Having a minute to myself to work on some art something I really enjoy doing, no matter were I am.  It's a calming stimulant that makes me happy and helps to release my thoughts in a creative way.

Due to a lack of space in our backpacks and luggage, I brought only two things: a sketch book and my watercolor paints. Ever since our arrival in January, I've been on the lookout for arts and craft supply stores, but until recently I didn't have much luck. I probably had my expectations too high to find a one-stop shop, since they don't have a similar superstore like my trusty Hobby Lobby.




Back in March, I blogged about finding a long strip of Yarn stores.  They are located along Scalabrini Ortiz between Cordoba and Corrientes.  I made myself a cute little cowl scarf which is coming in very handy now that the weather is getting cold.

Recently some porteño informed me that I should continue my search for craft supplies near the Once barrio/station.  The area is a strange retail zone where you can find anything from clothing, cell phone accessories, shoes, bolts of fabric, and jewelry making supplies.  Once is not the safest neighborhood, so I made sure Terry came along with me during the daylight.  Most of the fabric shops were located near Lavalle and Junin and the bead shops were very close around Lavalle and Pastuer






For art supply stores (paints, canves, etc), I found a group of stores around Cabildo and Juramento. Due to my limited luggage space, I was only in the market for markers. But there were a lot of things I would've liked to purchase.

If you are in the market for leather supplies, I found a really good tannery near Palermo, which sells large sheets of leather.  This shop had a large variety of colors and patterns to choose from.  For me the downside was that you had to purchase in a large sheet, which again I couldn't travel with.  Maybe a future trip to Buenos Aires would allow me to return home with some.  The shop is located at Malabia and Vera in Villa Crespo. The owner was very nice and had a lot of patience with my Spanish skills.