Where do I find arts & crafts supplies...

I prefer brick and mortar stores to buy my supplies.  Buying a product you already use on line is great and easy, especially late at night when I realize I need more of something.  For new items and inspiration, I love actually perusing the shelves and aisles, seeing the colors, the textures, the options and the ideas. 

How often have you bought something on line and when it arrived it wasn't what you were expecting?  I just did that with a coat I bought on line.  Returned it immediately.  It is the same thing with art supplies. Fabric and paper need to be touched.  Embellishments show their true detail and scale in person. 

Okay enough of that.... What I really wanted to talk about is where I do find my supplies.  The obvious stores come to mind like JoAnn's Fabric and Crafts, Michael's Arts and Crafts, Hancock Fabric, Vogue Fabrics in Chicagoland area, Hobby Lobby, and Archiver's (now closing).  I probably shop at Michael's most of the time because it is one closest and two has a great selection. 

Some of the less obvious stores for me include Target, Wal-Mart, Big Lots, Tuesday Morning, and any "charity"/resale shop in my area.  Brown grocery bags make great journal pages and work surfaces.  I am always looking for great deals on items, aren't we all?

These brick and mortar stores are getting more scarce though.  In our area, we've seen at least two Hancock Fabric stores, one Archiver's store, and a quilt shop close in the last five years.  It is disheartening for sure.  For those that are still open, THANK YOU, we really appreciate you. 

Where do you find your art supplies? 

Buttons and Spoon River Drive

My sister, niece and parents go to the Spoon River Scenic Drive each year to visit the vendors and find collectables, gifts and whatnot.  http://www.spoonriverdrive.org/ It is a gorgeous place to visit (so I'm told... I never seem to be able to join them). 

This year my sister bought me two bags of buttons.  Excellent! Awesome!  Wait, there is more than buttons in these bags.  So far I have found 1/2 dozen nails and screws, one bolt, 5 needles (broken and not), 1 zipper tab, 8 old café curtain rings, snaps, bits of thread still on the buttons, old safety pins, buttons on cards, and of course hundreds of buttons. And no, I have no idea what to do with them yet.  Or should I say I have lots of ideas but nothing concrete yet.  But I will! 

    

And don't forget that on Thursday 24 October I'll have a couple tables full of gifts and goodies for sale at the Michigan Shores Club Holiday Boutique at 911 Michigan Ave., Wilmette, IL.  4-9pm 

Hope to see you there! 

The holidays...

are almost over but we're enjoying every moment from quality family time, to getting to a movie, to fantastic time with friends.  Soon work calls me back.  But I'm ignoring it for now.  This is the relaxing part right?  Then why am I so exhausted (happy exhausted mind you). 

This year was an experiment in new things for me/us from new ways to eat to expanding twistedfiberstudio into new adventures.  Autumn brought a renewed outlook on what brings me the most joy -- teaching and making art and even may I say crafts.  You see a list of classes that we will be teaching in the new year.  (New classes will be posted as they are scheduled - stay tuned and check back in.)

Earlier this month, my BFF from university (http://bluestalking.typepad.com) and fellow artist was talking to me about her finds at local resale and thrift shops that she's using for everything from crocheting to journal making to a dozen other art projects.  Well I was convinced.  So a date was scheduled to hit the shops. 

This past Friday was the day!  And three, or was it four, shops later we had multiple bags of items. Jewelry for use as charms, ornaments for next Christmas projects, raffia, tissue paper, straw wreaths, heart charms (Valentine's day is close), red silk flower petals, and so much more.  We saw some of the funniest things too. 



The infamous wooden plaque...

My friend's daughter AKA Girlie joined us and we started counting the number of wooden plaques with lovely photos laminated on them.  We almost had enough for gifts next year.  But the treasures and memories were wonderful.  In fact I talked my husband into going to another one on Saturday.  He bought a couple nostalgic things as well. 

On that note I wish all of you a very happy new year and may all of your dreams and wishes come true!