Find Supplies Outside the (Big)Box

Take a trip to almost any stripmall in North America and it's plain to see: craft supplies are a huge industry. I've even noticed that scrapbooking materials are starting to crop up at home goods stores and dollar stores.

Although this new accessibility is great for crafters who previously had a hard time finding the tools and supplies they need, it does come at a price. It's dangerously easy to get into the mindframe that everything you need can be found at a big box arts & crafts store – and when that happens, people tend to get a little less environmentally friendly and (dare I say it) a little less creative.

The best way to overcome that mentality is to be open-minded when looking at, well... stuff. Look for uses outside the obvious - chances are you'll come up with some great (and super affordable!) project ideas.

For example: This was left on the "take-what-you-can-we're-throwing-the-lot-out" table at my film school last year. It used to be a sampler-pack of different camera filters. Now it's my little reservoir of colored cellophane and metallic papers - perfect for embellishing cards and other paper projects.

Another great example comes from my friend Keri who re-purposes old film slides into greeting cards.

So keep an open mind. Look at your favourite projects: is there a material you currently use that can be substituted with something more eco-friendly or less expensive? Hit up garage sales and thrift stores, do the occasional Craigslist or Kajiji search... you might surprise yourself.

Here are a handful of wonderfully upcycled Etsy goodies for a little inspiration. Slides as pendants, sweaters as plushies, china as nightlights, bottlecaps as earrings... Man. People are clever:

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