If you were to ask my mom about my crafty shopping habits she’d probably keep you occupied for quite a long time. Ask her about my thrifting shopping habits and she’d be laughing at you for quite a long time. You see, I’m not really known for my love of re-used, recycled, re-imagined. At least, I wasn’t when I was single and and living at home. With a household to run, groceries to buy and bills to keep up with I have to be more…economical with my crafty spending habits.
I’ve discovered the joy of crafty thrift shopping. At least once a month, Thom and I head down to a Little Rock donation distribution center. He looks for electronics and I hunt for items to use in my crafting.
I was a little leary at first. The store part of the center is a large warehouse-looking room filled with blue bins of clothes, household items, books, and electronics. When I say filled, I mean-items just dumped into the bins and fill to the brim. I, literally, have to sift through items tossing them to the side to get to the bottom. The hunt is an adventure, though, and often pays well.
I usually never go with any sort of to-buy list. It’s the thrill of the hunt that appeals to me. I sift and sift until something calls out to me. I’m tellin’ y’all. Junk talks. Except, it’s not junk at all! Good crafting supplies are there waiting for us to rescue them.
My favorite things to look for:
Crochet yarn
Yarn {for pom poms!}
Game pieces, like Scrabble pieces}
Crayons, colored pencils, water colors
Needles, threads, any sewing related items
Ribbon
Fabric
Some trips are more fruitful than others. I have been known to walk away empty handed. And, then, some trips end with a score of the century, like the Silpat pictured. Brand new, you guys, and since they charge by-the-pound it ended up being, like, six cents.
What do you thrift for? Share in the comments below or join the conversation over on Facebook.
