Behind the Scenes | Summer Craft Haul

Throughout the end of June and into July I stocked up on new supplies for a big mid-July Etsy restock. After working with vintage, shabby chic, florals for the custom orders, I had been excited to work with those soft, feminine styles again. I purchased small books of scrapbook papers, single-sheet scrapbook papers, lined papers, sketchbooks (to be dyed with coffee and tea), thrifted books, ephemera, and washi tapes. I lucked out with quite a few sales and bargains, but I did end up spending more at once than I initially wanted too (such is the crafting life).

Scrapbook paper pads, $5 each (on sale), Micheals

I only picked up two of these, as I had only gone to Micheals for the blank sketchbooks. But they were affordable and so pretty, so I got them anyway. They're a nice, sturdy weight and beautifully printed.

Scrapbook paper pads, $7 each, Tuesday Morning

I don't go in here very often, as I find most of their merchandise to be mediocre quality and extremely overpriced for what it is, but if I do I always find great things in the craft aisle. This time I was lucky enough to find the Maggie Holmes Gather pad and American Crafts Close Knit pad. (The Gather pad must have been discontinued, as I couldn't find it for sale online. But there are still other things available within the collection.) Both of these pads are absolutely gorgeous. I've been using the American Crafts (which Maggie Holmes technically falls under) papers for a few months now and find the patterns so much prettier than some other paper brands. There were a few other paper pads in this same vintage, feminine style at Tuesday Morning and I will definitely be going back to claim them soon.

Pre-post update: I went back for two more paper pads. I looked through so many I'm not entirely sure if these were the two that I had remembered but they're so lovely anyway. The ones I ended up with were Maggie Holmes Open Book and Confetti. These pads also appear to be hard to find, at least at a discount.

Single sheet scrapbook papers, 10 for $2 (on sale), JOANN

This sale is always amazing. When I was shopping for the custom traveler's notebooks I made in April I got SO lucky. I think I purchased around 80 sheets during those few weeks and have already used all but a few of them. The sale was much shorter this time, but still very welcomed. (For some reason I forgot to take photos of the single sheets. Most of the patterns were just re-stocking what I had used previously, and are visible in my more recent journals--particularly the It's A... journal.)

Lined papers, varying prices (between $4 and $13), Amazon

I ordered ledger paper, a columnar notebook, computation paper, and a dot grid notebook. These types of papers give a nice variety of texture, and they're a more interesting way to add lined pages to junk journals. The papers were overall pretty great, but I was a little disappointed in the quality of the computation pad. The paper is extremely thin and not quite what I had in mind. I have used this brand in other journals and absolutely recommend it for writing.

Coffee and tea stained papers (blank Canson XL sketchbooks), BOGO 40% off, Micheals

These sketchbooks are fantastic for staining. They're fairly easy to rip out, and most of them are thick enough to not tear or crinkle too much when wet or drying. This time I purchased the Canson XL Drawing Pad (the bright green cover) in sizes 5.5" x 8.5" and 9" x 12".

Tim Holtz Idea-ology ephemera, varying prices (between $4 and $7), Amazon

The specific packs I purchased were Thrift Shop, Snippets, and Expedition. Unfortunately one of them was an add-on item, so just make sure you're set out to buy other things too.

Washi tape, varying prices, WashiWednesday (they also have an Etsy shop)

I've fallen in love with this store. This was my third order within the past year. They have amazing quality and unique designs. The only downside is the shipping, which can take up to two to three weeks internationally--but the tapes and stickers are always worth the wait. Their orders are always packaged so nicely and securely. This was my first time ordering through Etsy and not directly on their site, but this time they included a discount code and some little washi samples. Wonderful products can only get better with great customer service.

Well, that's finally the end. I've already used a good amount of each item in the journals that I recently completed. Many new journals and TN inserts are already available on Etsy, but many more are coming soon. This haul gave me a lot to work with and most of the materials were things and patterns that I hadn't used before, so they were inspiring to put together. I may need to do an early fall supply haul to prepare for upcoming craft sales, but I'll try to hold off a little longer. Is it just me or is purchasing new craft supplies too addicting?

#craftsupplies #junkjournal #travelersnotebooks