chic crafty cards on the cheap

As a woman with caviar tastes and a canned chili budget - I have turned in to a bargain hunting queen - ESPECIALLY when it comes to creating gifts to give to others.  I've been working on a DARLING bag for a friend's baby shower that I will post in a day or two, but my recent favorite finds have been SUPER lush, amazing quality, normally high-priced stationery items that I can alter and embellish to make my own cards.

I usually have the best luck at Tuesday Morning and Ross - but TJ Maxx and Marshalls sometimes have fun stationery products as well - and it really does vary from town to town.  Also check out the stationery sections of big box stores like Target and Wally World for clearance items and you may just get lucky.  It is a total crapshoot and sometimes you have to root through the piles - but isn't that half the fun?  And - because you can sometimes buy two or three packs at a time for a screaming deal...you can "mass produce" cards to have on hand for special events!

So I'm sharing a few of my latest creations here - I'd love to hear about other people's amazing crafty bargain finds!

Heidi Grace cards - set of 10.  Found in the clearance rack at Target - retail $10, sale price $2.99!  Embellished with some HG embellishments (also on clearance), paper scraps, stamp, leftover ribbon.  Bought 4 sets and used various stamps to make some for birthdays, some for baby, some for everyday, etc.

Some fancy-schmancy cards (threw the packaging away) - set of 10.  Found at Ross - retail...wait for it...$25!!!  Sale price $5.99 - still a little pricey but these cards are GORGEOUS up close - so rich, amazing texture.  Punched some squares of scrap paper, threw on some buttons and metal embellishments - and voila!

More froo-froo cards (tossed the packaging AGAIN - I promise I'll be better about that) set of eight.  Found at Tuesday Morning - retail - $10, sale price $3.99.  Scrap paper and ribbon and a set of stamps and I was done!  This is a great example of the stuff that can be found in these discount stores.  I bet these didn't sell well because the color was so specific - but it was PERFECT for baby boy cards and when you use stamps you can make them whatever color you want!

Happy Crafting and Bargain Hunting!  :)  Beth