try buying precuts on sale .... the blurb will tell you how many pieces are in them. google for free patterns for each type of precut and see what can be done with them. or google first and then get something and give it a try making something out of them. experiment! some of the online shops have free projects or tutorials to show how to do something. there's lots of tute's here, too.
[i wouldn't buy off ebay, either]