Craft Store Haul - Spring Fever at JoAnns

Happy spring lovelies! Although I like to keep things frugal, upcycled, and no-spend...a few coupons drove me to my neighborhood JoAnns store. *Sigh*

It's all good though. I used four coupons at checkout--three were on my phone, and one was from a JoAnns calendar that has a great coupon every single month of 2016.

I thought I'd share my haul because I was definitely shopping with a purpose...not just mindlessly out spending my hard-earned. I always have a list I've kept in my Midori about what I would buy and definitely use the next time I go to JoAnns or Michaels. Everything that didn't use a coupon was a sale item, and then the calendar coupon took off another fifteen bucks, so I  got almost $100 worth of craftyliscious merchandise for $31. Cha-ching!

 My first stop was the floral department in the front of the store. I love to have flowers on my desk. My desk is a big ole vintage wooden desk, painted white, and it's where I work on the computer sometimes, craft, work in my planner, and I even put my makeup on at the desk in the mornings. Making it a pretty, happy place lifts my spirits, so all winter I've had a big vase of silk flowers. I've decided that changing them out once a month would be even more fun, and when they are on sale, why not--it costs pennies.

Next on my list was beads and findings. My adorable nephew bought a special cross necklace for me--but it was hanging on some rough jute. So I found a silky cord I had, and then I bought pretend pandora beads, on sale big time, and now my necklace is gorgeous and sparkly. I also got some lobster claws to go with the pompom maker. How does that work you ask? I'm making pompoms from sparkly yarn to hang on tote bags--so cute! And the lobster claws help hook that up perfectly, and I got the ones on sale. I bought the Clover pompom maker with another coupon, and I already am using it and loving it--this is after trying to make pompoms with a piece of cardboard. It works, but the pompom maker gives you a fluffier, better pompom!

Next department--paper crafting! Before I even reached the wonderful scrapbook pads, I stopped at the Project Life display. Now I am not a Project Lifer. Doing Project Life is wonderful, and looks like it's so much fun, but it also seems a little too time consuming for me--someone who likes to do too many things--so I stayed away. But then, the cards got more beautiful, with even more meaningful sentiments, and I love that. Since I started making Midori notebooks, I realized how many ways I could use Project Life cards beyond having a Project Life book: planner booklets, list booklets, scrapbook pages, cards, planner pages, dashboards, art journaling...it doesn't end. So I took a deep breath and got the big box! I didn't just get the big box either, I got an extra little pack too. I'm going to have so much fun with this supply. And yes, these had been on my craft shopping list for quite some time--I just needed a good frugal way to get them, and found it! Aren't they pretty? I can't believe they're mine.

And then, of course, when the beautiful patterned paper pads are 50% off, you get yourself one! There's the rub. I only got one. Old me would have gotten four or five. I just chose one. I have two great paper storage caddies in my crafty corner, and they are almost completely full. This is why it's good to have limits!

Also, I was excited to find this Delightful Stack with glitter pages included. Ahhh...glitter!

On the way home, I stopped at our local wine center, which is a gorgeous store, to refill my olive oil. That's how I do. I want the good EVOO, so I use this refillable bottle from the wine center, and the refills are only ten bucks. While there though, I gave myself a spring treat and got this lavendar floral vegetable soap. I can't even tell you how good it smells, and how that lingers after doing something so simple as washing your hands. It lives on my bathroom sink, and makes me happy. Spring is here!

Eat, Write, Dream, Stitch