Art Supplies: Drafting

I’m always buying supplies for my scrap-booking and craft work, so I know how costly it can get to purchase your supplies from retail shops. To save on supplies and still be super unique and creative I’ve compiled all of the ways I’ve found.

A: That huge magazine stack that’s been collecting under your bed can be used in many ways. Cutting out letters of varying sizes and colors, and then using them to make phrases or quotes, is something I enjoy doing. You can cut out letters from the cover page, different ads, and article titles.

If you have any old magazines laying around you may find ideas or pictures and graphic designs to make a collage or scrapbook. Another good idea is to use for backgrounds in a scrapbook is pages from a fashion spread magazine. They have little to no writing on them since they are always really themed. The nice thing about it is that if the image has any writing on it you don’t want you can always put a decoration over it or another picture.

2. Use Search Engines to find Graphics: This is a really good idea when scrap-booking. For example, when I started my daughter’s scrapbook, I searched Google images for terms like "baby girl", "it’s a girl", and etc. By doing a little searching and looking around I was able to find materials to use and saved a lot.

Simply run a search through various search engines by using their image tools for any terms that have to do with the project that you are working on. You will discover a lot of information that applies to your projects and you can print it out. Copyright restrictions limit many items to personal use, so please use these graphics for non-business applications. Till they are used within your crafts which are personal, that will not be a problem.

If you don’t have a printer, you can print them out at your local library or school if you attend for a couple cents a sheet. It’s still much cheaper than buying stickers and designs from art supply stores.

3. Got Glue? It’s a little known fact that if you’ve got no glue, you can make some! Based on the amount of glue required, combine equal parts flour plus water. Combine the ingredients until it is a paste consistency.

This type of homemade glue should be used immediately after mixing, otherwise it will become moldy if left out. This item is very well suited for paper projects; remember to leave it out to dry completely after use.

You can always add glitter for a nice touch even if you do have glue and use it as paint to decorate stuff.

• There are a lot of cool crafts out there which call for some type of modeling clay. The ingredients that you’ve probably already got can make it right in your kitchen instead of splurging on the stuff at the store. You just need to use a cup of water, a couple of tablespoons of cream of tarter, one tablespoon of oil, and half a cup of salt. Mix all the ingredients in a large pan and cook gently for around 3 minutes. Until you plan to use it, let it cool in the airtight container in the refrigerator. Make sure the container is air tight or the clay will dry up!

• Be observant with your surroundings and you will find a vast assortment of materials. You can showcase your creativity by making masks out of paper plates, embellishing them with markers and cutting eye holes with scissors. Perhaps you could transform an old pizza box, opened up, into a collage for your wall, decorating it with dyed dry pasta shapes which have been glued on.

When you’re crafting, look around the house using not only your eyes, but your imagination. The options are endless!

Below are the collection of unique specials on used and new Art Supplies: Drafting: