Where to Get Cheap Art Supplies

Art supplies can get kind of pricey, so I am always thrilled when I find a good deal. Here are some tips on where to get stuff for cheap:

Stores:

• Dollar Tree: This chain of dollar stores has really gotten into offering art, craft, and scrapbooking supplies lately. I've found some wonderful items here, some I would have gladly paid more for at a craft or scrapbooking store, some I can't find anywhere else. The individual stores vary somewhat in what they carry, so I'd check all the different ones in your area to see which have the best art stuff in them. If you find something you really love, buy lots of it, because it may not be available the next time you go there. I've gotten scrapbooking papers, stickers, 3-d scrapbooking stickers and embellishments, tags, gel pens, rubber stamps, craft punches, wire garlands with autumn leaves (these are beautiful and I've never seen them anywhere else), silk flowers, clear flat marbles, craft foam, glossy photo paper for inkjet printers, shadow boxes, empty cigar boxes, self-sticking jewels, mailing supplies, and plastic bins for storing art supplies there, all for a buck.
  
  


• Other Dollar Stores: Dollar General usually has a small selection of scrapbooking items shelved near the picture frames. Sometimes I've gotten some good things there. Big Lots sometimes has good stuff, too. Locally-owned dollar stores are worth checking––you never know what you might find.
  
  


• Michael's: This craft store usually has a coupon for 40% off a single item in the ad flyer it puts into the Sunday paper. You have to actaully clip this coupon and bring it to the store with you - there are no flyers in the store. This is really great if there's an expensive craft item you want to buy. The Michael's where I live also has dollar bins near the checkout lanes. I've gotten some neat things from those dollar bins, including 3-d scrapbooking embellishments, tins, handmade paper boxes, and notecards. A few times a year they have dollar sales with a larger selection of dollar items.