crafty supplies

Mupette

do you have a What! store, bit like the range cheap tacky but loads and loads of craft stuff

Missyy76

Poundland is great for glitter glues, stickers etc and they do big bags of offcut materials/paper which my dd loves as it normally has ribbons etc in there too

Mayflower10cat

Something we loved to do, years ago, was potato printing! I'd been looking for a rubber stamp of a cat's pawprint for years - finally carved my own from a potato. I made several sheets (using brown paper) of 'wrapping paper' stamping my spud all over before it - great fun!

Also, one of the most useful things I bought for cardmaking/scrapbooking was a small guillotine, fantastic for cutting pretty wrapping paper and recycling cards into useful squares.

You find all kinds of useful bits in food packaging. For instance, Quorn rashers come with a shiny silver foil cardboard insert, which is lovely cut up into squares to decorate gift tags. I also save those nice, printed paper bags that independent card shops sometimes use.

kingfisherblue

I run Brownies and Rainbows, and also have children who enjoy crafts. lots of good ideas above, as well as recommendations.

You could also try Home Bargains - it can be a bit hit and miss whether they have anything suitable in stock. At the moment, they're really good for stickers and sequins.

Dunelm Mill is usually expensive, but when they have a sale, craft items are sometimes very cheap (I bought the Brownies some notebook kits the other day for 49p - notebook with pattern for diamante stones on the front, the diamante stones, and small tube of glue all included. Well worth it!). I also bought a few other kits for my son who has learning difficulties - all 49p. You don't have to make the item that the kit is intended for, just use the craft items as you like. My local branch also had a pack of mirror paper for 49p (about a dozen sheets, larger than A4). The reduced items weren't in the craft aisle - they were near the tills.

Sweet wrappers (cleaned) can make a lovely shiny effect - as well as bits of coloured foil, you can use the cellophone from toffees, Roses, etc. Get your family and friend to put their wrappers into a box for you each Christmas, you'll have enough to last a while.

Tubes from kitchen rolls or toilet rolls can be decorated - most nurseries and playschools don't use the loo roll tubes because of hygiene, but many parents use them for their own children.

Paper bags from small shops are sometimes nicely patterned - as are the ones from pick and mix sweets.

Don't just stick to the Argos catalogue (which is quite hefty for kids!) Wilkinson's, B&Q, etc all have catalogues and leaflets as well.

Potatoes are good for printing with paint.

Wash plain lolly sticks (and foil type wrappers).

When relatives and friends ask what to get the little one for Christmas, suggest craft pipe cleaners, pompoms, coloured lolly sticks, tissue paper, etc.

If you use plastic bottles, collect a dozen and let your daughter decorate them. Add bit of sand into the bottom - you have a set of skittles.

Old CDs appeal to children because they are shiny - you can decorate these in many ways. Get friends to save any unwanted ones from newspapers.

Use a cereal box to keep paper in. Either cut it on an angle to make a magazine style holder, or stick a few together and make them into a small shelf unit that lies flat.

Sign up to a few websites with kid's crafts - many have newsletters which can be a source of inspiration.

liney

Don't forget to reduce your recycling by collecting your small boxes and loo rolls for junk modelling.

purrrrrfect44

You might a Scrapstore in your local area for which you basically pay a membership fee to use (At my local store in Nottingham it is £10 per year - then you can visit as many times as you want for a price of £2 per full shopping basket) - A scrapstore gets donations from shops & local business and has loads of craft resources - its open to everyone e.g. schools, artists, students and individuals. Search scrapstore + your local town name, to see if you have one local to you.
It could work out alot cheaper than buying individual craft supplies.

peachyprice

I found Wilkinsons to be the cheapest for little bags of goodies to stick, and the glue and paper.

LianeB

Baker Ross http//www.bakerross.co.uk is good - sometimes they are expensive but they always have sale items available

cazj80

purrrrrfect44 wrote: »

You might a Scrapstore in your local area for which you basically pay a membership fee to use (At my local store in Nottingham it is £10 per year - then you can visit as many times as you want for a price of £2 per full shopping basket) - A scrapstore gets donations from shops & local business and has loads of craft resources - its open to everyone e.g. schools, artists, students and individuals. Search scrapstore + your local town name, to see if you have one local to you.
It could work out alot cheaper than buying individual craft supplies.

There is one where I live! Brilliant, I have heard of them before, thank you!

Loulou2010

supermarkets usually stock little bits and pieces too. asda i have found you get more for your money. the works is good here as well.

ds loves collecting things from the garden and sticking/printing with them ie leaves (so many different types), conkers, acorns, twigs...