Arts & Crafts Supplies at Amazon – 90% off or more
After putting together the list of links for discounted, art-related books at Amazon, I had another idea:
What if I could assemble a similar list of links for arts & crafts supplies at Amazon?
This is dangerous. I mean, really, art supplies sing a siren song anyway. Add a deep discount to the mix, and I’m like a kid in a candy store!
If you’re like me, you have been warned. Avert your eyes. Click to some other webpage. Absolutely, positively do not click on any of these links!
My experience with these links:
The lists aren’t perfect. You’ll find items in the wrong category and things that aren’t deeply discounted. In some cases, I’m not certain the original price was as high as they claim. And, sometimes, the super discounts are actually in the used items column. (Generally, Amazon guarantees still apply.)
For all the flaws, it’s been worthwhile to keep searching through the Amazon pages. I’ve found some jaw-droppingly astonishing deals, if I just keep clicking through.
With all that said, here they are… Arts & crafts supplies at Amazon.com, at a discount.
Arts, Crafts, and Sewing Supplies – 90 – 99% off (general category)
More specific categories, at 90 – 99% off the full, retail price:
Paper & Paper Crafting (Looks like mostly scrapbooking supplies, as I’m writing this. And, while I’m clicking around Amazon, the subgroup of Bookbinding…? Someone at Amazon has no idea what bookbinding is.)
Dollmaking – Very little there, at the moment, but I’ll keep checking for good deals.
Knitting & Crochet – I can’t tell you how relieved I am that this category is also pretty sparse today.
Organization & Storage – Only three items as I’m writing this, but one of them is an amazing set off little glass bottles with corks, for $1.99. I may have to buy them. *sigh* They’re steampunk accessories waiting to happen.
Scrapbooking – I may have to double-check some of the code in these links. Half of this sale category seems to be quilting supplies. Well, okay, yeah, there can be an overlap in the audience…
Sewing – Which currently includes some shears with zebra-striped blades for $1.99. I’m not kidding. If I were still teaching classes, I might have to buy a dozen of them for my students.
And, last but not least, be sure to check out the Arts & Crafts Supplies in the Children’s section.
Seriously. They have real Silly Putty for one cent. New, not used.
And, I don’t know what I’d do with pink sand for $4.25, but it intrigues me.
That’s it in the photo on the right. It’s not that nice, tastefully pink sand from Bermuda, but something from the set of Barney, or Aretha Franklin’s Pink Cadillac video.
I have no idea why it’s holding my interest, but there it is.
It’s the kind of thing that nags in the back of my mind, and at 3 a.m. tomorrow morning, I’m likely to wake up with some completely outrageous art idea involving pink sand.
I’ll keep you updated.
Want to create your own discount lists? Here are the instructions.
Art Books Sales at Amazon – 90 to 99% Off
If you’re addicted to art books, as I am, you’re always looking for good sales.
(Note: You can read how & why I created this list, or you can just scroll down to where it says “The Amazon Links” and start clicking.)
Amazon often has some amazingly juicy books and ridiculously low prices. The challenge is finding them.
The deep discounts aren’t listed on Amazon’s home page. In fact, I often have to search high & low to find where the deals are.
Sometimes the search is so frustrating, I just give up.
Then, I’ll stumble onto someone else’s link to a super-discounted book at Amazon, like I did this morning. And, rather than try to remember where the really yummy sale pages are at Amazon’s book listings, I’ve now bookmarked them.
Here are my bookmarks, in case you want to use them, too. (Or, just bookmark this page so you can return here easily.)
Tips: The categories aren’t always right. Sometimes, some of the books aren’t deeply discounted.
(Don’t focus on just the retail/new price. Also look in the “used book” column. As I’m writing this, I see a Keri Smith book for 66 cents, from a dealer whose books are usually like new, or nearly new.)
Be patient when you’re browsing. Sometimes the books aren’t even remotely about the category. It’s been worthwhile for me to snoop around each category anyway.
I mean, seriously, finding a $35 art book for $3 or less…? Yes, I’ll spend a few minutes to land that kind of deal!
Be warned: Clicking on any of these links can be a time sink. Don’t ask how many books I added to my wishlist as I put this list together.
