Supply Savvy: Treasure Hunting for Thrift Store Finds

I love searching through thrift stores for hidden treasures. Garage sales can be a ton of fun as well. However, perusing through one man's trash in search of treasure can easily become a droll or frustrating task. How should you approach the hunt? Use focus and keep your eye on the prize. This will keep you from randomly purchasing something that will simply turn into clutter.

Thrift stores and garage sales offer a virtual treasure trove of scrapbooking supplies if you know what you desire. I have a list of items I know I will use and I stick to the list. I also buy it only if I love it. I have a small craft space which is already bursting at the seams. There is no need to add something that will take up valuable storage space if I don't love it.

my last thrift store treasure hunt

So what tops my personal treasure hunt list?
1. Doilies- I wish I could crochet. It's just not something I have time to learn right now. I often find hand crafted doilies for $1 and under. That's far less than the supplies and my time would cost.
2. Records or ephemera- You can also find postcards, vintage stamps, and vintage holiday cards.
3. Costume Jewelry- a cheap way to add bling to your layouts.
4. Buttons and ribbon
5. Scarves or belts- these can be cut apart to use as embellishments
5. Old game boards


I love using the items I find in thrift stores. I know that the items I find are unique and therefore they make my layouts very much one-of-a kind. I don't have to spend a ton of money and the supplies make a huge impact. Since I haven't spent a lot of money on the supplies, it makes it a little less daunting to cut them apart and alter them.

Keeping You Warm by Christy Strickler
 Supplies| Patterned Paper, Alphas, Buttons: Basic Grey; Tape: Recollections; Border Sticker: Webster's Pages; Metal Sign: Pink Paislee; Ink: Ranger; Modeling Paste: Liquitex; Other: jewel, stencil, doily; Sketch: Scraphappy.org, As seen on the Scrapbook News and Review Blog; Submitted for Simon Says Stamp And Show Lace love Challenge

For Keeping You Warm, I cut apart one doily and tucked it underneath the photos. Part of me wonders how the creator of the doily would feel, knowing that I had cut their hard work apart. I think though, they would just be happy to know their beautiful creation will forever be a part of a family keepsake.

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Supply Savvy- Packaging and Scraps

How many times do we save snippets of patterned paper or scraps of ribbon for future use and then never get around to using them?!?! I hate to waste anything and I tend to save every little bit. I even save the packaging from my brads and other embellishments. I always have the bright idea that I will convert them to something useful.

I have a lot of leftovers sitting on my desk from last year's creative good wishes. I just never used any of them. If something sits too long, it becomes junk and clutter. I really hate the way that it all looked. So during the last weeks of 2012 and the first days of 2013, I began converting them to useful tags and embellishments. I have realized that I am far more likely to use something if it's ready made.

I put all of the brads inside a storage bin and the had this little card left. I like the green polka dot grid. I can see myself using it as a journal card.

I found a scrap of patterned paper sitting on my desk. It's just the right size to cover up the manufacturer's label.

I grabbed the closest package of stickers and added this one. The card is somewhat finished but still a little plain. That's ok. It's now ready made. I can grab it to use for a layout but can still customize it a bit more with buttons or stickers to match my story.

I also had some packaging from some JBS mercantile chipboard. I used ribbon scraps to hide the manufacturer's logo and information. I spare button adds a little pizzazz while still leaving the piece neutral enough to customize for a future layout.








Small pieces like these are perfect projects to use up your scraps. You get to recycle and have ready made embellishments or journal cards for future layouts.

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• Supply Savvy: The Patchwork Trend

Supply Savvy: The Patchwork Trend

Being part of the Get it Scrapped Team has really made me more aware of trends. When someone says trend, it usually conjures images of new things. However, you don't have to go out and buy something new to be trendy, especially in the case of papercrafting.

One of my recent creative team assignments had me working with patchwork prints. I could have gone out and bought some new supplies. Instead, after observing the Get It Scrapped Pinterest board, I realized I could use papers from my older stash. I chose some scraps of plaid papers and mimicked the designs I saw.

