Have you wondered how to go about and start collecting supplies for a crafting hobby? I originally started out with very few materials and had to go shopping at hobby stores and on websites to get all of the materials I needed. Please note that the words below come from my personal experiences and may be different from person to person.

Find your Hobby

The first step for me was actually figuring out what I wanted to do. It seems quite simple, but there are THOUSANDS of items out there to buy. Narrowing down my interests was important so I could decrease the market’s pool of materials.

In my situation, I wanted to make clay charms. Polymer Clay was easily the first item that came to my mind. I did some research on what type/brand of clay I should use and how to cure each one. My interest in making charms also blended in nicely with the items needed to make jewelry because the tools needed to shape wires, beads, and clamps were used by the two.

Purchasing

Since I had money constraints, I didn’t want to purchase things I knew for sure I was not going to use. Starting out with necessities is safer in the following ways:

1) You save money. If you go off on a buying rampage, chances are likely that you will buy something you might not intend on using later down the road. Something else that might happen is that you might realize that this new hobby isn’t what you want to do. Generally, it’s safer to buy small amounts so they dont go to waste.

2) Organization. Organizing your supplies is easier when you start out with a small collection. Having hundreds of beads or tools to sort out in the beginning might get hectic because you don’t know what items will be used most often or if at all. It is also a good idea to double check the amount of space, boxes, and compartments you have to store your materials before buying them. Small unique items, such as gems and beads, require individual slots in order to prevent mixing and causing crazy messes.

Store Locations

Location is definitely a factor in how accessible materials are for the crafter. When I started, I was living in a small town that despised the corporate world, so I could not find any large retailers locally. I mainly shopped online at Etsy.COM and other miscellaneous websites. Online is definitely a must if you plan on saving money. Even though it might be a pain paying for shipping and waiting for the products to come, the deals you will find are amazing.

Don’t just limit your shopping to stores online though. It is very important to see the items you want to use in real life just so you can judge the quality first hand by seeing if the size, texture, and actual color suits your needs. I personally love browsing for items in stores because I will always walk into isles that have new items I’ve never seen before. It’s like walking into a giant present box!

Once you have a basic understanding of what materials you need, you can start crafting. After more experience you can start buying more expensive, higher quality and sophisticated materials to make your items more durable and creative.