketing strategy for these sites).  So be smart.  Use the sweet deals to your advantage to build your crafting supplies economically--but don't buy things you won't use just because they are a great deal.

Did I miss a site that you love?   DO SHARE!  My husband will be so grateful (won't you honey?!?)