Budget Shopping in USA

My last post on Beadfest beads was filled with photographs of colorful beads. This one on what I bought is a little duller – monochromatic as I mostly bought metal or metallic paints. You can buy anything and everything you want while Shopping in USA but when you are on an extremely tight budget, shopping for art or jewelry supplies can be considered a frivolous pursuit. Still, I managed to shop and here is my haul – artsy/crafty and jewelry related things that I bought at Michaels and at Beadfest. Apart from these items I shopped only for food, Disney souvenirs, and yes “Foreign” Chocolates to feed 100 hungry mouths back home 😀

Michaels

Outside the US, the word ‘Michaels’ conjures strong images of a treasure filled cave like structure (from Alladin) in the minds of crafters. You imagine endless aisles of crafting supplies that are to be reverently bought and carefully used. So when you step in to the store, it is a sort of an anticlimax moment – it is after all, just a craft store, that is going to tempt you to spends three times your budget.
I loved the flowers and art materials (at the King of Prussia store) but felt that the beads were far too expensive. Most beads sold there are from India or China and even at 50% off they were atleast twice their original price. So I bought some artistic wire, wire gauge, mini canvases, Prismacolor pencils for coloring on metal, Pebeo paints (my biggest splurge there), metallic alcohol inks, some rhinestone connectors and metal texturing plates. I also found a really cute Mickey – Minnie T shirt in the kids coloring section for $3.5 that was surprisingly well made and I wore it to Disneyworld.

 My friends later told me, that they never shop at Michaels without a coupon. I didn’t have one, so I checked the price of everything in Indian web stores, their availability or lack thereof and only when I found a bargain I bought it. I swear I have never made so many currency conversion calculations in a single day at the end of which I became fluent in the multiplication table of the number 69. Inspite of my crazy calculations, I still spent about $132 there, which was 2/3rds of my shopping budget for the entire US trip. I left Michaels thanking God for wonderful relatives, who believed in giving me cash gifts, that I could spend on art supplies.

 Shopping in USA

Beadfest

Since I was at Beadfest the entire weekend, I was able to look through the booths more than once which translates into – going overboard my budget even though a lot of what I wanted to buy wasn’t available to. My first bead purchase were the decoupaged and resin beads. I have great plans for the Frieda beads and the banana fiber horn. I bought a Xuron cutter for 12g-18g, hard solder paste, a cup burr (which was quite difficult to find) Apart from these I spent bulk of my budget at the Metallaferous booth buying textured metal, chain, bracelet blanks and a locket and at the Parawire booth buying (yes) more wire and 5 in 1 texturing hammer which has been on my list for 3 years now.

 


I also bought some UV resin to try as my students keep asking me about it, some casted metal for coloring and really cool enamel headpins which was my “best buy”. The Artist was selling it for just a dollar a bunch on Sunday afternoon as end of show special. On the last day, I finally gave in and bought some beetle wings and Afghan coins. My mom has been behind my life to get myself some swarovski or cubic zirconia earrings that look like solitaires and not wanting to disappoint her I finally found some luscious earrings with Cubic Zirconia (mine look like solitaries and hers are snowflakes) for the both of us. Also, my parents were getting our apartment painted while I was away and in the middle of all that chaos my mom lost her new (aka my old phone) and was extremely upset. So I got her some swarovski pearls because I was feeling really bad for her and put away some cash for a new phone.


Amazon

My purchase list had ren wax, polishing pads and Clauss scissors in list none of which I could get at beadfest. So just before I left Philly I had this brainwave to order them on Amazon and get them delivered to my Disney Resort. Unfortunately, only the Ren wax qualified for Prime shipping and was delivered on the last night of my stay in the US. I am still looking for people who are likely to travel to India in the next couple of months and will be willing to carry the rest for me.
 

Freebies

What is a good haul post without some freebies thrown in? I got awesome swag from the Ice resin booth – you guys are the best !!  and some really yummy beads made by Lori Schneider who along with Robin Showstack were my roommates for a couple of days. It was so much fun being with them.

Out of the three beads, the beetle is my favourite (the hieroglyphics beads is the back of the beetle) and I am so happy to have some really cool artisan beads that I can use for challenges and contests.

That concludes my account of my Shopping in USA. I realize that I have been incredibly slow in posting about my trip and even when I do, its not in the right order. But then, with one infection after the other, I am all wiped out. All my energy is spent on just preparing for class and getting there on time, that I just don’t feel like doing anything else. Finally I made some Jewelry the past weekend for the BNB “A day at the beach” Challenge Beach sparkle necklace and Color pops necklace. Do check them out and like them to vote for me 

I hope you found it interesting
 Cheers

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  1. Little Treasures avatar

    Checked both your necklaces. They are gorgeous! Especially the Beach sparkle! Liked them both and hope they get you a lot of success!

  2. Michelle L. avatar

    Those enamel headpins for a dollar?! Yes, that's a deal! Feel better soon, and I hope your mom loved her earrings.

  3. Neena Shilvock avatar

    Excellent haul 🙂 I went to the Michaels store in Boston and had that 'Alladin' feeling myself.Do I spy a Staci Louise bead in your stash?? Enjoy your creations and have yourself a load of fun

  4. Divya N avatar

    It is a bead made by Lori Schneider following a tutorial created by Satci Louise

  5. Divya N avatar

    yes, she sold them to me for a dollar a bunch as she did not want to take them back home

  6. bairozan avatar

    Reading this post was thrilling as if I was there 🙂 Great haul and have fun creating! Sometimes a new purchase is more inspiring than all your stash 😉

  7. Divya N avatar

    Haaa, beadfest is one of those places where no amount of money is enough; you just want to buy everything

  8. Divya N avatar

    Thanks Maya, I really enjoyed making them as they brought me out of a creativity rut that I was stuck in.

  9. Bhushavali N avatar

    Hahaha…. Twice its orig price at 50% off! Lolz!!! It all went there from Agra… I totally relate to this. When abroad, esp when in any shop, conversion the only thing in mind. Though I am a connoisseur of food, I often ended up eating in McD in Europe to save money.

  10. Divya N avatar

    Food is quite cheap in the US but everything else is so damn expensive including water. The first time I paid $3 for half a litre bottle I nearly choked

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