However, I managed to succumb to just one purchase, WordPlay, because I found a copy for under $1. It’s a book about ambigrams, a concept that’s always fascinated me.
(The book is about the concepts and philosophy related to this calligraphic art, in addition to examples of it. If you’re just looking for ambigrams, you can generate your own online at Flipscript.)
THE AMAZON DISCOUNT LINKS
Click here for all Amazon books at 90 – 99% off
Here are the categories most interesting to artists…
- Crafts & Hobbies (in general – lots of artsy-craftsy stuff in the mix)
Art Books (in general)
- Business of Art
- Drawing
- Fashion – A lot of “how not to look fat” and “how not to look old” books, but also books about fashion design and fashion designers, modern and vintage.
- Other media – Includes Illuminations (wonderful inspiration for illustrated text journaling), Mixed Media (some of that is pretty wild), and Ceramics, among other topics.
- Painting
- Photography – Including Photojournalism, which includes some incredibly juicy books full of visual inspiration.
- Art Schools, Periods, and Styles, to learn from past masters.
- Sculpture
- Study & Teaching
- Children’s arts & crafts books
Other, sort of related:
I could probably spend another hour or two, finding more nooks & crannies in the Amazon sale categories they don’t post on their homepage.
However, this is a good enough starting point. I’m sure I’ll add more cool links as I find them, and I hope you’ll share your favorites in comments, below.
Note: This page idea was shamelessly copied from a more general listing of Amazon sale pages, at Free Tips About.
Historical Journals & Diaries Online
Are you fascinated by old diaries and journals? I am. The handwriting can be challenging, and the spelling was irregular through the end of the 19th century. However, these voices from the past are compelling and highlight the importance of telling our individual stories in our journals and diaries.
These historical diaries can be read online:
Martha Ballard’s Diary, features over 10,000 entries–from January 1, 1785 to May 12, 1812–in her own handwriting. It’s not always easy to read, but the diary is nevertheless a remarkable history.
Martha was a New England midwife who began keeping a daily journal — at first they were just notes about the weather — when she was 50 years old.
Her story inspired the movie, The Midwife’s Tale, and her original journals are now kept at the Maine State Library.
Michael Shiner’s Diary tells the story of a slave who, in 1832, rescued his wife and three children when they were sold to slave traders in Virginia. Only a few pages of his journal are online, but the story is rich with emotion as he does his best to simply state the facts.
There are other handwritten diaries and letters, and related documents at the Library of Congress’ African American Odyssey.
The Diary of Anita Dwyer Withers 1860 – 1865 has been transcribed and it has only a few entries, but the author’s voice is compelling as she writes of everyday events and how the war affected her family in San Antonio, Texas.
The Diary of Belle Edmonson, January – November 1864 is another transcribed diary of a 24-year-old Tennessee woman during the war.
Her faith in the victory of the South was evident in July when she wrote, “I wrote to Shallie Kirk today, the 7th. Tenn and McDonald’s Bat’n have orders to move on an hour’s notice, the Yanks are very strong in numbers – but God will bless us and crown us with Victory, save our poor boys from privation and danger.”
Later, I found it very moving when she noted on November 17th, “My 24th. birth day – I wonder if any one thought of me at home.” By that point, her diary entries were brief and sparse.
However, by far the most colorful diary is A Diary from Dixie, as Written by Mary Boykin Chesnut, 1859-1861. If you can only skim one of these transcribed diaries, hers is a must-see.
More journals, online
There are additional voices of men and women in diaries (listed under “D” for diaries) at Documenting the American South, a project of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Women’s Studies, at the University of Pennsylvania offers several 19th and early 20th century diaries by women in the Northeast. My favorites at that website include the 1857-58 diaries of Elizabeth Cowperthwaite, who alternately talks about her interest in writing, and then worries about whether she should (or ever will) marry. Her handwriting is difficult to read at times, but she’s clearly talking to herself about several issues that were probably very challenging for an independent-minded woman in her era.
Prairie Settlement – Nebraska Photographs and Family Letters present a wealth of handwritten letters that serve as a kind of diary of Mattie Oblinger who–after successfully delivering three daughters in earlier years–died in childbirth along with her infant son in 1880.
