Craft Haul: Quick Trip to SAS

This post may contain affiliate links, please check out my disclosures page for more info.  Thanks!

I needed just a few supplies for some upcoming crafts. So I stopped by SAS in Tempe, Arizona for the first in what felt like years. Of course, the day I chose had to be one of the few days in Arizona that we got a major storm. I still managed to get my purchases home dry. I can't say the same about myself. 

Anyway, here is my little haul of goodies. 

I needed a little bit of black tulle for a Halloween piece I am sewing. So, luckily I found the perfect amount in this discount baggie for a whopping $0.99. The pink tulle is a bit of a bonus. It might come in handy too.

I needed some ribbon, which SAS sells by the yard. However, I found a bin full of random embellishments. It was a "fill a bag" for only $0.99 each. I found the exact the ribbons I needed, plus some extra ribbon, elastic, and bias tape for future projects. 

I needed a small amount white fabric as a backing for a project I am planning for Christmas. These fat quarters were perfect, and they were only $0.99 each. That seems to be the price of the day.

What wasn't $0.99 was this yard remnant of black satin. It was $3.99, and it will work well with the tulle for my Halloween project. 

I got some thread and elastic, always useful. Also some fake flowers to have on hand. They range from $0.49 to $1.49, and are handy for making hair accessories. 

These long glue sticks are also handy for making hair accessories among other things. And they're only $0.15 each.

I couldn't resist browsing the wall of sewing accessories. I picked up some more pins and these bobbin buddies. 

They're similar to these ones I've been eyeing on Amazon. You use them to keep loaded bobbins with their matching spools of thread. Keeps things nicely in place, and at least gives the illusion that I am a neat and tidy sewer.

That's all for this craft haul. Now I need to use it all. In fact, I am almost done with my next sewing project, and I should be posting it soon.

Look forward to it. 

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Q Box Unboxing: Late Clearance Box Opening

This post may contain affiliate links, please check out my disclosures page for more info.  Thanks!

Here’s something super late.  Last November I stumbled upon Q Box.  It’s a subscription box, sort of like Kawaii Box, which features cute goodies mostly from Japan based on a monthly theme.  Some past themes include Pokémon, Sailor Moon, Alice in Wonderland, etc.

Anyway, I discovered they were having a special box, their clearance box.  Packed full with more items than normal at a cheaper price.  Plus, they were having a special sale, buy 2 get 1 free.  Hard to resist that.

So not long later, this adorably cute package showed up in the mail for me.

And inside were three “boxes”, I think the last one was packed in the cute heart bag to save space.

It was close to Christmas at the time, so they put cute little holiday stamps on the boxes.  Most fitting since I actually used many of the goodies inside for Christmas.  I stuffed those pouches I made (see Sewing Pouches, Lots of Them) and gave them as gifts.

Anyway, the boxes and all other packaging also had Q Box’s special little logo sticker, in case anyone forgot where this stuff all came from. :)

And a lot of stuff there was, each box was crammed full of fun surprises.  I had originally intended to open one box at a time, you know, take my time with it.  But I ended up ripping through all three at once.  I did take the time to make a video, which was then pushed to side due to holiday preparation.

But finally, here is my Q Box unboxing video.

Enjoy!

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A Late Black Friday Craft Haul

This post may contain affiliate links, please check out my disclosures page for more info.  Thanks!

Like many people around the country, I felt enticed by the ads for all the Black Friday deals.  But instead of electronics, toys and clothes, I bought craft supplies (and dolls)!

Joann had sales from Thursday through Sunday, so I decided to shop for all the craft supplies for my Christmas craft projects.

First up is my online order.  The first day for the black “Friday” sale was Thursday, but it was online only because the stores were closed for Thanksgiving. 

It’s a good thing.  Let the employees spend the time with their loved ones and the customers shop from the comfort of their home while eating plenty of pie.

Anyway, the package came less than a week later.

