Last updated: October 8, 2026. Prices in CAD. I checked every pick the day this went live — Amazon prices move fast, so click through for today’s number. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Every October, my house goes through the same transformation. The patio furniture gets covered, the Halloween candy gets “quality tested,” and suddenly everyone under my roof needs a project. My daughter wants slime ingredients. I’ve fallen down a woodworking rabbit hole. And somewhere there’s a half-finished craft kit from last spring that we swear we’ll get back to.

So I did the dad thing: I went deal hunting. Below are the best hobby, craft, and tool deals I’ve found right now — beginner woodworking tools, drawing pens, bedazzling kits, slime-making kits, squishy-making kits, and a few early holiday gift ideas so you’re not panic-buying on December 23rd. (We’ve all been there. The wrapping paper remembers.)

Jump to: Woodworking · Drawing Pens · Bedazzling Kits · Slime-Making · Squishy-Making · Early Holiday Gifts · FAQ

Woodworking Deals: Beginner Tools That Won’t Intimidate You

I’ve been getting into woodworking this year, and the biggest lesson so far: you don’t need a full shop. You need sharp tools, a patient attitude, and a small first project. Carving sets are the perfect entry point — quiet, affordable, and you can do it at the kitchen table. These two Flexcut sets are on genuine clearance right now, which is the best beginner deal I’ve seen.

1. Flexcut Beginner 2-Blade Craft Carver Set (7 Pieces)

 

This is the starter set I’d hand to anyone curious about wood carving. Two interchangeable blades, a comfortable handle, and everything you need to carve your first spoon, gnome, or vaguely spoon-shaped object. (My first attempt looked like modern art. My daughter said it was “abstract.” She’s kind.) Flexcut blades come properly sharp out of the box, which matters more than anything when you’re learning — dull tools are how beginners get frustrated and quit.

Deal alert: Clearance at $22.96, down from $46.27 — that’s 50% off. At this price it’s cheaper than most craft kits and lasts years, not an afternoon.

Check the current price on Amazon →

2. Flexcut Wood Carving Palm Tool Beginners Set (5 Pieces)

 

Ready for the next step up? Palm tools fit in your hand like an extension of your fist, giving you way more control for detail work — think faces, textures, and the fiddly bits that make a carving look finished instead of “whittled.” This five-piece beginner set covers the essential gouge and V-tool profiles, and like all Flexcut tools, the blades are pre-sharpened and ready to cut.

Deal alert: Clearance at $73.89, down from $148.14 — 50% off a set that normally sits firmly in the “serious hobby” price bracket. If you’ve been circling wood carving, this is the nudge.

Check the current price on Amazon →

Drawing & Graphic Pen Deals: For the Doodlers and Lettering-Obsessed

There’s a special joy in a pen that glides, and a special rage in one that blobs. If anyone in your house draws, journals, bullet-plans, or has strong opinions about hand lettering, good pens are one of the cheapest upgrades in all of craft-dom. These two are the industry standards for a reason.

3. Faber-Castell PITT Artist Pens, Set of 4 (Black Fineliners)

 

The PITT artist pen is the fineliner that illustrators, architects, and journalers actually reach for. India ink means deep, waterproof black that won’t bleed through decent paper, and the four nib sizes in this set cover everything from hairline details to bold outlines. If your kid is getting serious about drawing — or you’re finally starting that sketchbook habit — this is the set.

Deal alert: Four pro-grade fineliners for $13.23. Single PITT pens run several dollars each at art stores, so the set is already the smart buy.

Check the current price on Amazon →

4. Tombow Dual Brush Pens, 10-Pack (Bright Palette)

 

Ask any hand-lettering creator what pens they use and “Tombow dual brush” comes up in the first breath. One end is a flexible brush tip for calligraphy strokes and blending; the other is a fine tip for details. The Bright palette is the fun one — punchy colors that make headers, cards, and journal spreads pop. They’re also water-based, so they blend beautifully and clean up easily.

Deal alert: Ten dual-tip brush pens for $29.34 — under three bucks a pen for the gold standard of lettering markers.

