Shops to buy craft materials in Turkey..

[Diane B.]

Hi Sandy,

Thanks for the good info on getting polymer supplies from Turkey (...and you're now a part of GlassAttic too  ).
Btw, am I correct in assuming that the 2nd two places you mentioned (Ahmet Aga Mah. and Mithat Pasa) do NOT have polymer clay supplies??  ... If they do, let me know and I'll include those too.  (Have you tried ordering from Italy? or know anything about that?)

As for more trips to Izmir, I wish!  I'm afraid my traveling days may be over though... the DH has been out of work for over a year now (part of the Silicon Valley computer tech bust, if you've heard about that), and I have fibromyagia (though much better now).  If we should get an influx of $$$, it will have to go first for our son's college (beg. next year...ack!), then we might think about traveling around the States in a small RV or something.  The 2 years I spent traveling (alone) in Europe, and parts east and south, though couldn't be replaced!!

Diane B.
GlassAttic ...polymer clay "encyclopedia"
http://glassattic.com/polymer/contents.htm

[izmirgal]

Hi Diane,

I am so honored to be a part of the Glass Attic family!  Wow! 

All 4 of those stores should have clay.  They are a chain and should carry the same stuff.  I've only been to the first two, but they all have the same owner and should have it. 

No, I haven't tried Italy yet.  I will look into it more.  I was looking at your site with ideas about getting clay from the states and having it flattened!  Cool idea!  Actually, the last time I got clay I had my college age son pick some up from Michael's ($.99) and bring it when he came for a visit! 

On a personal note I have fibromyalgia as well.  Mine is Lyme related, though, so I am on antibiotics for it.  I also have a child starting college next year.  Now I need to figure out how many pairs of earrings I need to sell to pay for it!!!!!!!!

Take care,  Sandy

[BonBabbu]

I'm going to visit Kemer in two weeks and I was wondering are there any interesting craft shops around kemer? I find it interesting to see what other countries offer.

[izmirgal]

Hello,
I haven't been to Kemer myself, but I can imagine it is a nice place but not a big city.  It is near Antalya which would be bigger and have more shopping opportunities. 

I located this link for you:
http://kemer-antalya.blogspot.com/2007/10/shoping-alveri.html

Basically, everyplace in Turkey has a weekly shopping bazaar, called Pazar here.  They should have a great variety of fun stuff.  Craft shops are hard to find anywhere in Turkey, but you may find some cool stuff.  I suspect there would be more variety in the summer, as this is probably more of a turisty town. 

Have fun and enjoy yourself.  Be on the guard for pick-pockets!

Sandy

[weakyknee]

oh this is great! i am moving to istanbul in two weeks and was worried about finding crafty stuff. what about knitting and crochet supplies? are they hard to come by or available in the craft stores mentioned above? i suppose i could always organize a swap.......

[izmirgal]

Istanbul is a really bustling city.  Turkey is heaven as far as knitting and crochet go.  They have wonderful yarn and thread shops!  I'd take my own needles and hooks at first, especially the larger sizes, but they have a great selection of those as well.  I know you will enjoy finding fun yarn shops.  You will probably find one or two near your home but if you go to the shopping districts you will probably find a bunch of them near each other.  Shops are generally clumped together in the shopping districts.

Have fun!
Sandy

[BonBabbu]

Thanks for the info Izmirgal!