The Frugal Crafter

One of the most welcome gifts to give or receive is a bath basket filled with bottles of bubble bath, decorative soaps, bath salts and oils, and a nice bath sponge or body cloth. What isn't welcome is the cost of them. A nice bath basket at a place like the Body Shop can cost you $25 or more (at Christmas time I priced one basket at the Body Shop out at $110!). Less costly, but nowhere near as nice in quality or selection are baskets from places like Target, which usually have two or three low quality and heavily perfumed items for $10-$15. I don't have wads of money to spend on bath baskets, and I certainly don't want to spend $12.99 on a basket filled with stuff that smells like Eau de Cathouse.

I went wandering through various shops and looked at many items. Trial size bottles of bubble bath, small decorative soaps, single packs of bath salts, bath oil marbles in small containers, and after doing a bit of math, determined that it would cost me too much to create a decent sized basket on my miniscule sized budget.

Read the rest!">

Nowadays it seems like every gift store is selling table top fountains for $40 or $50. They're attractive, they're desireable, they're decorative - but they lack that personal touch that makes them 'yours', don't they? I've seen dozens of these fountains and they all were just a little bit too identical to each other for my tastes.

I started wondering how to go about making my own, did a little bit or research, and have worked out the details and yes, made one of my own (picture to come when my stupid scanner works again). This isn't the cheapest craft idea out there, but it's an enjoyable one, unique, and will give long lasting pleasure.

Read the rest!

You won't need a sewing machine to create a pretty spring dress for your baby, all you need are a few simple materials and a needle and thread.

Read the rest!

Before I became disabled, I used to love to go beach combing. Walking along the ocean shore and picking up odd shells, bits of ocean-smoothed glass, softly rounded pebbles and stones, listening to the waves and the seagulls, and filling my lungs with the fresh salty air was my idea of paradise.

Growing up in Massachusetts and spending wonderful times on Cape Cod with my Daddy and sister made the shore an all time favorite with me. Now that I'm in a wheelchair, the seashore isn't so easy to get to - but I can make it come to me, and so can you, with a few simple crafting ideas.

Read the rest for the awesome craft ideas!

One reason a lot of people give for not crafting is that materials are so expensive. As the queen of cheap, I have been crafting for years, on a shoestring budget, and I'd like to share some ideas for gathering a good collection of materials without a huge outlay of cash.

The first tip: Use what you already own. Chances are that you have old greeting cards, odd buttons, ugly funky 1970's jewelry that you wouldn't be caught dead ever wearing again, dresses that went out of style ten years ago, old curtains or bedspreads that you will never use again. All of these are crafting materials. Have a sweater with a massive hole in it? Unravel that puppy and get yards and yards of yarn for other projects, all you need to do is wash it to get the kinks out! Old bead necklaces can be cut open and the beads recycled, dresses and other clothing are a virtual goldmine for crafters - fabric, trims, buttons, hooks and eyes - get the picture?

Next one: Before you throw anything away, ask yourself: Can I use this for anything in the future? If the answer is yes, toss it into the craft resource box that every craft junkie should have. Even dryer lint can be used for crafting (it's great in papier mache or in making your own paper!), so look at everything with a new eye.

Another tip: Watch the clearance sales, particularly after holidays. Wrapping papers, ornaments, decorating items, can all be purchased for a fraction of their regular cost, and put away for future crafting.

Another: Become a second hand connoisseur. Thrift stores and garage sales are the crafter's best friend. Picture frames, old vases, strange little doodads, bags of buttons, out of style costume jewelry, all of these and more can be found at second hand shops. Is somebody selling a truly hideous rhinestone encrusted broach for a quarter? Grab it! You can pull the rhinestones out and use them in future projects! Is there a school pennant for a dime? Felt at the craft store costs more than a dime for that quantity, buy it, you can cut it up and use it in future projects.

Still more: Wallpaper stores frequently give away (or sell for ridiculously low amounts such as a dollar or two) their out of date sample books. These provide attractive background papers for paper crafts, as well as motifs you can trim and use in other projects. The same goes for upholstery shops and their sample books. Don't forget the remnant rack at your fabric store, where you can get small (usually less than a yard) pieces of decorative fabrics or trims for mere pennies. The local lumber yard probably has a bin full of scraps that they are about to throw away, these scraps can be incredibly useful. Paint stores frequently have cans of mis-mixed paint that they're happy to sell for a buck or two.

Even more yet: Stop in at the craft store regularly and watch for sales of items such as hot glue sticks, tacky glue, paint brushes and the like. When there's a great deal on something you use regularly, stock up!

And finally: Use the net! Magic Mike, for example, used to send out huge boxes of fabric scraps (45-60 POUNDS worth) for the actual cost of shipping plus $5. Shipping ranges from about $20 on upwards depending on distance. (This was before Mike had brain surgery that left him unable to handle the workload involved.) There are hundreds of other similar places, all easily found using your favorite search engine and the keywords 'cheap craft supplies'. In addition, there are websites with tips and tricks, ideas, recipes for making clay, patterns for painting and beadwork and crochet, all of which will save you a fortune in purchasing books and magazines on your favorite craft.

So, in closing, if the expense of materials has been your excuse for not crafting, stop copping out and get on the stick! Anybody can create great crafts for a very minimal outlay of cash, simply by keeping their eyes open!

I don't know about you, but in the past I've spent a fortune on stationery items of all sorts, particularly embossed notecards, which I think are absolutely beautiful. Well, I can tell you, I haven't spent one red cent on pre-packaged stationery in more than five years now. I make it myself instead.

Embossing paper is a fairly simple skill that can be mastered in an hour or so. It can also be done with very little cash outlay, although there are plenty of ways to spend a small fortune on it (as with any crafting project).

Read the rest!

If you liked OR disliked this lens, please let me know by voting for it. If you're a logged in Squidoo member, just click on the number of stars up there at the top of the lens that you feel it deserves, one being least, five being most.

I really appreciate it!

It's been over a year since I've had time to update this lens. Life as we know it has been hectic! However, I've been writing up some craft ideas over on AC, and here's the links!

Three Fun, Easy and Cheap Crafts Anybody Can Do

Fun and Easy Jewelry Crafts for Tweens