Hi, new to this tribe but been thifting most of my life. I still remember my first visit to the Goodwill in SF. It was coming on Christmas and I was living with my dad and he must have been between jobs or something. We went to get ornaments for our sad little Christmas tree and I was blown away by all the stuff in there. I've always had an affinity for old things and it seemed like I had finally landed on my home planet!
Meanwhile, there is a lot here about the great clothes, but I wonder if others go to scavenge craft supplies? Would love to hear great score stories about that. Recently I found the most amazing thread bonanza. The price was high, total of a bout $16, but I must have walked away with about a $100 worth of high quality thread (embroidery, needlepoint, etc.) I couldn't have gotten elsewhere. We have some great thrift stores here (in Central/Southern Nevada area). Las Vegas has amazing thrift stores but I never go there (would have to be in Vegas, yuck!). I go to the bargain barns in a town called Pahrump and always find great craft stuff. Usually it's a big ziploc bag of assorted stuff for a buck or two. Before my kid was born I spent more time looking for clothes and often found great stuff donated by the women who work in the brothels in town.
Meanwhile, there is a lot here about the great clothes, but I wonder if others go to scavenge craft supplies? Would love to hear great score stories about that. Recently I found the most amazing thread bonanza. The price was high, total of a bout $16, but I must have walked away with about a $100 worth of high quality thread (embroidery, needlepoint, etc.) I couldn't have gotten elsewhere. We have some great thrift stores here (in Central/Southern Nevada area). Las Vegas has amazing thrift stores but I never go there (would have to be in Vegas, yuck!). I go to the bargain barns in a town called Pahrump and always find great craft stuff. Usually it's a big ziploc bag of assorted stuff for a buck or two. Before my kid was born I spent more time looking for clothes and often found great stuff donated by the women who work in the brothels in town.
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California
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Re: Thrifting for Crafting
Thu, June 28, 2007 - 2:01 PMSt Vincent's is my fave for material and yarn. I've never seen so much cool stuff! I bought 3.5 yards of purple raw silk for $3!!!! Nevermind the cool leather ottoman I got for $12 last summer. Everyone who sees it is jealous ...
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Re: Thrifting for Crafting
Thu, June 28, 2007 - 2:54 PMPortland has The Knittin' Kitten, which is a thrift store that is all craft goodies. I got several yards of cute pajama flannel for under $3 and two nice tailor's hams for $11. I've also had good luck at Goodwill's bin stores and Value Village. -
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Re: Thrifting for Crafting
Thu, June 28, 2007 - 5:25 PMI spent 5 bucks at Value Village on a super soft leather skirt that was waaaaay too small and turned it into the most awesome tote bag. Complete strangers stop me and ask where I got it. I always start my browsing in the largest size skirt and dress sections since they offer the most fabric to work with. I often buy ugly bead jewelry and turn it into better stuff. Or I'll buy 1 necklace just for the 1 interesting bead on it........ It's all about re-imagining what stuff can look like. -
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Re: Thrifting for Crafting
Fri, June 29, 2007 - 8:49 AMAwesome! Do you have any photos of the bag?
(wow, this is starting to sound like the Reconstructed Clothing tribe!) :-) -
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Re: Thrifting for Crafting
Sat, June 30, 2007 - 5:53 PMI don't have pics of the bag - but the idea came from a book I picked up from Amazon. I cut off enough from the bottom of the skirt to make 2 straps. Turned the skirt inside out and sewed it shut across the bottom. Turned it back out and then added the straps. I discovered that doubled sided fabric hemming tape works great since you can't pin leather without leaving holes.
I'm working on an idea for making braceletes & cuffs out of old leather clothes and one of those gadgets that puts snaps onto things.
On another note - I was a farmers' market today and there was an artist making rings and pendants out of old silver cutlery. Incredible stuff!
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Re: Thrifting for Crafting
Fri, June 29, 2007 - 6:40 AMA thrift store just for craft items...I couldn't be more jealous!! How awesome. And yeah, it's all about the potential of things. I, too, will buy some odd sized or weird looking garment because the fabric is so wonderful or some piece of jewelry for the beads or a shirt for the buttons. I don't know, I guess thrifting that way just makes the world seem a place of endless possibilities. I like that. -
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Re: Thrifting for Crafting
Fri, June 29, 2007 - 11:10 AMI Went / am going through a phase where almost everything I get for crafting comes from my local thirift store. While it doesn't hurt that they have a crafting "department" (pretty much starting at one corner and extending to more racks in both directions from there as needed) I grab clothes for the material ALL the time. I almost never wear anything from the thrift store that hasn't been turned into something else.
It goes both ways too. I barely hesitated to get rid of yarn that I got over 5 years ago. California just doesn't seem to have a knitting season the way the other places I've lived do.
This particular thrift store is about three blocks from my old job where I was an arts and crafts director, and I must have had needed the smallest budget in the city. The biggest score arts and crafts wise was a spin art machine I think I paid around $5 for. The kids would not let up on that one.
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Re: Thrifting for Crafting- SF
Fri, July 6, 2007 - 9:01 PMIn SF, I have 2 great resources.
On Saturdays only, there is a hole in the wall on Division street near Folsome. It's across the street from Rainbow Groceries. They have close out craft supplies from feathers, doll parts, and buttons, to paint, Fimo, and brushes, all heavily discounted.
And SCRAP
www.scrap-sf.org/
SCRAP is a creative reuse center, store and workshop space founded in 1976 in San Francisco, California. Donations of re-usable materials such as textiles, paper, jewelry findings, wood, buttons and plastics are collected from businesses, institutions and individuals and distributed to art and educational groups.