Check the current price on Amazon →

Bedazzling Kit Deals: Maximum Sparkle, Minimum Effort

Bedazzling is back and I refuse to overthink it. Rhinestones on denim jackets, phone cases, water bottles, notebooks — a good bedazzler kit turns a rainy afternoon into a sparkle factory, and tweens lose their minds for it. Two ways to play it: the Deluxe Mega Set is the full experience with gems included, and the original machine is the budget entry. Both punch — no sewing required.

5. The Original BeDazzler Deluxe Mega Set

 

This is the actual BeDazzler — the setting machine from the infomercials, now in a mega set with rhinestones and studs included. It punches gems into fabric with a satisfying clack, no sewing or glueing required. Customising a jean jacket takes an afternoon and produces the kind of one-of-a-kind piece kids brag about at school. If you want the real deal rather than a knockoff applicator, this is it.

Deal alert: The complete mega set at $82 — buying the machine and refill gems separately costs more, so the bundle is the value play.

Check the current price on Amazon →

6. 5400pcs Pearl Beads Hand Press Pearl Setting Tool Set, Beads Rivet Fixing Machine,

 

Everything you need to start punching rhinestones and studs straight into fabric with a deeply satisfying clack: no sewing, no glueing, no craft degree required. It’s the fastest route to a customised denim jacket, backpack, or Halloween costume, and it’s the version purists swear by. Grab a bag of refill gems alongside it, and you’re running a full sparkle operation.

Deal alert: The original machine at $29.55 — add refill gems and you’re still under the price of one bedazzled jacket from a boutique.

Check the current price on Amazon →

Slime-Making Kit Deals: The Mess Is Worth It (Mostly)

As a dad, I have complicated feelings about slime. It’s in the couch. It’s in the carpet. I’m fairly sure it’s in the ceiling. But my daughter’s face when she nails the perfect stretchy batch? Worth every minute of cleanup. Kits beat DIY-from-scratch because the ratios are pre-measured — which means less failed goo and fewer emergency borax runs.

7. Elmer’s Fluffy Slime Kit

 

When it comes to slime, Elmer’s is the name kids already trust — it’s the glue in their classroom. The Fluffy Slime Kit comes pre-measured with everything for that cloud-texture slime kids go feral for: glue, fluffy activator, and mix-ins. No borax runs, no failed batches, no mystery goo chemistry on your kitchen counter. And the washable, nontoxic formula is the part parents actually care about.

Deal alert: An Amazon’s Choice pick with 10,000+ bought in the last month — and because it’s Elmer’s, refills are cheap and available everywhere. Check the live price; it dips on sale regularly.

Check the current price on Amazon →

8. Elmer’s Gue Premade Slime

For the kid who wants slime now, not after a craft project: Elmer’s Gue comes ready to squish straight out of the tub. The glassy clear formula is the deeply satisfying kind — stretchy, clicky, endlessly fidgetable. At this price it’s the perfect stocking stuffer, party favor, or “sorry the other slime dried out” replacement.

Deal alert: Under $8 ($7.67) — less than most single-serve slime cups, and actually good.

Check the current price on Amazon →

Squishy-Making Kit Deals: The Satisfying Squish, Now DIY

Squishies survived every fidget-toy trend cycle, and making your own is the upgrade: paint them, decorate them, squish them. It’s sensory play meets arts and crafts, and it genuinely keeps kids busy for hours. Doctor Squish is the YouTube-famous brand; the bigger craft kits are the better value for serial squishers.

9. Doctor Squish Squishy Maker Station

 

If your kid watches Doctor Squish videos, this is the one they’ll recognize on sight. The maker station lets kids design, fill, and decorate their own squishies with the branded refills. It’s the rare toy where the brand recognition actually helps — kids follow along with the videos and recreate what they see, which stretches the play value way beyond the box.

Deal alert: $29.97 for the station — the sweet spot between the tiny single-packs and the giant kits.

