Finding interesting materials

Sometimes I feel the kinds of fabrics and notions available are a bit limited. There are lots of online fabric shops but quite often they seem to stock quite similar products. So I've started looking in different directions for interesting materials to make my clothing more unique. Here are few ideas:

Scope out charity shops.
Although there are some ugly things in charity shops they can be a good place to find small amounts of a fabric - say for an applique or a bag. Velvet can be very expensive and you may not need a whole meter so finding a velvet skirt for £1.50 could be a great buy. Recycling is good for the planet too!

Try a flea market.
I find these really good for buttons. I've seen some really cool military style ones and you can usually get a deal if you buy a few, I've even had them thrown in free when I was buying something else!

Fairs for 'other' hobbies and interests.
This weekend I visited a historical reenactors kit fair. It's not a past time in which I partake but they had lots of 'period' dresses for inspiration and a great leather supplier. I got the clasp in the picture which I really like, I'm thinking about putting it on a cape. I had a good chat with a lady about making cloaks as well.

Almost-antique-shops.
I'm not sure what these are really called, maybe just a cheap antique place? They always have loads of brooches and sometimes vintage lace and ribbon.

Dance wear.
For something a little more spangle-y try the notions sections of dancing fabric shops. You might need sunglasses to get past all their neon Lycra but they tend to have rhinestones and sequins to the nth power.

I think the main point is to look outside the lolita world for supplies in the way we look outside for inspiration!