By breathing new life into old objects, SCRAP reduces the amount of waste going to crowded landfills. By offering low cost art and re-use workshops and providing schools and organizations with badly needed art supplies, SCRAP stimulates creativity and environmental awareness. -
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Re: Thrifting for Crafting- SF
Sat, July 7, 2007 - 6:22 AMWell that's just damn cool (SCRAP, I mean).
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Re: Thrifting for Crafting- SF, East Bay
Sat, July 7, 2007 - 11:03 AMIn Oakland there's a similier place to SCRAP-East bay Depot for Creative Reuse.
And here's how to start one of your own: www.scrap-sf.org/start.htm -
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Re: Thrifting for Crafting- SF, East Bay
Tue, July 10, 2007 - 5:06 PMIf you are an educator and are near/ can get to San Jose, there is a place that puts SCRAP to shame, but its members only and only for teachers, the $30 membership goes to operating costs and pays for itself in the first visit. It's called RAFT: resource area for teachers. www.raft.net/
The resources there are staggering. And its not just for arts and crafts teachers, they have things for every kind of lesson. They are particularly strong in Science projects, but they have everything you could imagine and more. The amount of material that gets put to good use through that place is really amazing. In addition to materials of infinite variety, They have computers, books, overhead projectors, paper, pretty much anything you could want for a classroom. -
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Re: Thrifting for Crafting- SF, East Bay
Sun, July 15, 2007 - 7:25 AMDo homeschool moms qualify as teachers? -
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Do homeschool moms qualify as teachers?
Sun, July 15, 2007 - 10:24 AMdo you have a teacher's card? I know some home schoolers who have had the card and gotten discounts on books and such. My guess is that they'd honor a card, but I'm not sure. -
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Re: Do homeschool moms qualify as teachers?
Fri, July 20, 2007 - 9:49 PMYes, as far as I know home schooler moms DO count as teachers at RAFT. I'm not a "regular" teacher either, I taught in after school. You basically just have to prove you work with kids. I've seen preschool teachers there, too. I can't imagine that they wouldn't let a Home school Mom join, RAFT is set up for "alternative" teaching, it would be an awesome resource for homeschooling. -
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Re: Do homeschool moms qualify as teachers?
Sat, July 21, 2007 - 6:43 AMThe home schooling parents I know have teachers' cards. Thsi is CA.
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Re: Thrifting for Crafting- SF, East Bay
Thu, August 16, 2007 - 2:43 PMThanks for the mention, Crypto!
The East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse is of the best resources around for cheap, ecological craft materials. We are a non-profit organization that has been supplying artists, crafters and teachers with fantastic environmentally-friendly, reused supplies for 30 years. All of our materials come in by donation, so there's always something unique and unexpected.
New location in Oakland's Temescal district:
4695 TELEGRAPH AVENUE (at the corner of 47th Street), Oakland, CA 94609
Hours: 11am-6pm seven days a week
Phone: 510-547-6470
Our inventory includes:
*Fabric scraps and (sometimes) bolts
*Leather and fur scraps
*Yarn and thread
*Ribbon and lace
*Sequins and glitter
*Silk flowers
*Jewelry bits
*Used sewing machines
*A wide variety of paper goods
*Paints
*Old slides and film strips
*Little glass bottles
*Electronic parts
*Office and educational supplies
*Toys and games
*Books and magazines
*Household reusables (glass jars, toilet paper tubes, corks, etc.)
*Vintage furniture, housewares and linens
Check us out on Tribe:
people.tribe.net/2e5ff83f-...600db857dc
or at our website:
www.creativereuse.org
SPECIAL TRIBE DISCOUNT:
Mention that you heard about us on Tribe and get 20% off your purchase!
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Re: Thrifting for Crafting
Fri, August 17, 2007 - 10:21 AMI thrift for everything but have absolutely scored some amazing finds for crafts. Because I knit and crochet I am always thrilled to find big bags of yarn. Recently two large trash bags 2.99 each with over 100 skeins. To a thread junkie thats a score ! -
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Re: Thrifting for Crafting
Fri, August 17, 2007 - 1:00 PMI just found an almost finished (minus the neckline, and two arms) knitted wool sweater with the wool to finish it off. This is gorgeous really, far surpassing my knitting abilities. The only thing missing (it was still attached to the circular needle and had the double pointed needles already starting a sleeve) was the pattern...rats, because there are lots of colors in this. I am taking it to a skilled knitting friend for help. It only dropped a few stitches in the transfer from owner to store to new owner (me!). The have been easily recovered.
I love finding wool yarn at the thrift store. -
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Re: Thrifting for Crafting
Mon, August 20, 2007 - 8:16 PMLOL! I should drop the half finished sweater thats been sitting in my closet for 10 years at that thrift! -
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Re: Thrifting for Crafting
Fri, August 24, 2007 - 4:19 PMthat you should! someone will treasure it.
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Re: Thrifting for Crafting
Mon, August 27, 2007 - 6:45 AMI agree, St. Vincents is one of the best for finding craft-related items!
Just over the weekend I discovered some vintage buttons color separated in baby-food jars, which seemed to have all sorts of possibilities.
I've also found a number of decorating books there-- both retro ones good for seeing (and being scared by) past trends, and newer ones which have been good for ideas.
I found a number of wipe-off sheets to teach One-Stroke painting (those can be really expensive at Michaels). And I uncovered some great Victorian postcard look iron-on images, which I think I'll scan and save for future decoupage projects. It's been a lot of fun.
I'm new to the board, too, having just found the place. I'm so excited to meet some fellow-thrifters, particularly ones who like to revamp thrifted stuff. I've been thrifting all of my life (before it was "cool" because, believe me, in the 80s it was so NOT cool to have used clothes-- no matter WHAT those John Hughes movies might have implied. :-) )
