Craft Supplies - Feedback please! :)

I don’t suppose you’ll be able to do anything about the current problems with the coloured fusing glass producers - nor the fact that the company I get my ffflowers ribbon from is closing - so I’ll echo what other people have said

Cooksons (sterling silver earring findings in particular for me)
Tiny Box Company
and packaging generally (pip boxes in particular)

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ooh I can copy Helens list Cooksons for sterling silver, pip boxes and padded mailers…a deal with Royal Mail would be ideal too :slight_smile:

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Hi, I’m another one using Cookson’s. Don’t tend to use anyone else - maybe I’m lazy - but I trust Cookson’s and they are reliable. I do however struggle with what I call decent ‘gift’ packaging - just when I find something suitable from Cookson’s they discontinue it! Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Ruth

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Cooksons for all silver and gold, wire and sheet, precious and some semi-precious gemstones, some tools, some packaging, so a deal with cookies would be fab.
Other tools and packing off ebay

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I get my wool from wool warehouse or Love Knitting.

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Harris tweed comes mostly direct from the weavers on their own websites or facebook, though I have also used third party suppliers when desperate.

I choose to use British wool to support our farmers and spinners, but that means I can’t just pop into any shop. Mostly I bulk buy at Woolfest in Cumbria or similar events, but I also have a couple of favourite ebay shops.

Haberdashery is always difficult for me. It’s hard to match the colour of a ribbon or button online. I have some fairly good local shops but their markup is horrendous. I can buy 10 zips online for the price of 1 in the shop.

The two things I find really difficult to buy are a) gift boxes and b) carrier bags.
Gift boxes because I don’t know much about the different types of card and what they are called; how to translate “I want something the size of a shallow tissues box but as sturdy as a shoebox, and pretty” into technical?
Carrier bags because I use paper “kraft” bags on my stall, but to pack a 18" cushion the posh boutique bags are all I can find heavy duty enough, and they are horribly expensive.

My glass making supplies are limited by the availability of suppliers of art glass. I buy it from whichever supplier has the colour and type of glass I want and if there is a choice, the cheapest price. I use three suppliers and all my ordering is online as the suppliers are too far away to visit.
I buy other things from these suppliers as well, tools, solder, flux.
I also buy things like beads,chain, split rings, packaging from Ebay. Some beads come from China.
I have no supplier loyalty. I buy from whoever has what I want, at the best price and who can get it to me as fast as I need it.

PS My glass supplies in the future may become a Big problem with the closure of Spectrum and imminent threats to Bullseye Most of the art glass I use for stained and fusing comes from the USA. Fingers crossed for all glass artists out there that this gets sorted asap or the world will soon be missing a lot of rather nice glass in all its shapes and forms.
eg http://koin.com/2016/04/21/deq-announces-temporary-glass-regulations/

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I buy mostly from Jackson’s Art Supplies and T.N.Lawrence for my printmaking materials. Oh it has to be Shepherds Falkiners for handmade papers, it is a paradise to visit. The Tiny Box is a great company for custom boxes.

I get my material from a friends shop in keswick and usually a british make then up the same road , I get my threads , and british spun wool from the same shop .

I use mainly yarn from Wool Warehouse, and have never had a problem with them, great choice and quick delivery. Most of my hooks, my knitting machine etc came from Amazon, for which I have a prime account. My bought patterns are mainly off of Etsy, and I have had a few things from hobbycraft too. Alongside that, there is a lovely craft shop near me, a haberdashery too, and I have bought from hookawoolly on here.

I buy wool mainly from Deramores, buttons mainly from The Button Company, and fabric from wherever I can get good quality and a good bargain. Odds and ends that I need are usually sourced via eBay as I live some ways away from good outlet.

I use International craft for my Sterling silver great prices and Glitzy packaging for my boxes. I get gemstones from all-over the place
For you that work with fabric and live in Sheffield or Nottingham Dunelm are relocating the current sores , at the moment have rolls of fabric at £9.99 and £19.99 most of them have over 4 metres on a roll could be worth a look in the old stores

I buy my fabric from local stores or I hand dye batches of recycled (or plain shop bought calico/ linens) so it would be good to get access to a wholesaler who provides wholesale rates for batches of cloth.

I find bubble wrap hugely expensive, so it would be great to buy this at discounted or wholesale rates, and the nice packaging such as tissue paper which would add a ‘premium’ feel to orders but which I don’t do at present because I think it is just eating too much into margins… :slight_smile:

Heidi have you looked at your local garden centre for bubble wrap? Some sell it on big rolls for greenhouse insulation, much cheaper than in little sheets.

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I buy my tissuse paper from a little local independent shop very cheaply, I also get my yarn from the same shop. Sometimes I’ve had to wait a couple of days for the odd colour but it’s much much cheaper than buying it online and 25p cheaper per 100grms than I’ve seen it in any other bricks and mortar yarn shop. But they’ll ring me and tell me when it’s arrived.

I buy my sterling silver from international craft, palmers metals and the silver corporation. Palmers metals are great on price for sterling silver wire.
Gemstones I get from different places including jewellery maker

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I buy from lots of companies but the one I use for the basics (cardstock, envelopes, cello bags etc,) is Hunkydory, they offer quantities that suit both my bank balance and my storage space (both limited :unamused:) but the quality is very good (especially Adorable scorable coloured cardstock) and their delivery is usually fairly swift. If I need something in a hurry I do resort to Hobbycraft (we don’t have many other craft shops with a good selection of cardmaking products nearby)

I normally buy my supplies from Hobbycraft, Ebay and a company called Deramores
Hobby craft is on my doorstep so can pop in whenever I want. Ebay and Deramores deliveries can be slow but price makes up for that. Would love to buy wool in complete packs but would need to be wholesale prices or near to it otherwise it would make my items more expensive. Have spotted a good wool supplier on Folksy though with plenty of choice. As soon as stock running low will definitely be looking to buy from them

I use Palmers and the Silver Corporation too, as well as Cookson. For Swarovski - which you have to be careful about as they can be faked - I use JillyBeads and the Bead Shop (Nottingham). I’ve been lucky in the past and travelled in the States where there seems to be a bead shop in the most remote of places and picked up some really unusual and great quality gemstones - otherwise I buy these from Kernowcraft, who can be a little expensive but their quality and customer service is brilliant and I trust them totally.

The problem I have is finding presentation boxes for the jewellery that come in a range of sizes, all match, have the inserts I need and don’t make me buy in bulk and so cost me an arm and a leg (just in postage alone!)

I use Craft Creations for aperture cards otherwise for cards I use Rymans