Nov

24

‘Tis The Season To Save Some Cash

As we in the US gear up for Thanksgiving this week, the inevitable barage of Black Friday ads are undoubtedly already on their way to your hot little hands. For those of you with DIY wedding projects on your to do list in the next few months NOW is the perfect time to stock up on crafting essentials. Coupons, sales, and discounts galore will be abundant for the next few months. Take advantage of this most wonderful time of year, my friends. What you should you stock up on:

  • Double-sided adhesives. If you’re doing stationery projects, you’ll likely need plenty of double stick tape. I go through several rolls a year.
  • Printer ink cartridges
  • Printer papers & cardstock
  • Extra blades for your paper cutter
  • Embellishments like ribbon, rhinestones, glitter, eyelets, brads
  • Ink for rubber stamps
  • Floral supplies
  • Fabric and notions

Bigger-ticket items to watch out for:

  • Inkjet printers
  • Good paper cutter
  • Heat embossing tool (if you’re going to stamp & emboss)
  • Jewelry tool kits
  • Die cutting machines
  • Sewing machines

Where to look for deals:

  • Newspapers. This is THE week for print coupons in the paper.
  • Craft store websites. Some have downloadable printable coupons and some have online coupon codes.
  • Sign up for craft and office supply store newsletters. The big guys are starting to send out 30% – 50% coupons on a regular or semi-regular basis to their email subscribers.
  • Local store newsletters. If your favorite scrapbook or fabric store has a mailing list, get on it ASAP. Many send out notices of in-store events and sales on a short notice.



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Nov

24

'Tis The Season To Save Some Cash

As we in the US gear up for Thanksgiving this week, the inevitable barage of Black Friday ads are undoubtedly already on their way to your hot little hands. For those of you with DIY wedding projects on your to do list in the next few months NOW is the perfect time to stock up on crafting essentials. Coupons, sales, and discounts galore will be abundant for the next few months. Take advantage of this most wonderful time of year, my friends.

What you should you stock up on:

  • Double-sided adhesives. If you’re doing stationery projects, you’ll likely need plenty of double stick tape. I go through several rolls a year.
  • Printer ink cartridges
  • Printer papers & cardstock
  • Extra blades for your paper cutter
  • Embellishments like ribbon, rhinestones, glitter, eyelets, brads
  • Ink for rubber stamps
  • Floral supplies
  • Fabric and notions

Bigger-ticket items to watch out for:

  • Inkjet printers
  • Good paper cutter
  • Heat embossing tool (if you’re going to stamp & emboss)
  • Jewelry tool kits
  • Die cutting machines
  • Sewing machines

Where to look for deals:

  • Newspapers. This is THE week for print coupons in the paper.
  • Craft store websites. Some have downloadable printable coupons and some have online coupon codes.
  • Sign up for craft and office supply store newsletters. The big guys are starting to send out 30% – 50% coupons on a regular or semi-regular basis to their email subscribers.
  • Local store newsletters. If your favorite scrapbook or fabric store has a mailing list, get on it ASAP. Many send out notices of in-store events and sales on a short notice.



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Dec

31

2003 Reader Survey: Recently Married DIYers

In 2003, we polled just over 100 recently married couples about their DIY experiences. Their responses yielded some excellent advice and wisdom for anyone contemplating a DIY wedding. Benefits of DIY: • You control the design or concept • You control the quality of product or service you create for yourself • You control the pricing/budget • Each project you make is uniquely yours • You get to excerise your creative talents Negatives of DIY: • It’s not always cheaper than having someone else do it • Creating your own projects can take a long time • DIY may be intimidating if you’re not crafty or are in a creative funk • There’s often a huge time commitment involved • You’ll likely need reliable help to complete projects • You may need to buy a bunch of expensive supplies just to get started • It may be difficult to find inexpensive, quality, or unique supplies Tidbits from our poll: • 57% said they’d go DIY all over again • 66% said they’d scale back their DIY projects if they did it again • The average budget for DIY supplies was $800 • 84% said they went over budget • The average amount of hours spent on DIY projects was 200+ (that’s over 25 8-hour days) • 89% said they underestimated the time needed to complete their projects • 45% said they didn’t have enough help • 55% said they couldn’t find the right supplies • The most popular projects were: – invitations, rsvps, maps – programs – favors & gifts – table cards/seating cards – bouquets & flower arrangements – centerpieces & decor



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