Her husband moved to Minnesota where he married Laura, whose letters are also at this website. With photos to that provide us with faces of these people, the lives of these two women–as told through their letters–become especially real.
Camping with the Sioux: Fieldwork Diary of Alice Cunningham Fletcher may be one of the most complete, fascinating, and enjoyable women’s historical journals online. Ms. Fletcher was an unmarried anthropologist who, at age 43, spent six weeks with the Sioux. Her journals include sketches and photographs that bring the past vividly to life.
Other online historical diary collections include Library of Western Fur Trade Historical Source Documents, mostly books and journals by the mountain men, but also a few transcribed pages from the Diary of Mrs. Eliza Spalding, June 15 – July 6, 1836 and the Letters and Journal of Mrs. Narcissa Prentiss Whitman, 1836.
Future online diary projects include the University of Wales’ plans to digitise the 26-year diaries of William Bulkeley, who described everything from the weather to his daughter’s marriage to a pirate in the mid-18th century.
Rubber stamp Links
Here are some rubber stamp catalogues and companies, represented online. It’s an alphabetical list that I created around 2001, so it’s far from complete or current.
If you’re looking for a huge list of rubber-related links, the biggest list is probably at Rubberstampmadness.
Online rubber stamp catalogues:
- Bella Rosa Paper Arts offer lovely, artistic stamps with fine, low prices for unmounted plates.
- The Creative Block and Stampers Anonymous – nice, small selection, very artistic.
- The Ichiyo Art online catalog includes rubber stamps with Japanese themes. They also offer paper art supplies suited to collages.
- Lost Angeles Rubber Works offers some odd stamps, well-suited to mailart. This is the only place where I’ve seen rubber stamps for Pagan holidays.
- Museum of Modern Rubber – unique, detailed stamps and projects
- Very Artsie Stuff has bold rubber stamps with a southwestern influence.
- Viva Las VegaStamps is sometimes tasteless but always worth visiting, just to chuckle over the disclaimer at the foot of the opening page. Their catalogues were amazing when I last saw them. A-m-a-z-i-n-g!
Raw rubber - places to get your own designs, as rubber stamps:
- Custom stamps, at rubberstampit.com. I’ve used their services several times, and they’re excellent.
More Mailart Links
There are hundreds of mailart-related websites online, and every one of them offers something different and wonderful.
This is my list from the late 1990s, and verified in 2006. In other words, most of these sites have been online for awhile. They provide some of the most in-depth view of mailart in general and in its historical context. Most have lists of links as well, which will lead you to even more wonders!
(That said, the Internet can be a revolving door of websites. So, some of the following links may no longer work.)
What is mailart? What do these words mean?
Mail Art Sampler – a bunch of quotes to explain mailmart.
Dragonfly Dream’s mailart history/context – brilliant!
Getting His Licks In, St. Pete Times’ article about stampartist Steve Smith.
Online mailart shows
- , presented by EMMA.
Fan Mail’s mailart. Lovely art, thoughtfully produced.
Shouting at the Postman connects you to lots of mailart.
Links to Mailart calls – how to participate in this off-kilter world
- in Luxembourg. One of the original and best sites for info.
Dragonfly Dream’s Dreambook – A mailart call list, updated often.
ASN mailart calls are also updated regularly with helpful info.
Publications and info – mailart
- , very artistic site, with info.
Ruud Janssen’s TAM & IUOMA site offers a wealth of info and inspiration.
Publications and info – rubberstamping
- ,
the
- magazine for stampers
Somerset Studio, paper arts as well as mailart.
Links pages for more mailart and rubber stamp info
- , some of the best in the world… literally.
Jas’s mailart links – James put a lot of time into this comprehensive list.
Ruud’s links, listed geographically.
Other links – not exactly mailart
- - The Journey is the Destination. Collaged journal, clearly an inspiration for many others.
Griffin and Sabine, by Nick Bantock: an inspiration. I love this three-book series, and later work.
A little off-the-subject: SQuarK MUseuM, of odd, Fluxlist stuff. (If you like Fluxus, see Fluxus Online.)
