Crafting Tips: Being Frugal #1

Hi there!!

So I decided to write a quick post about a few things I have learnt through my own personal experience of purchasing things for crafting. Crafting and art material in general can be very expensive and in certain countries where we do not have many multi-chain big stores for such supplies which offer gargantuan discounts, it can be taxing on the pocket. So I thought I would mention a few things to save money/materials and I will add more tips in subsequent posts. 

1. Do-It-Yourself Alternatives: Now it is super fun to buy a product and use it and we all get the excitement of it but what if the product is just not available or the price being asked for it is super high? There are so so many DIY options for so many supplies out there. For example-

- Emboss buddy- It is the tool which we dab onto a paper so that while heat embossing stray particles of embossing powder do not stick to the paper (because the oils in our hands with which we sometimes inadvertently touch the paper can attract the powder). This is a tool we all can make at home just like I did by making a little bag out of a piece of cloth with some talcum powder or cornflour inside and then we can either stitch it or glue it together so the powder does not scatter. That's it, easy peasy. Then every time you want to emboss, just take this little bag, dab it on the paper, it will release small particles of powder (that's ok, you can just brush them off later), stamp with versamark ink and then spread embossing powder over it and heat it with a heat tool. 

- Color Sprays- It is super easy to make color sprays, you do need a spray bottle and then there are many youtube videos on how to create your own sprays. The way I have used is to add a little bit of Prima-Finnabair Mica Powder to a bottle of water, shake it and it gives great results. The color sprays turn out light and pastel with a shine. There are so many other ways of making sprays using acrylic paints, brushos, magicals, distress reinkers etc, check it out for yourself.

- Distress Tool or deckler- This is the tool used to create a rough, worn out edge around paper for mixed media and shabby chic styles among others. I have such a tool but I think just using the edge of a pair of scissors is great and sometimes gives better results!! Also, if you craft a lot, you will probably end up breaking a few pairs of scissors so this is a great way to use those broken scissors. 

- Punch boards- There are punch boards out there which allow you to create your own envelopes and boxes and the like and that's great. I bought one and I do like it but I don't really use it and let me tell you it isn't fool proof, the indentations where you have to create score marks can sometimes make you go awry and honestly, I don't think it is worth it. It is way better to make envelopes and boxes the old school way. I am not saying it isn't great for all but personally, I won't buy it again if I could go back in time!

- Sentiment Stickers - There are some gorgeous stickers out there with typed sentiments that look awesome when used on projects and I bought one such over-priced set. I would not do it again. Why? Because it does not have all the words that one might need (the word celebrate was missing and I think that's a pretty major word to not have on an ensemble of sentiments) also because I think I could just as easily have typed sentiments on the word file and printed it out, cut it and used it. It would've taken longer but I would get exactly the sentiment I wanted and also spent a fraction of the cost (just a printout). 

That's it for now, I will write about more tips/lessons I have learnt in other posts. 

Thanks for your time!! 

Happy Crafting and Stay Blessed :)