Lesson 3

(Artwork shared in this post is a collaborative effort of Anna and I...mostly Anna.  She likes to put color on color, like red on red, etc....so I outlined some things, and wrote over her wording here and there so it could be seen.)

Before we go any further, I want to share with you some shopping tips...

Download the aps to your phone ASAP for the following:

Michaels (Always offers a 40% off coupon for any one regularly priced item.  Sometimes offers 50% off, and additionally, every once in a while, offers a 20% off your purchase as well.)

JoAnn (Always offers a 40% off an item, often they do 50% off an item, and usually offer $5.00 off a purchase of $30, $10 off $50, and $15 off $75)

Hobby Lobby (Always offers a 40%, everything in their store goes on sale at 50% off about twice a month.  Never pay full price for anything at Hobby Lobby.  If it's not on sale this week, you can bet it will be next.)

Each of those places offers excellent clearance pricing, so always be on the lookout, and each of them also shares their sale paper for the week on their ap.  **For the 5 of you who still have flip phones and aps are not an option, you can still get on their website and print the coupons from there.**

Michaels and JoAnn have mailing lists.  You should get on them as they send special coupons out on fliers to your mailbox and it's like crafting Christmas when they show up.  Who doesn't love Crafting Christmases?

There are some things that hardware stores are good for and crafting stores just over price.  The number one thing that comes to my mind is spray paint.  I try not to use definitives like "always" and "never", but I'm pretty sure that I always buy my spray paint at hardware stores, and I never have bought any at the craft stores because they are at least twice as much moolah...and that's moolah I could be spending on other products!

Painter's tape...gorilla glue...E6000...shop towels, the blue paper towel-looking ones...paint brushes (larger ones, not small, detailing ones)...all of those things are less expensive at the hardware stores.

Brushes...for tiny detail work, I use nail brushes.  I'll be offering a set of those for cheap very soon...they are the ones I love more than any others and use all the time.  I think there's like 20 brushes for $5 or so...I have that on my "to-do" list for this weekend and I"ll be sharing what that is right here in a future blog post.  :)  Don't spend a lot of money on special brushes at the craft store.  Use your 40% off coupon and get a set of 10 or 20 for $10 or so.  I've found that they all wear out at about the same rate.  Also, don't get the bristle-type ones that look like a broom.  They are no bueno.  Get the ones with either brown or white bristles...they are the best.  (In my opinion.)

I know I'm rambling, but I'm trying to think of things and share them as I mentally go through my craft supplies.  Mod Podge.  Don't buy it at Wal Mart.  Buy it at one of the craft stores and utilize that coupon.  You can use a coupon each trip you make there.  They usually change them weekly-on Sundays.  Oh-you can also get a coupon out of fliers in the SUnday paper if you get those.

Back to hardware stores, if you want to paint a lot of rocks, you can pick up an 8 oz little jar of paint for $3.00 at the paint counter, offered in a few prominently-used colors, but you can also check the "oops" paint at both Home Depot and Lowes, and often times, you'll find the same size jar for .50 cents.  I love those.  And the paint is a great, thick quality.

As I think of other items of note, I will share with you, and tomorrow will be a post all about paint!