Super Cheap Embellishments sources?

[Vee]

Lets all post our tricks for getting cheap embellishments.
If I find an sweater with interesting yarn at a thrift store, I just unravel it and have nice fibres! I also check the thrift shops for interesting buttons and zippers.
Estate sales are the place to go for hardware and sewing stuff like small hinges, lace, etc. Old folks have a bit of everything in theire houses.
Lately I have even kept a couple of tags from clothing and surfing/diving gear becasue they were cool and decorative and printed on thick chip board.
What's you secret?

[JulieHRR]

I shared many of my cheap tricks for duplicating pre-fab store-bought embellishments in the Dirty Dozen Gallery--if you're a member of the Fan Club/Dirty Dozen Gallery, check out the "Go Faux" Gallery (April 2005)

[Charmed]

I love to go to garage sales for jewelry like earings (snap the post off with plyers) necklaces and bracelets for funky beads, broaches (again, take the pin off the back) and such.

I also love hardware stores. I can find the mini hinges for so much cheaper then what they repackage and sell them for in stamp/scrap stores. Same with the mosquito mesh for screen doors, and the metal mesh as well.

I also have been known to x-stitch a mini something, like a pansy, and then fray the edges of the square and use that as a nice embellishment as well.

You can find lots of neat and inspiring stuff everywhere you look, you just have to think outside of the box.

[kellybee]

I buy "ordinary" safety pins and use versamark and EP to colour the end to decorate baby cards. Much cheaper than buying the MM safety pins, plus you can also use the EP on the card itself and the pin coordinates perfectly!

I try to make my own paper embellishments whenever possible as well. It's easy to make a party hat with a triangle of PP, a cardstock brim using paper shapers and a little pom pom for the top. Again, you can really pick up the colours you used in the card and the hat looks that much better.

Coffee filters can be used instead of mulberry paper in a pinch. (of course, you only get white!) I use them for catching embossing powder and when I'm done, I keep the "middle (I use old cone filters we had left from a broken coffee maker) and fray the ends to use behind a stamped image.

Kelly Bee

[jen9853]

You can brayer the coffee filter (or some people use old dryer sheets that have been used already) and get different colored "mulberry" paper!

That's an awesome idea to look for old earrings! I NEVER would have thought of that!

I don't really have any especially cool ideas... guess I'm not that creative! But it's so fun to see what other people do.