I only bought a few items, I was holding out a little.

I got a pack of fabric markers.  I plan on using them for one of my Christmas projects, but I can think of a number of other uses.  Great way to justify them. :)

However, these charms were an impulse buy.  The are cute little keys and heart locks, and I think they would make adorable little doll necklaces.

Here some sparkly holiday yarn I got for another project.  Several different yarns were on sale, so I grabbed some white baby yarn too.  It always comes in handy for small crafts.

This one is also for one of my Christmas projects, and it’s a little unusual.  A posable doll made from white muslin.  He is 14 inches tall, but obviously most of the height is in those long, long legs.  He will be fun to play with when I’m done.

Now for the stuff I bought in store, with the doll relaxing on top.  I went on Saturday because the best deals were actually on Saturday and Sunday.

First I picked up some acrylic paint.  They weren’t actually on sale, but there was a coupon in the ad that worked for them.  Yay for coupons!  I got pink parfait, white, blue bonnet and leaf green. 

The doll dragged over the markers, I think he knows I’m going to use them on him.

I picked up some soft Velcro, because I had another coupon and you can’t have enough of it around.

I also got this pack of cardstock.  Most of the scrapbook papers were 75% off including this cardstock.  Good time to stock up.

While I was there, I took a peek at some of the clearance items and found these two broaches, a floral one and a cameo.  They will go perfectly with my wardrobe.

I also went through the patterns.  The Simplicity patterns were on sale for $1 each!  This is a dress pattern I’ve been eyeing, number 8444.  It’s for a blouse and dress inspired by a certain Japanese street fashion.  Sadly, you find it with the “costume” patterns.  Sigh.

I got a few sheets of felt, they were 5 for $1.  Sadly, I accidently got one of the premium non-sale pieces.  My coupon still worked on it.

Now the best part about the sale, the remnants.  They were all on sale for half their normal price, plus they took an extra 75% off. 

I got these two plaids, the larger red plaid will be great for my Christmas sewing and the small blue plaid is good for doll clothes.

I could not resist this cute cat print.

And I got this huge hunk of red felt.  I needed some for a couple of projects and this will be more than enough for my needs.  I will have plenty leftover for next year too.

Last but not least, I grabbed this small pink polka dot fabric.  I’m not sure what to do with it, but at the very least I can make a tiny doll dress with it.

And over all, I spent less than $45, and have enough supplies to keeping me crafting for at least a couple months.  Maybe.

Give it a try:

• Bernat Happy Holidays Yarn
• Tulip Fabric Markers 12/Pkg Fine Tip
• Vintaj Heart and Keys Charms
• Long Leg Muslin Doll w/Wire 14"
• Apple Barrel® Colors 2 oz.
• VELCRO® Brand 0.63'' x 30'' Soft &Flexible Sew-On Tape

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A Spooky Black Craft Haul

I had intended to post this sooner, but life happens.

Anyway, to prepare for a certain holiday craft project I took a trip to my favorite craft store, SAS.

As you can see, black was the color of choice for my craft purchases this time.

I bought a few yards of black cotton fabric, you will see what this is for later this week. :)

To go along with it I bought this thin black lace.  It’s funny about the lace.  I looked all over the store, desperately trying to find black lace that would work.  I’m afraid there wasn’t much lace in that color to be found despite how close it is to Halloween.   Plus, most of what was there was either too wide, pricey or cheap looking.

Then I found the clearance area. 

This entire bag of lace for only $1, and not just any lace, the perfect lace for my project and future ones to come.  Which is why I bought two bags of it.

Naturally, while searching for this perfect black lace I found some more lace I couldn’t live without.  These two lovelies will come in handy for a couple more projects.

In addition to the lace, I needed black ribbon and that was thankfully much easier to find.