Comfort by Christy Strickler Supplies| Patterned Paper: K and Company; Alphas,Button,Ribbon: Basic Grey; Flowers, Sheer Cat: Maya Road: Other: kraft cardstock, pearls, doily; For Get It Scrapped

Everything that was used to make this layout is at least 6 months old. The patterned paper has been in my supplies for so long that I can't remember how old it is. I think I have had it for over 5 years.

 Have you ever heard the phrase " everything old is new again?" Trends sometimes flow in cycles. Look through your older supplies and see how you can update them. Use inspiration like current trendy images to help you keep a fresh look. Pay attention to how patterns and colors are used in your inspiration images. It also helps to choose trends to fit the story you want to tell. The patchwork works for me here. It reminds me of a quilt which conjures images of comfort and snuggly warmth. The patchwork supports the story of my kitten finding comfort as he snuggles up to a stuffed animal.

Just because it's a trend doesn't mean you have to buy a whole new set of supplies. Shop your stash before you purchase. You will have the satisfaction of using older supplies while creating with them in a new way.

Need more inspiration? Check out my Patchwork pretties Pinterest board. Consider googling patchwork images and make a patchwork inspiration board of your own!

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Supply Savvy: Handmade Flowers

We all have a ton of it. I am referring to patterned paper. It accumulates in our supplies. Sometimes we hoard it, which is not what it was designed for. Patterned paper was meant to be used. If you are scrapbooking on a budget, it's a great way to stretch your dollar. While we can easily use strips or mattes of patterned paper, making you own embellishments is a wonderful way to stretch your supplies creatively.

Making your own flowers is an easy way to use up your patterned paper supplies. It's quick and easy to do. For this layout, I simply cut and folded small circles from a sheet of doublesided patterned paper. I then handstitched them to the page. I used a hole punch to create smaller flowers with orange centers.


Trick or Treat by Christy Strickler Supplies: Cardstock: Colorbok, Coredinations; Patterned Paper: Making Memories; Canvas Label: Pink Paislee; Embossing Folder: Sizzix Mist: Tattered Angels;Stamp: Basic Grey; Other: Zipper, hole punch; DMC Floss; beaded necklace, ink, office date stamp




I used a simple flourish to create a handstitched vine. The handmade flowers give my layout a unique custom look.So stop hoarding the patterned paper and start making your own flowers! You will feel better for having used some of your stash. Plus, you will have custom embellishments for your next paper craft project.

If you need more ideas for some spooky, handmade halloween flowers, you might want to check out  Bootiful Creations over at the art studio. 

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• Supply Savvy: Stencils and Paper Piecing

Supply Savvy: Stencils and Paper Piecing

Stencils are a good investment for your scrapbook supplies. Choose designs that you know you will use again and again. Designs for backgrounds will more than likely see the most use, though alphabets and fonts are another good way to extend your stencil collection. Some stencils can be used for paper peiceing, just as I will show you today.

This particular stencil doesn't necessarily follow my own advice. I have had it for years. As you can see by the stray crayon marks, my son got more use from it then I did. The design is very specific and for the most part, would be used mainly for little boy or dinosaur layouts. Unless you plan to use it often ( and some people would be able to do just that), it might not be the best investment for use as a long term tool. In my case, it sat for quite some time until I challenged myself to use it. I decided to create a paper pieced  dinosaur.

The first step is quite simple. Just trace the design onto a piece of paper.

This particular design breaks apart the body of the dinosaur. I don't want it to look like that on my layout. So I filled in the areas around the legs and body, then erased any undesired lines. Two of the legs will be layered under the body to give the dinosaur a little extra dimension.