Check the current price on Amazon →

10. Elmer’s Squishies DIY Activity Kit (Glow in the Dark)

 

Elmer’s does it again — this time it’s a make-your-own squishy kit with a twist: the squishies glow in the dark. Kids mix, pour, and create two mystery characters (80 to collect, including 12 rare ones) in about 60 minutes, then charge them up with the included UV light. It’s the rare kit that nails both the making and the playing — the mystery reveal hooks them, and the glow keeps them coming back.

Deal alert: Regularly on sale — recently spotted at 30% off. Check the live price; this one moves.

Check the current price on Amazon →

Early Holiday Gifting Deals: Buy It Now, Thank Yourself in December

October is the cheat code for holiday shopping. Prices are already dipping, stock is actually on shelves, and you get to feel extremely smug while everyone else is panic-ordering with express shipping. Two rules: buy the LEGO advent calendar before it sells out (it will), and grab craft kits before the December markup.

11. LEGO City Advent Calendar 2026 (60510)

 

The advent calendar that doubles as a December activity: 24 doors, 24 mini builds, zero chocolate regrets. The 2026 City edition packs 252 pieces — Santa, elves, a snowman, and a new tiny build every single morning. LEGO advent calendars sell out every year without exception, and prices only go one direction after November. Buying in October is the entire trick.

Deal alert: $49.99 at last check — LEGO advent calendars sell out every year without exception, so October is the buy window. Check the live price on Amazon; these only go one direction after November.

Check the current price on Amazon →

12. DIY Christmas Gingerbread House Kit (4-Pack)

 

A gingerbread house kit per kid means nobody fights over the gumdrops — and this 4-pack is built for exactly that. Each kit has the house pieces and decorating supplies; you supply the icing chaos. It’s a full afternoon activity that doubles as decor, and buying the multi-pack now beats the December price creep on seasonal kits.

Deal alert: Four complete kits for $34.97 — under $9 per house. Try finding a family activity cheaper than that in December.

Check the current price on Amazon →

Quick Answers: Hobby, Craft & Tool Deals FAQ

What is the best beginner woodworking tool deal right now?

The Flexcut Beginner 2-Blade Craft Carver Set at $22.96 (50% off clearance, down from $46.27) is the standout — pro-quality pre-sharpened blades at craft-kit prices. The 5-piece Palm Tool set at $73.89 (also 50% off, was $148.14) is the best step-up deal.

What drawing pens are worth buying on sale?

Faber-Castell PITT artist fineliners (4-pack, $13.23) for waterproof black linework, and Tombow Dual Brush Pens (10-pack Bright, $29.34) for hand lettering and blending. Both are the industry-standard picks in their categories, so any sale price is a genuine deal.

Are bedazzling kits good gifts for tweens?

Yes — they’re one of the best tween gifts going. The Original BeDazzler Deluxe Mega Set ($82) is the full experience with gems included, while the original BeDazzler machine ($51) is the budget entry for fabric projects. Both are self-contained: no extra purchases needed to start.

What is the least messy slime kit for kids?

Elmer’s kits are the least-mess route — pre-measured, washable, and nontoxic. The Fluffy Slime Kit is the full experience with everything included; Elmer’s Gue (under $8) is premade for zero-mess instant slime. Either way: tablecloth. Trust me. Tablecloth.

When should I start buying holiday gifts to get the best prices?

October. Craft kits and seasonal items like LEGO advent calendars typically rise in price through November and sell out in December — LEGO’s calendars sell out every year without exception. Buying the big seasonal items and multi-pack craft kits now locks in lower prices and full stock, and removes at least one thing from the December panic list.

The Bottom Line

Fall is project season, and the deals are genuinely good right now — the Flexcut clearance alone is worth acting on if woodworking has been on your “someday” list. Grab what your household will actually use, stash the gift-worthy stuff early, and buy the slime kit with the tablecloth already laid out. Future you says thanks.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Prices were accurate on October 8, 2026 and change frequently — click through to confirm today’s price. (If you’re reading this in December and a deal is gone: I’m sorry. The internet moves fast and so does clearance stock.)