A confession: I love to bargain hunt in the days after Christmas but I am not looking for the typical “good buy” that most are. I shop with an eye toward finding items that can be used in unexpected ways, specifically craft supplies. I always check the local craft chains but some of my best finds are in stores one doesn’t usually consider such as department and home goods stores. Today my travels netted a great supply of items that I hope to use in the future. Here’s a look at some of them:
Clockwise from lower left corner: The box of blank cards and envelopes cost a mere $3.99 for fifty cards. The colors range from aqua to light blue to gray. I always like to have cards on hand to embroider on or otherwise embellish (a set of four, tied with a ribbon, makes a great little gift). The two holiday themed boxes are designed for recipe cards but will be nice bases to decoupage for another use. I will use the silver rose hips in my floral crafts. When I looked at the gold and silver chargers I saw the perfect canvas (and built on frame) for a mixed media collage (I also saw some round chargers with ruffled border which would make really cute holiday decorations). You may see the three placemats recreated as bags here on my blog in the future. I loved the hemstitched linen coasters and think they would make lovely sachets with a little ribbon embroidery (or machine embroidery) on them. The beaded napkin rings are composed of three separate rings wired together. I am imagining separating them but for what purpose is still unclear. The plaid square coasters would make great little canvases for collage and the white porcelain baking dishes (at $0.49 each) will hold baked good for the kids’ teachers next year. Lastly, I couldn’t resist the box of red and white striped paper straws though, truthfully, I don’t know what I will do with them. I’m sure there is a craft out there that they would be perfect for.
Everything you see here was a mere fraction of the original cost (most were 75% off). I love having items on hand to stimulate my creative thinking. Have you found any great bargains this year?
I had planned to show the last of my Christmas projects today but, since my family always gets together at New Years, I did not want to spoil the surprise for my sister who is one of my loyal readers (hi, Jane!) I will share that with you next week.