Craft Supplies - Feedback please! :)

I’ve just remembered another thing I have problems with - acid free tissue paper. I not only wrap my jewellery in it, but line the presentation boxes (I fold the tissue over and seal it - a bit like a fancy box of chocolates ;0) I managed to get one supplier to send it flat, but I can’t remember who that was and the others I’ve used since insist on folding it, at least in half but 1 folded it in quarters! and so I have tram lines in my tissue paper which isn’t attractive. Any suggestions from anyone or if Folksy could help with a consistent supplier that would be perfect.

Hi Karen
Try Glitzy packaging they do ranges of boxes that match and have velvet insets in them , you can buy them in 12s worth a look

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craft creations, papermill , viking direct, for paper and card.
Ebay for ink ,packaging etc
Hobbycraft if need something urgently

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Does ironing the paper help?

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As an artist, I get a lot of my supplies from the SAA( as I am a member and they offer good rates.)
(society for all artists).
However, I would be interested in things like pip boxes…bags for posting etc.

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Great idea - thank you @rosesworkshop! :grinning:

Another regular Cooksons user here, the quality is always good and their delivery is reliable and fast.

Thanks - I will do :0)

I’ve ironed tissue paper on a cool dry iron before (once forgot to turn steam off and that was a bit of a disaster!) I’ve got large sheets of thicker tissue for tracing dressmaking patterns on and it arrived folded into an A4 envelope (all 5 metres of it!) so I need to iron it flat before tracing my patterns.

Thanks Diane - Cate also suggested this and I’ve tried it - like you with the steam on! Turned off the steam and lowered the heat and although at first it seemed to pucker the paper and change the colour (it’s cadbury purple) it looks fine now it’s cooled. Will have to do the rest now ;0)

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Why I’d never thought of this is anyone’s guess :0) I’ve tried it and - after turning off the steam (!!) - and letting the paper cool, it seems to have worked. Now I just have another 50 sheets to iron - but at least I can use them. Thanks again!

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Cooksongold for silver sheet,wire and chains - I know im getting what im paying for, but any discounts would be fab, even on the postage!

Glad it worked. I’ve never tried. :smiley:

I make a huge variety of craft items and so I buy from lots of different suppliers. I usually buy yarn from local shops - I have the choice of two wool shops, plus I also buy from other stores such as the Factory Shop, Wilko & Yorkshire Trading.
I do also buy online from Attic 24, Readicut and others.
I buy beads from sellers on Amazon, Beads Direct and Create and Craft. But I also buy from advertisers in magazines and anywhere else that catches my eye.
I would never be able to buy all my supplies from one source as I need much more variety than that. I also have an enormous stash of yarn, beads, ribbons, buttons, card, paint, fabric. You name it & I’ve got it, much the same as all other crafters. I hope this is of some use to you.

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Yes, I also recycle the Jiffy bags that my supplies are delivered in and the tissue paper suppliers use is also useful for smaller Items.
I have used boxes from my Ringtons small Christmas hampers, perfect for packing blankets for the post.

Cooksongold is very reliable and have huge stock but I like Bellore Rashbel too. The staff there are very friendly and very helpful.

I buy any Sterling Silver findings and chains from Cooksongold too as I know it will be real silver, any link up with them would be marvellous!

I suppose brands may be usefull,I use Winsor and Newton,Daler Rowney,Rembrandt,Senellier,Unison,Fabre Castell,Derwent,others may use these too so discounts would be good as I have to take out a mortgage on them.

I buy most of my fabrics locally as I can just pop into town and get what I want. For good quality, modern fabrics I choose Fondant Fabrics or Eclectic Maker, and as I am on their emails I get notified when they have sales.

My haberdashery comes from locally, as we have an excellent shop called Button Boutique in Leicester where you can get just about everything, and I like to support local people where I can. I buy my packaging from ebay though.

We buy all manner of supplies! Many of our jewellery findings we’ll buy from Cookson Gold as they’re a couple of roads over from us, so we can restock at short notice. Similarly TH Findings are around the corner from us too, and both mostly cover everything we need (jewellery findings related, anyway!). One thing we struggle with finding, randomly, are CUFFLINKS! We’ve sourced them from the US previously, which makes it hugely inconvenient and postage is a ballache - but we know that supplier is ethical and has high standards (Rings and Things). UK suppliers who are ethical and transparent - e.g. Cookson Gold - seem to only stock silver plated, which isn’t what we need as we’d prefer stainless steel! We’ve resorted to eBay for some last minute (today! hence my long winded reply here!) from a UK seller, but we’re not keen as we have no real idea where they come from and the ethics of them. Also, we’d LOVE to find some cufflink findings which are chains rather than a solid unit so they pack flatter - but again, these only seem to exist as silver/gold which hikes the price up massively.

OTHER MATERIALS

We source wood from our local sawmill - though the quality is hit and miss, and we may eventually bite the bullet and buy European wood stock which is specifically ‘laser friendly’ (the glues used are less harmful to the machine, and theoretically there’s less knots and warps in the sheet material) - but again, this comes at a higher price, and we really love using FSC British wood, so we’re resisting for now.

ACRYLIC! Ahhh sheet acrylic. Easy to find in A4 or A2+ sizes… not so in A3! Grumble! We’ve managed to find a UK manufacturer / distributer who has their own CUSTOM COLOURS but we’re keeping schtum on that as so far we don’t think any other makers have stumbled on this incredible find! :wink: Also, there are some AMAZING acrylics manufactured in USA which nobody imports over here, so getting hold of it makes it VERY expensive and we’ve yet to dabble… e.g.: https://www.inventables.com/technologies/iridescent-acrylic-sheet

CUSTOM FABRIC PRINTING

We’d LOVE to have some fabric printed, and we’ve found USA companies who do this (PAOM and Spoonflower) but the cost alone seems reasonable, but then the shipping is crazy, the timescales not great, and it’s just a general turnoff. UK companies offer this too - e.g. Woven Monkey, and a few others - but again costs just seem a tad too steep at £15 per metre + additional costs, and again timescales aren’t great and if you just want to do a test sample to even figure out if something will work/is viable/is a nice fabric etc then it’s just too much! :frowning: We’re HOPING to eventually invest in our own mini sub dye setup which will allow us to play to our heart’s content! But until then… :frowning: