When I was younger I dabbled in crafts. Then, once I had children and was managing a household, I was bitten by the crafting bug. Craft stores were opening everywhere. A new cable channel, HGTV, featured how-to craft shows. I couldn’t resist and dove in. I knitted, reupholstered, sewed, beaded, made holiday decorations, and – my favorite – painted the house.
At some point I began to call myself the Patron Saint of Good Intentions. I had accumulated used and unused supplies. I had intended to do so many things, but they didn’t get done. As the children grew, we did fewer craft activities. Plus, I started working outside the home. Eventually, the time came to sell the house, so everything in the crafts closet had to go. Thanks to the Internet, I sold or donated most of my supplies.
With the holiday craft season approaching, now is a good time to go organize your supplies. To help you declutter, below is a list of places where you can sell or donate your unwanted or unused supplies.
B-More Bags Project –Volunteers make unique bags from donated quality fabrics, trim, embellishments, and jewelry. Proceeds from these bags support House of Ruth Maryland.
Craigslist – I was able to sell a sewing cabinet and other furniture using CraigslistFacebook Montgomery County MD YARD SALE ONLINE – I haven’t tried this yet, but I plan to. I’ve got a few still-unopened scrapbooking supplies that I would like to sell.
Freecycle – I love Freecycle. All I had to do was post my items on the website and someone would come to take them away. One of the takers was a preschool teacher, who planned to use the supplies in the classroom.
Quilting clubs –Try contacting a quilting club or sewing machine vendor for suggestions where you can donate your sewing machine.
Scrap B-More – Sadly, Scrap DC has closed and moved to Baltimore. Scrap B-More will take many types of craft supplies. It’s a little farther, but Charm City is a terrific place for a day trip.
SewMamaSew – This website has some good suggestion on where to donate fabrics.
Finally, art teachers, churches and after-school clubs may be interested in your donations.
Happy crafting!