Where to find STUFF:
- Art Parts: a treasure trove of art, craft, and other reusable materials: wood, paper, paint, fabric, yarn … just about anything crafty, with the joy of the hunt.
- Resource Central: recycled building materials, tool library.
- Colorado Plastics: plastics of all types – lots of laser cutter-compatible acrylic, Delrin, machinable plastics, etc. The fourth Friday of each month is 1/2 price by the pound for acrylic scrap material.
- McGuckin Hardware: everything imaginable, including hobby-grade balsa/basswood/hardwood, hand tools, machine tools, electrical supplies, large selection of Dremel attachments.
- JoAnn Fabrics: well-stocked store with wide selection of fabrics in addition to a general craft section. Pro-tip: take a multimeter to find conductive fabric.
- Michael’s Arts and Crafts: the Boulder store is recently renovated and quite large. There is a slightly smaller (but still quite large) store in Superior.
- National Balsa (online only): reliable supplier of basswood and hardwood sheets.
Local Makerspaces
- Bldg 61: Boulder Library Makerspace
- Solid State Depot, Boulder
- inventHQ Makerspace, Broomfield
- TinkerMill, Longmont
Electronics (online with local pick-up):
- SparkFun: our local go-to for electronics. Order online and pick-up the same day in Niwot. The website has many tutorials. [note: local pick-up is not available due to the pandemic]
Electronics (online):
- Chibitronics: tools, materials, and ideas for paper circuits.
- AdaFruit: another go-to for electronics.
- Digi-Key: the website is a bit overwhelming, but if it is an electronic component, they have it.
- Leah Buechley’s resource list. This is an older page, but it has many informative links to tools and materials.
Tutorials and Inspiration:
- Instructables: a mega resource for Makers, DIY-ers, kids, teachers, anyone. Visit, browse, write your own.
- Make: Community: another mega resource including: project ideas, tutorials, information, supplies, hardware guides, educational resources, podcasts, and back issues of Make: magazine. Spend time browsing. You’ll find cool things to think about!
- Thingiverse: open source files for 3D printed objects. This is another gigantic resource.