Weekend Activity: Clearance Aisle Craft Challenge

Looking for something fun, crafty and most importantly, affordable, to do this weekend? Why not peruse the clearance aisle of your local craft store, pick up some stuff, and see what you can make out of it?

I call this the Clearance Aisle Craft Challenge! This is a fun family activity, or you can extend it to a larger group of friends. As they saying goes, the more the merrier.

Step 1: Take Inventory at Home

Before you go to the store, take an inventory of all the crafting supplies you already have at home so you don’t accidentally pick up something you don’t need.

Some things you might have laying around that you should gather up:

• Scotch tape
• Glue (hot, stick, liquid)
• Staples
• Paper Clips
• Popsicle Sticks
• Scratch Paper

Depending on how often you do crafts, you might have more specialized items on hand.

Take note of what you have and put them all on the table or area where you’ll be doing your craft challenge. That way they will be all ready when you get home from the store.

Pro Tip: it doesn’t hurt to gather up snacks and drinks for the craft challenge. My favorites would be popcorn, chocolate chip cookies and a sweet red wine.

Step 2: Shop Clearance

Visit your local craft store (Michael’s, JOANN, Hobby Lobby, even Walmart has a craft section) and find the clearance or sale aisle. Here you’ll find things on sale for as little as $.50 a piece.

Limit yourself to a dollar amount (say, $10 per person) and go crazy.

To make things even more interesting, set a time limit. The less time you have to really think about what crafts you can make with the sale items before you, the wackier the outcomes may be!

Step 3: Get to Crafting

Once everyone has their clearance aisle craft supplies, head on home and get ready to craft.

See what you and your family and friends can put together using only the items you put out or bought at the store.

Step 4: Awards Ceremony

Bring in a non-crafting judge or take a vote on everyone’s final product to see which one is the Best Clearance Aisle Craft!

It’s also fun to add in other award categories like Most Likely to Fall Apart, Best Effort, or anything else that fits your group.

Don’t forget to come back here to share what you made in the comments!