Materials Spotlight: What We Use & Why It Matters
We Didn’t Just Buy This We Hunted It Down.
At Fruits of Our Labor, nothing shows up by accident.
Every bead, blank, leaf, petal, tool, and odd little treasure on the table has a purpose.
We don’t bulk-order creativity and call it a day. We curate every offering the same way you might curate a great dinner party: part instinct, part obsession, and a lot of wandering around wondering “could this become something?”
The materials don’t just support the experience, they are the experience.
The Hunt Is Half the Fun (and one of our favorite parts)
A lot of what we use starts far away from a craft catalog or big box store.
We:
Collect community donations (thank you, generous creative souls)
Dig through thrift stores, garage sales, estate clean-outs, and our own bins
Rescue forgotten supplies and give them a second, much cooler life
Mix found materials with thoughtfully sourced new ones
Why? Because unique materials unlock unique ideas. When participants sit down and see something unexpected, a strange bead, a vintage fabric scrap, or a mystery object their brains light up differently. We use items for dual or unexpected purposes fuels moments of discovery and prompts participants to think about not only what they are making, but how.
You’re not following instructions.You’re responding to possibility. And each outcome is individual.
Curated ≠ Random (There Is a Method to the Madness)
Yes, we love a good surprise. But we’re not tossing stuff on tables and hoping for the best.
Every workshop is intentionally built around:
Texture (soft, smooth, rough, heavy, delicate)
Color stories (nothing accidental, everything inviting)
Ease of use (no fighting your materials)
Room for interpretation (no “right way” to make it)
Senses (what do you see, feel, smell, hear, even taste)
This is why our workshops feel playful and grounding. The materials guide you without bossing you around. It’s like the perfect playlist in tangible form.
Eco-Prints, Natural Dyes & Letting Materials Lead
Some of our favorite offerings come from letting nature do what it does best: leave marks.
Eco-printing, flower pounding, solar printing, and unique dying workshops
Invite curiosity over control
Make every piece one-of-a-kind
Pair beautifully with found and reused materials
These methods slow people down. They ask you to pay attention. And they remind you that creativity doesn’t need to be rushed to be powerful.
Beads, Bobs, Baubles & Beautiful Oddities
Our bead bars, junk bars, and embellishment stations are curated with the same philosophy as everything else: character over perfection.
You’ll find:
Glass, ceramic, wood, and stone beads. Gathered from crafters who left their stashes behind, broken jewelry needing new homes, and all the abandoned friendship bracelet kits.
Donated items that once made a neighbor, family, or friend delighted to decorate with
Vintage finds mixed with modern elements, pieces that have a story.
Pieces that feel good in your hands, not flimsy or forgettable.
Cardboard used in ways that make it the main attraction, practice piece, or supporting player
Handmade, one of a kind charms from a favorite local artist NicoletaPaints
When materials have weight, texture, and history, people instinctively treat their creations with more care.
Is everything upcycled?
We aim to reuse as much as possible. However, when we introduce new materials, we anchor them with quality basics like high-quality cotton blanks. They’re reliable, dye-friendly, and welcoming to beginners and seasoned makers alike.
They also play well with:
Eco-printing, like our flower smashing workshop
Natural dyes, tie dye and snow/ice dye
Layering, stitching, embellishing, and experimenting
We carefully source second hand items too. We start with reusable items, move onto second hand, look for small businesses, support retailers that share our values, and fill in the gaps intentionally. We choose foundations that can handle a little chaos, because chaos is encouraged here.
Why This Kind of Curation Matters
When materials are intentional and thoughtfully sourced:
People feel less pressure to “do it right”
Play shows up faster
Comparison fades
Creativity feels accessible, not intimidating
The final products are truly individualized and unexpected
Found and donated materials also carry a quiet permission slip: this doesn’t have to be perfect to be meaningful.
And that’s kind of our whole thing. You won’t find anyone walking out of our experiences with matching final products. Unless that’s the intention and then we fully support a BFF bracelet in craft form.
Want to Bring This Energy Home?
You don’t need a giant budget, you need curiosity.
Try this:
Check thrift stores for craft supplies, fabric, frames, beads
Ask friends for unused materials hiding in closets
Mix found items with a few quality basics, see what you can UPCYCLE
Curate your table like an invitation, not junk pile or a storage bin
Come to a Fruits of Our Labor event. We’ll have all the supplies and then you can decide if you want to take it further or just have a one night stand with that medium or material.
We believe creativity should feel alive, surprising, and a little bit scavenger-hunt-coded. That’s why we curate every offering with intention, heart, and an eye for the overlooked.
Because sometimes the best ideas come from the supplies no one else thought to save.
Got Supplies Looking for a Second Act?
If you’ve got craft supplies sitting in a closet, bin, or “I’ll get to that someday” pile we’d love to give them a new life.
We happily accept material donations that are:
Beads (glass, ceramic, wood, stone — the good stuff)
Fabric scraps, cotton blanks, yarn, ribbon
Ornaments and holiday kitschy items
Art tools & odd creative bits
Block Print or Screen Print Ink
Paint (acrylic, watercolor, paint pens)
Air Dry or Polymer Clay
Vintage or gently used craft supplies with character
Your donations help us:
Reduce waste
Keep workshops accessible
Add unexpected, one-of-a-kind materials to our offerings
Put beautiful, usable supplies back into creative circulation
Basically, your forgotten supplies become someone else’s inspiration.
If you’re wondering “Would you want this weird stuff?”. The answer is likely yes.
👉 Reach out to donate or send us a photo of what you’ve got at howdy@fruitsofourlabor.co or via Instagram DM.
