Art Supplies from an Unlikely Store

'Waiting to Sail Away'             6x6            pastel       ©Karen Margulis
sold

I love a good bargain. And I love a treasure hunt. That is why one of my favorite things to do besides painting is browsing thrift stores. I often find treasures that I can use for art. I have even found some great official art supplies.  But now I have added a new store for art stuff. Dollar Stores! And I'll add Big Lots to this category.  Look at all the great stuff I found this weekend at - of all places- a Big Lots store!

A bounty of supplies for under $20

 I wasn't really looking for studio supplies when I ran into Big Lots. I just like browsing the aisles. It is very therapeutic to look for bargains. I usually manage to find something that I didn't know I needed. But yesterday I struck gold a Big Lots. I got some storage baskets for a dollar and some nice red vinyl table cloths for $3. I like to use these to cover my studio tables. I also got a great wood nailbrush for $1....a must for a pastellist!  I also got a bag of foam brushes that we will use in class this week....all for $2. I got a few other things that I will blog about this week.

So the next time you are out running errands keep an eye out for items you can use for your art or your studio. And don't overlook the Dollar stores for studio treasures!  What unlikely stores do you find art and studio stuff? Comment and let us all in on your secret!

Want to see some of the other thrift and dollar store treasures? You might be interested in the following posts:
http://kemstudios.blogspot.com/2012/04/where-to-get-great-stuff-for-your.html
http://kemstudios.blogspot.com/2012/02/thrift-store-studio-finda-50-cent.html
http://kemstudios.blogspot.com/2012/07/painting-on-budgetanother-thrift-store.html
http://kemstudios.blogspot.com/2012/08/how-to-build-your-art-library.html