Crafting on a Budget – Making Do

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Although we are all feeling the pinch a bit at the moment, there is still a need for home-made, hand-crafted items and unusual greetings cards, scrapbooks, brag books and so on.

In tough times, as they say necessity is the mother of invention.

I myself began crafting a few years ago as a therapeutic way of staving off stress. It helped me enormously and I would recommend crafting to anyone needing a creative outlet, who enjoys experimenting and playing about with different materials ending in a satisfying unique, personal hand-crafted item.

When I first started crafting, unlike a friend of mine who had all the latest tools, materials, the latest rubber stamps, glitters and embossing powders, I could not afford all these flashy things. Looking back, I now realise that this was actually a very good thing, as it made me a lot more creative, relying instead on what I could achieve with limited resources and my own ideas. I began experimenting with all sorts of things from foils, the insides of sweet wrappers, inexpensive peel-offs and so on.

As time went on, I began to search around on the internet for inexpensive materials, then one day hit upon the idea of postage stamps.

I did a little hunting and discovered by chance there was strangely, a stamp shop near me! We took a trip there and enquired about bulk buying used stamps. I told the man there I didn’t mind what they were, but would prefer pictures, and he produced a cigar box. It was beautiful, and as a bonus, it was full to the brim of used stamps from all over the world! He only charged us £15 for the whole lot, cigar box and all!

Can I tell you that I bought that box of stamps in 2004, and I am STILL using it today and STILL discovering stamps I didn’t know I had! Well worth the money!

I strongly recommend finding a local stamp dealer, or check out some bulk buys of used international stamps online, it will provide you with inexpensive, unique and unusual materials for a long time.

Please spend some time looking through your stamps when you get them as you will be amazed at the designs and work that has gone into them. I see each and every stamp as a work of art in its own right. Take the time to carefully look at them, really look at them and you cannot fail but to be inspired, soon you will be creating your own unique designs with them. Each and every stamp as well as being a work of art is also a snapshot of time, a little glimpse of history. Each stamp reflects trends, changes, crazes and phases in a country at a particular time, and I know that people who have received cards from me with stamps on, are always intrigued and impressed with them not to mention being absolutely fascinated by them.

Ideas

Firstly, there is the obvious, Greetings cards. Why not pick out a handful of stamps according to a colour scheme? For example, if making a card for a man, why not pick out some stamps that are all browns and blacks in colour? Pick out stamps with images of aeroplanes, boats, trains, cars or industrial scenes on.

Anything with an industrial theme looks great on a male card. The colours are always fantastic. Simply find your card blank, pick out an inexpensive backing paper*, (or why not try making your own?), and apply your backing paper to the card blank, then simply on a flat surface, place the stamps down first as you want them to look on your card, then apply a little glue stick to the back of the stamp, making sure you cover the edges and corners of the stamps, and apply to your card. The card will be personal, unique and much more interesting.

Secondly, why waste your money on buying gift tags for birthdays or Christmas? Simply cut out a tag shape from a piece of blank card and punch a hole in at the top. Decorate your tag and personalise it, by adding stamps in the gift recipient’s favourite colours. E.g., if the person the gift is for likes green, pick out all green coloured stamps, or stamps with green flowers/plants on them. You have made a gift tag which is personal to them and unique, not to mention inexpensive. To finish it off, why not add some thick twine through the hole, or ribbon or raffia or anything else you have lying around. If you don’t have any of these, why not get some inexpensive threads in different colours and bunch a few of them together and tie through the hole to make a decorative finish.

Also, if you want to try selling your crafts, why not try making themed cards with your stamps, for example, all green coloured stamps, or all purple coloured stamps, all floral stamps, all cars stamps etc., and make matching gift tags. You could then sell them as a pack at local fairs or jumble sales.

Your stamps can also be used as part of your own range of wrapping papers. Instead of buying expensive wrapping paper, why not buy some cheap brown packaging paper, and decorate your gift with stamps all over when it is wrapped. Again you will have a unique, individual, inexpensive way of getting a fab look to your gifts.

Thirdly, if you know someone who likes to read, why not use your stamps to make a gorgeous, unusual bookmark for them as a gift? I am surrounded by people who love books and find myself constantly making bookmarks for them! They love them.

Take some ordinary cardstock, cut a long strip of card, punch a hole in the top or leave it whole, and decorate your bookmark. Why not practise at some fancy writing or ways to make your letters more decorative, by adding swirls, loops etc., and add their name as an extra personal touch? Decorate your bookmark with stamps and either add some threads through the top hole, maybe with a bead threaded onto them and knotted, or leave the bookmark whole for a more solid look. Twine or string looks great threaded through the top hole of a bookmark and pulled gently apart after being knotted. Adding a bead or two to the twine can also give the bookmark a more interesting dimension.

There are plenty of ways to make your own hand-crafted, unique, personal gifts and still do it on a budget.

For inexpensive backing papers, why not buy a few rolls of wrapping paper, various designs and patterns and simply cut off and use as much or as little as you need? This is a great way to ensure you have a good selection of designs and patterns for different occasions without feeling you have to skimp on the amount you use. You can be generous with your backing paper and let your creativity run wild.

So go on, grab some card and wrapping paper, find yourself a joblot of used international stamps and get crafting!

For more hints and tips and to get involved come along to http://www.Begin-Again.co.uk and check out our Blog.

Author: Fiona Teasdale
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Filed under Bead Craft Ideas by on Sep 19th, 2010. #

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