Best Shopping for Small stuff online

This won't be a real long post... short, and to the point.  Oh... and maybe a first... NO photos!

AND... at the bottom, the down low on some of our American Craft Stores!

No photos are needed.  I just wanna give you the down low on one of the best online shopping places.  Let me give the DOWN side first.... very slow shipping - we are talking one to three months, very cheap - sometimes so cheap that it breaks!, and it is an import... opps, just lost some readers right there.  But, I am not a strictly American made person.  IF I can get three paintbrushes for less than $2, I am gonna do it.  Have you looked, most of our brushes are made in China anyway.  Enough of that though... I digress.   The UP side...  Free shipping on most everything - I have only purchased free shipping so far, because it takes so long to get here - you get a gift and forgot it was coming.  Ok... where is this place?    aliexpress.com     I have gotten ... nail brushes for my detailed painting on canvas or cermics, rolls of double sided tape for just pennies compared to the scrapbooking world prices, washi tape for .25 a roll, micron pens for just .50 each,...  I go on and look for the most inexpensive items in an area... usually art/craft.  I got a brush pen that leaked... emailed them a photo of the item leaking and they credited my account.  I never got my lace tape... emailed them at the end of the wait period... they re-shipped, free, and it was here and good.  You leave feedback just like on ebay, you pay with credit card, and there is a place to dispute things.  I keep a list of what was ordered, from what company, how many, what paid, when it should be in and keep track of everything.  One Summer, I go 15 little packages of scrapbooking sequins, stickers, tapes, ... and spent less than $6.   So... maybe it is something you might wanna look into.  Again, watch the shipping, look at the details.  Make sure it doesn't show ten and say that you get two... watch the details!   So... thoughts?

Another great place to shop.... we were on vacation last week and driving home through Austin I saw a statue of some comical painter dude and wanted a photo.  Hubby, being the greatness that he is, turned around and went back!  It was Jerry's Artarama!  I had shopped with them online, but never eve knew there was a storefront!  We went in and an hour later, we came out.  I got 20 panel canvas for $21.  They happened to be having a 30% off one item to VIP members.... I am now a VIP member, it is like a club card and totally free.  They do not run the 30% sale often, this was such a God thing!  You also get 10% off anything in the store that is not on sale, and that is anytime!  Get this... they also will give you the online discounted item price if you will just pull it up on your phone.  I got the Faber-Castell Polychromo Pencils with the 30% off coupon!  ok.... I lied, a couple of pictures!!!   http://www.jerrysartarama.com/?gclid=CKPdtNaA7s0CFVE0aQodi_QEiA   and No, they do not sponsor me, I just really like them.  Would be fun if they did sponsor, I would be loving that!

I also wanna plug my ladies group on facebook.  It is all ladies, and we use our pencils, pens, and such to color in our coloring books, Bibles and journals.  Tons of fun, and yes... ALL ladies!  You can find us at     https://www.facebook.com/groups/1655458821385078/

Last plug is for my new video channel on youtube..... having a lot of fun teaching about color blending with pencils and gel pens!  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAmOEaOqYyrarqJi8YgfY1Q

Craft stores in the US... this is true for the stores in my area at the time of this publishing....
You can use a coupon from Hobby Lobby and JoAnns at Micheals (there are limits to the percent off ones).  You can use a coupon from Hobby Lobby and Michaels at JoAnns. You can NOT use a coupon from Michaels and JoAnns at Hobby Lobby.  Michaels and JoAnns give teacher discounts, just have some sort of ID ready to get it.... Michaels is each and every time, JoAnns will issue you a card.  Tuesday Morning got the old contract that Big Lots used to have.  Remember when Big Lots had a scrapbooking area?  Yep, that contract.  So, Tuesday Morning gets all the old clearance from some of our major craft stores now!!!

Ok... that's all I have for now!

Guest Post- a True Scrapbooking "Haul"

So... you will be able to tell from the start of this that I am not doing the blogging.  My daughter is much more thorough in her "showing" of what is what.  Even now, she is getting the original price to show along with what she has already done...she is just an all in kinda girl.  I love it and it should be interesting to see how this turns out.  Might have her do a bit more blogging more often, what say you??   Oh, and yes, we have our own organizational systems and we will use all this in time.   So without further ado *drum roll here* this is how the ladies in my house shop:

Ever watched a craft supply "haul" video and wondered how people can afford to shop the way they do?  Honestly, if it's more than $1.99, I probably won't get it.  Even at 99 cents I've been known to put something down as just not enough bang for my buck.  Here's how we do affordable scrapbook shopping.

Today, my mom and I went on the "tour of craft stores" that we do maybe once a month- the big (previously) two-story JoAnns, the newest Michaels, and the larger Hobby Lobby in DFW.  They're kind of all in a row from where we live, so we just goof off and wander them all for good clearance steals.  This time, we also discovered a warehouse sized Tuesday Mornings and a few smaller Tuesday Mornings along the same path.  Usually we end up buying next to nothing, but every once in a while we find really good deals.  Here's our damage from possibly the best run we've had in years.

