Getting Started - The Keys to Thrifty Shopping and Creating

5 Things to keep in mind as you're getting started.

  1. Walk around. A lot. Not only will you find lots of wonderful places with great deals that you might have never noticed, or overlooked, but you will also find so much inspiration on the street that it will directly translate into what you will eventually create.
2. Revisit your places of inspiration - if you like your thrift shop, keep going back. Inventory always changes, so you'll never know what you'll find.
3. Store your inspiration - most people walk around with phones that have cameras, or notepad applications. Write down the ideas that inspire you, or store your images.
4. Be PATIENT! If you're looking for that perfect piece (clothing, furniture, fabric or accessory), don't compromise unless you think that you can make something better with the tools at your immediate disposal. You know what you're looking for when you find it. Necessity is the mother of inventions, but at the same time "making do" can sometimes prove wasteful or unsuccessful to the point of disappointment.
5. Avoid hoarding. When you're in inspiration-mode, it's easy to get carried away, and the next thing you know, you can't find your livingroom wall's for all the "project stuff" you've salvaged. Use caution in your collection.