From the Age of the Dinosaurs by Christy Strickler Supplies: Cardstock: Colorbok; Patterned Paper and Stickers: October Afternoon; Stencils: Delta; Brads: Basic Grey; Alphas: Sassafrass; Ink and Markers: Ranger;Other: Google eye






I used papers from my October Counterfeit Kit. The stencil allows me to theme the papers used to match my story. This small tree is actually a fern whose ancestors lived in the time of dinosaurs. We were visiting a Rain Forest in Puerto Rico. Bright colors remind me of Puerto Rico and I did not want to use the traditional grungy colors in the Dinosaur themed kits from my Stash. I added some Dinosaur footprints to the layout using the stencil and Ranger's Picked Raspberry Distress ink.The flowers were fussy cut from the patterned papers. I outlined the dinosaur with a Chipped Sapphire Distress marker and added a google eye.He is a simple, but effective paper pieced dino.

I'll be submitting my Dinosaur layout to Scrapfit's paper Piecing Step Challenge. If you'd like to play along but need more ideas for Paper Piecing, check out these links:

How to make a Paper Pieced Monkey from Get it Scrapped.
Free Paper Piecing Patterns
More Free Patterns

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Supply Savvy- The Warehouse Mystery box

Pink Paislee Mystery Box goodness

I have a lot of supplies.Not as much as some paper crafters,but more than enough for me. I manage to keep some current product in my supplies but I also know how to use older products in fresh, trendy ways. I don't have the money to buy new supplies on a regular basis, so I really have to decide how and where I will direct my paper craft budget. My absolute favorite way to stock up are warehouse mystery boxes. If you are not familiar with a warehouse mystery box, it's basically a box filled with supplies from one manufacturer. It is sold at a deep discount.Sometimes you have an idea of what will be in it.Sometimes not. Most times, the sales occur right after CHA and they are clearing the previous releases to make way for the new ones.

Some of my friends think I am crazy to like them so much. They say they would rather know what they are getting for the money. After all, how do I know that what I receive will be something I like.It is a valid argument. My answer to that is to choose mystery boxes from manufacturers you love.Chances are, if you are like me, you swooned over pretty much everything they released during the last CHA. Most of the time, everything I get in a box is something I love. I get a sampling of the items that I had on my wishlist. I just don't have the money to buy a full paper collection, embellishments and all, when it comes out. By the time it goes on sale, I often can't find all of the collection anyway since parts of it are sold out. it's very frustrating when what is available is scattered between 2 or 3 different on-line retailers. So grab bags and mystery boxes work well for me.

So will you end up with something you don't like? Sometimes, you will. However, I enjoy the challenge of finding ways to alter the item to fit it into my style. If it really won't work, I share it with a friend who likes it or I donate it. When you break down the value of the mystery box, it's almost like you got that item for free anyway. 

Tips for Mystery box sales:

- buy only from manufacturers you like.You will have less chance of receiving things you don't like.

- sign up for newsletters and email notifications from manufacturers. You will often find out about sales this way.

- once you know when a sale occurs, make a note of what time of year.Most manufacturers hold these around the same time every year. While the date might not be exact, you will have an idea for when to keep an eye on their blog.

- some manufacturers have several a year.I tend to buy only once a year.Sometimes, items get repeated if more than one sale occurs in a year.

- boxes cost between $20 and $75 depending upon the manufacturer.Know the true value of what is in the box to determine if the sale is the best value for your money.

Companies that have had mystery box sales:

My Little Shoebox

October Afternoon

Tattered Angels

Maya Road

Piggy Tales

Pink Paislee

Sassafrass

Grab bags:

Watch for grab bags at your favorite daily deal sites or on-line stores. I tend to see advertisements for My Mind's Eye and Fancy Pants. I have also seen advertisements for bundles and grab bags of lifestyle crafts dies and spellbinders.

Currently having a sale:

Maya road: http://www.mayaroad.net/index.php?main_page=storefront

Jillibean soup always has discount grab bags and paper packs in their store:

http://www.jillibean-soup.com/retail/index.php?route=product/category&path=87

I know I have always been happy with my warehouse box purchases. It's a lot of fun to see what you will end up with!