eco friendly

Last week I wrote about my art wall and the 4 places I always go for art prints. One of those places is a thrift store and one of those prints is a 18×12″ map of the USA. When I headed to the the thrift store one afternoon, I knew I wanted a new book to reuse and a 1940s atlas was just the thing. Here’s the latest from my vintage maps, and a few tips on getting thrifty with your craft supplies:

1. Save all Scraps. You may think you’re doing this now–but you’re probably not. Just because you save large pieces of paper or a few yards of yarn doesn’t mean you’re doing all you can. Sure, when your friends come over you’ll probably have to explain your borderline hoarder lifestyle (or just learn how to organize craft supplies), but saving TINY pieces of scrap paper–like a fraction of business card size–and cut up scraps of fabrics not only save you major $$, but they force you to really get creative with your crafts.

Did you know that there are some pieces of paper too small to recycle? There goes years of filling up bags of unwanted scrap paper just for the recycle–that’s one reason I reuse it if I can.

2. The “misc.” section of your local thrift shop. When looking for beads, buttons, sewing supplies, paper or yarn, it’s usually tucked away in an obscure (and probably creepy) section of your local thrift store. Last summer, I entered the twilight zone of thrift shops–a literal hole in the wall in Reseda that had a dark, dimly lit upstairs lined with tall bookshelves. While I was pretty afraid to march up those creaky steps, I knew I couldn’t leave a thrift store without combing the whole place. It turned out there was a whole library of books priced $1-5 (sure, a bunch of them read L.A. County Library) for me to choose from. One book = many months of paper for crafting.

3. Go in with a list, then forget it. I always write lists when I’m going to the thrift store. If I don’t, I’ll forget the treasures I am on the hunt for–like vintage lace for a headband or a field guide for a photography backdrop. But a thrift store is a thrift store so by the end of my trip I usually have more to ADD than to cross off. That’s okay, but it’s good to keep in mind what you went in for, because you’ll probably still need it. If you don’t find it after searching a few shops, it’s probably time to head to the craft store.

4.Look in unlikely places. The cardstock in my gift tags is from an adorable paper pack I got for $1 at TJ Maxx. Don’t rule out discount stores, gift shops, or even hardware and specialty stores in your hunt for new supplies–you just might find something unique on the cheap.

I made these gift tags from just a couple pages of vintage maps and a pack of scrapbook paper, with left over yarn and lace trim. I also saved the confetti-sized circles from my hole punch and used it in a home décor project. I really do save everything, and it means far less trips to the store (as fun as that is).

Where do you find your craft supplies?