Papercrafting is a hobby that includes so many moving parts — paint, sewing, alcohol markers, inks, mists, stamps, edge punches, buttons, flowers, diecuts and, of course, the paper — it’s easy for crafters to get more wrapped up in buying than using these supplies.
So by your second shopping spree, you know that saving money is the name of this game.
Luckily, the papercrafting inventory is now large enough to attract multiple daily deal sites offering just that: discounts and deals to stock your supply shelf with the perfect tool for any job. Check out and visit these sites to avoid hiding your monthly totals from the household budget:
- Two Peas in a Bucket: Arguably one of the largest online stores for papercrafting supplies on the Internet (scrapbook.com being the other), this site runs a deal of the day, along with a 75% off category every day, with shipping and handling prices that make it the more competitive of the big boys. It also has the occasional exclusive gift with purchase offer and a frequent shopper program, although you need $500 total in sales over a 12-month period to qualify for its automatic discounts on your cart. When you need something specific, start here.
- Scrapbook Steals: This place moves fast, so if you see it, you like it, you buy it. Second chances are rare. They post an exclusive kit, or items at 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. MST daily. Prices start at 25% off retail.
- Peachy Cheap: Another site where you want to get your grab on to take advantage of the sweet savings. They usually tend to bundle products into kits rather than sell individual supplies, and some days the price is 95% off retail.
- Crafty Steals: You have a little more breathing room at this site — either manufacturers provide larger inventories or fewer people (until now) have discovered it. Some deals last a day or two before selling out. Expect 50% or more markdowns and a variety of individual past issues of craft magazines on sale, too.
- My Craft Channel: Also a tad slower on sales (and that’s not a bad thing for those of us who want to purchase supplies we’ll actually use), this site offers a video demonstration of its daily discount product. That’s useful for beginners.
- All Things Cricut: Pssst, nobody really pays the manufacturer’s suggested retail price on a Cricut cartridge. When these diecut machine owners want a new font or theme pictures to cut out, they shop around until they get the price between $20 and $35, depending on how new the cartridge is. But before you buy, also drop in at Crazy Scraps to see if the cartridge is by chance its deal of the day. (If not, you may like what is.)
- Crafty Catch is where you head when your focus is paper, paper, paper. The prices are much lower than retail, but realize you’re also paying for the coordinating stickers, ribbons and other pieces of the kit. If you just want paper, you can probably do better pricewise using the Michaels, Jo-Ann or Hobby Lobby weekly coupon on the pack in their stores.
- Crop Chocolate keeps it simple: one deal, one price per day. They don’t keep a history of past deals, but at press time, a pad of Echo Park paper selling for $14 retail was $5.50.
- Blitzy posts its deals on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Its shopping categories are a strange hodgepodge of tools (think adhesives) and specific manufacturers (i.e. Tim Holtz crackle paint), but its prices are lower than retail on these items, and if you don’t live near a national craft store with the 40% coupon, shaving $1.50 off a $4.50 item works.
- Herrschners always has a hot buys category, similar to Two Peas’ clearance rack, but the items change often. This classic crafting company has a wide definition of crafts, so you can look here for needlepoint, cross-stitch, sequin art, jewelry making, yarn and, yes, papercrafting. It carries Martha Stewart tools, which have also been known to hit this sale floor. Savings typically start at 30% off and go up.
On Tuesdays, check out Scrapbook Noise for the $2 specials. This site stocks only Echo Park Paper (and the new spin-off Carta Bella) and American Crafts, so the selection is limited. But if you’re a fan of these widely popular companies, this is a good place to pick up savings on the newest releases and even presales that haven’t hit stores yet.
If it’s Friday, check out the free font download at Club CK.
Finally, Diane at Scrap Your Story tracks the best deals on popular brands and websites daily. It’s a mind-blowing plethora of savings. Her site also boasts reviews, project ideas and money-saving ideas for papercrafters. You’ll never regret bookmarking this one.
If you liked this article, also check out:
- Craft store smartphone apps save money on the spot
- Kids’ Crafts: Make a rubber band-powered boat
- Kids’ Crafts: Make a braided rope dog toy
- Recycle old magazines into beautiful bowls
