A couple of years ago during the Los Angeles fall fire season I had to decide which of my belongings to pile in my car when I evacuated. The items I left might be burned to a crisp. The stuff I could take with me was limited and therefore HAD to be my favorites.

One of the things I grabbed was my Klutz book collection. In retrospect, that was probably foolish, but it certainly is an indicator of how much I like them.

What are Klutz books? They are THE standard in hands-on learning for everything from crafts to science.

Over 33 years ago, three college buddies stood a sidewalk corner and began selling juggling lessons.  This turned into the very successful how-to book “Juggling for the Complete Klutz,” which now comes with instructions and juggling balls. People liked it. I mean, they REALLY liked it. These three guys must be making a fortune.

My first Klutz book was the polymer clay book. I bought it used because I didn’t need the clay that the new version comes with. I needed the instructions. I pulled the book apart, put the individual pages into a ring binder, and used it to teach hundreds of students how to work with oven hardened clay.

Then I discovered that many people sell their Klutz books once they have used up the supplies that come with the book. The supplies are good, but the best part is the instructions. So began my pursuit of used Klutz books.

The books are almost always bound with white wire spiral, which makes it simple to find them at a yard or book sale. I just reach in, grab that binding and if I am lucky, there is a fabulous Klutz book in my hands. Instead of paying $10 to $24, I pay a buck. Yipee skipee! Yard sale score!

I have Klutz books on face painting, costumes, table top football, nail art, trick photography, magic, science, car games and more. My latest Klutz acquisition is the “Klutz Book of Animation” which teaches you how to make your own stop motion movies.  I have to confess that I actually bought this new from Amazon.com.  I just could not wait for it to show up at a yard sale.

The next book I really want to get is the Superhero Starter Kit.  It comes with a shiny red cape. I hope it shows up at a yard sale soon. Maybe someone will bring it to the Frugal Festival on June 19. You never know what will show up at a swap.

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