Stop 1- JoAnns, where we both got teacher discount cards for an additional 15% our entire purchase.

Mom's Haul:
Basic Grey Page Flags- .96
Little Yellow Bicycle "Making the Grade" Tear-Out Ticket and Journaling Card Book- .96
7 Gypsies Tickets- .96
Sizzix Triplets "Banner" - 14.99 x 40% off- 8.99
Creative Imaginations Oceanside Stickers- .25
Creative Imaginations Life's Journey Stickers- .25
Total after 15% discount: $11.40

My Haul:

Mosaic Thickers in Metal- .50

Mosaic Thickers in Light Pink- .50

Prima Say it in Crystals Hexagons- .50 x2

Basic Grey Page Flags- .96

Basic Grey "Hey Girl" Die-Cut Shapes-  .96

Total after 15% discount- $3.61

Stop 2- Tuesday Morning

Disappoint.  Mom got one stamp marked .49 at 20% off, so it was .42.  Woohoo.  (I already had these stamps, I think she was feeling some envy.)

Stop 3- Tuesday Morning Warehouse

Whooooa this place was big.  I might have had a freak out in the parking lot.  It was really interesting, but extremely disappointing by the lack of organization in the store.  I found myself lacking the will to dig through their stuff and we almost left empty handed (except a completely unrelated children's Christmas gift).  On the way to check out, we spotted the 80% off clearance bins.  Jackpot!

Mom's Haul-

Opalite Archival Shimmer Ink in Cypress Frost- .59

Versa Magic Archival Ink in Sierra Vista- .59

Total: $1.27

My Haul-

Opalite Archival Shimmer Ink in Cypress Frost- .59

Autumn Leaves Clear Stamps by Rhonna Farrer Love- .03 

Total: $0.67

Stop 4- the "new" Michaels

We were super disappointed here until we found a score on the clearance aisle.  I've been really wanting some colored embossing powder, but obviously, I'm super cheap.  Colored powders (and I want bright or neon) are usually about $3 a bottle, or in a pack of three to five (with an ugly color!) for $10.  We found the Recollections Detail Embossing Powder in Neon for $3.49.  Yes, I doubled the cost of my thus far purchases on embossing powder.  But I needed it!  Tax brought me up to $3.77

Stop 5- the "big" Hobby Lobby

Mom's Haul-

Little Yellow Bicycle Handwritten Love Journaling Stickers in Travel- .64

Chic Tags Journaling Tags in Birthday Cake- .60

Bo Bunny Note Worthy Die-Cuts in Prairie Chic- 1.43

Jenni Bowlin Identify General Mini Deck- .64

Echo Park Paper Co Memos in "For the Record"- .90

Total with tax- $4.56

My Haul-

Pebbles Phrase Stickers in Lake- 1.07

Bo Bunny Noteworthy Die-Cuts in "Family is Noteworthy"- 1.43

Total with tax- $2.71

Stop 6- Tuesday Mornings on the way home

At this point we were tired, and we grabbed one paper pack off the clearance rack to split.  It was WeRMemoryKeepers For the Record in "Documented."  With a 20% off and tax, it was $0.85.

Mom's Total- $18.08 including tax (and remember, she bought a Sizzix Die-Cut for $7.60!)

My Total- $11.18 including tax 

And for those who are curious, without the discounts Mom would have come out at $54.96 and I would have been at $50.97.  I personally believe that means I got a better deal since mine was worth more if we don't count the Sizzix.  Heh.  Though without the discounts we would have just window shopped and spent nothing, we were literally seduced by clearance and never even got to bust out our coupons.

This is how WE haul.

-Sarah

COMPLETE HAUL PHOTOS

Mom

Me

Bishop Arts District in Dallas, Texas

My husband has lived in the Dallas area ALL his life!  He recently took me back to the Bishop Arts District.  What a blast!!!  I could not believe all the really cool shops in the area.  Where have I been?  What is this?  The best kept little secret around!!!  The folks are nice, the shops are clean, and some of the prices are really good!  So, you know me, lots of pictures....

 

We got the Lemon "something or other" and it was SOOooooo great!!!!

Yep... there is a different name on over the entry, they just changed it.

This is just ONE of the MANY displays.  IF you have never shopped in a "fare trade" store before, you are in for a treat!!!

They sell fresh flowers right from the case... or you can make an appointment to meet and plan your special occasion in this really neat room (below).

Hopefully, someone from this place will post... They are really into giving back to the community!

SOoooo.... IF you find yourself with some time on your hands, get on over to the Bishop Arts District and be sure to tell them that Tinkartist.blogspot sent you.  I am sure that they have no idea who I am and won't remember me from the next customer.  BUT, we really did have lots of fun.  I only took pictures and highlighted a few of the shops.  The fun is door to door, take the time to go see what it is all about.

Most of these places are small businesses, they are local and need our support!  I am small business, so I know what they are up against.  Take some time out of your busy month and head on over there.  It is a great little drive and some nice scenery.

I will see you back in a couple of weeks when I will show you my master bath makeover.  The plan was to replace the double sink.  No plan ever stays as small as we plan, and this got way involved!

-Pam