I also needed some large black flowers, so I bought the two on the right.  The smaller bunch of rosebuds I bought as an impulse.  I tend to used this type of rose bud a lot (see Hair Accessories Again? A Tutorial and Flowers for Your Hair, Flower Headband Tutorial), so having a few black ones might come in handy.

Speaking of impulse buys, I also got this little baby carriage party favor for less than three dollars.  I thought it would be cute for my dolls.

I also got this pack of golden roses with bows.  Couldn’t resist them at twenty-five cents and I think they will work perfectly for some Christmas crafting.

Now the practical stuff, like thread.  Surprisingly not in black, but I buy black and white thread in bulk.  It’s other colors I tend to need, like pink and navy.

I also bought a couple more blank headbands.  I like these ones because they are made of metal instead of plastic.  That means I can adjust the fit without breaking them.

I also needed some more hooks and eyes, plus I grabbed some snaps just in case.  I go through these a lot for doll clothes and stuff, so I like to grab a pack every time I stop by SAS.  For 99 cents each, it’s a bargain. 

I needed some more zippers, in black and white.  Both for upcoming projects.

And finally I grabbed some more glue sticks for my glue gun.  It will be used constantly in the next few months.

That’s all for this haul, now stay tuned for the finished projects.  :)

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5 Reasons Why I Got the BC Stack 2017

This post may contain affiliated links, please check out my disclosures page for more info.  Thanks!

Yesterday, something strange and miraculous happened.  I checked my email.

I know, I do it everyday, but this time I got a most wonderful email.  It told me about this beautiful thing called the BC Stack.  It’s a bundle deal of resources for bloggers/small businesses.  They only do it once a year, and that’s okay, because it makes it feel like Christmas.   Over $9000 worth of courses and such for a super low price, $27.  That’s it, no extra fees or taxes, just 27 dollars!

I bought it up faster than you can say Goodwill Dollar day.  It is particularly unusual since, I’m sad to admit this, during all the years I’ve been blogging I have never purchased a single course or book on the subject.  I’ve always relied on free resources provided by all the many generous bloggers out there.

Why I took the plunge to get the BC Stack 2017:

• Education is important.  Everyone and their mother will tell you this for everything in life, and blogging is no exception.  I’ve heard from more bloggers than I can count how important it is to invest in your blog/business by taking courses, reading, etc.  You need to learn to grow.  However…
• Money doesn’t grow on trees.  I’ve shied away from many paid blogging courses out there, even the most well loved ones simply due their not so well loved prices.  Some go for hundreds of dollars.  Hard to justify (even though I spend that much on dolls, but that’s another issue).
• I love bargain deals.  You see this well in my Comicon grab bag haul (see Phoenix Comicon Shopping Haul and Grab Bag Opening).  Getting a big bag of goodies for a small, small price is super fun.  And I think the BC Stack is like the motherlode of grab bags.  Except this time, instead of random toys I may not use, I get a boat load of eBooks and courses I will definitely use.  I know this because…
• It includes products I wanted to buy anyway.  That’s right.  Despite my cheapskate nature, there are a few of those oh so pricey courses and books I’m willing to save up for.  Like The Blogging Binder created by Sara Titus as well as several of her eBooks.  Also Blog Clarity’s Media Smash Book.
• Nearly everyone can afford it.  That $27 price tag is tiny.  I’ve bought shoes for more than that, and I’m especially stingy on shoes.  I also spend more than that on fabric, drawing pens, make up (despite the little I actually wear), and my ramen addiction.  If necessary, I can cut back on all of those to afford this bundle easily.

These are my reasons, now what about you?  Check out the BC Stack while you still can, it’s only available for 4 more days.  Find your reason to take the plunge and tell us about it.

Update 7/25/17

Last day to get this deal is tomorrow, so this is your last chance!  They actually added an extra bonus to the stack, the BC eBusiness Subscription Box.  They will send you a goodie box (by email) containing an ebook and other fun things each month.  Don’t worry, those who already bought the BC Stack will get it too. :)

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