Deal on Adhesive...

Hey guys!  I shared the other day that I'm a coupon junkie.  I also shared a while ago in one of my Frugal Friday posts that I really love this brand of adhesive because it is inexpensive and it works just as well as the expensive Tombow brand.  Well, I found a $1 off 2 Elmer's CraftBond Glues.  I noticed that they even have Glue Dots (called Glue Spots).  I'll be stocking up on adhesive this month.  Make sure you print 2.  I buy these at Walmart and it's $2.50 for a pack of 2 refills.  So, I'll be getting 2 packs (4 refills) for $4.  That's $1 per refill!

Have a great day!

 

Read more...

Frugal Friday - Opportunity

Hello!  It's time for another Frugal Friday post.  This is most likely the final post in the series unless you all have any other topics you would like me to cover.  To review, we've already covered PAPER, INK, STAMPS, TOOLS, EMBELLISHMENTS, and ADHESIVE.  Of course, click here to learn more about Frugal Friday.

I wasn't sure on what category today's post would fall under, so I'm choosing to use Opportunity. I'll be talking about opportunities within design teams, selling your cards as well as advertising on your blog.  

Design Teams

If you are not familiar with the idea of design teams (DT for short), they are basically a team that a company puts together to promote their product. 

I can think of three types of teams.  Some online supply stores have design teams.  The DT creates cards and projects that showcase that store's product.  Usually a wide variety of products to use and you would simply link to the product in your blog post.  There might be more or less responsibilities and requirements that go with this.

Stamp companies often have design teams to showcase their brand of stamps.  Typically designers receive stamps ahead of time to create projects/cards for new releases to share on their blogs and get customers excited about the new stamps being released.    

The last type of design team that I am aware of are those that are created for challenge blogs.  There are a ton of challenges out there every single day.  Some are sketch challenges, some color challenges, some change from week to week.  Some of these challenge blogs have design teams that create samples for that weeks challenge.

Now, why would you want to be on a design team?  Well, there are many reasons.  The first reason that comes to mind is a discount or free supplies.  When your budget is tight, being on a design team can really be beneficial. You are sort of trading your skills and ability for a discount or free supplies.  It's a win/win situation in my book.  Being on a design team can also increase traffic to your blog.  Whether you just want to increase the amount of people that see your cards or if you are earning an income from your blog (I'll talk more about that later in this post), joining a design team is a great option.  

You can't just say you want to be on a design team.  Usually you have to apply.  Splitcoast Stampers is a great place to see what people/companies are looking for new members.  

I have been on all of these types of design teams and I just love the feeling of community and working together towards a common goal.  And I can't forget to mention that they are FUN!

Selling Your Cards/Projects

Here's where I need to take a dose of my own advice.  Selling your cards/projects is a great way to earn income.  I don't know if you are like me, but I have about 4 shoe boxes crammed full of cards.  Just think of all the new supplies and stamps I could buy if I sold some of those cards.  There are some great sites where you can sell your cards.  You may already be familiar with Etsy, where you can sell all kinds of handmade items, but a site that is new to me is eWillow.   This is an area where I haven't really ventured yet due to just not having the time.  When the kids get back in school, I'm definitely going to be selling my cards.  

Getting Published

Getting your cards published in a magazine is not only cool, but it's a way to get free stuff.  I do realize that it does take a lot of hard work and a lot of rejection to get one card published.  I usually submit about 40 cards per month and if I'm lucky, one will get published.  Nothing compares to the feeling of getting published.  I get excited every time.  Different magazines offer different perks to those whose cards are chosen.  You usually will get a free copy or two of the magazine along with some free supplies.  I love getting happy mail.  You just never know what they will be sending you.  

Advertising on Your Blog

I'm sure you have all noticed that I have advertising on my blog.  As soon as I noticed that people were actually visiting my blog, I decided to see if there was a way to earn an income from all my hard work.  The advertising company I chose to work with is Blogher.  It is an all female company whose advertisers are looking for a female audience. I thought it would be a good fit for my blog, and it was.  When I first started out, I was earning about $3 a month, if that.  As time went on and my blog readers increased, I can pretty much buy a new stamp set or two each month.  Since we are a single income family, we have a strict budget.  The money earned from my blog goes into buying new supplies to keep my cards new and fresh.   

I know there are many people that frown on this, but I'm okay with it (obviously).  I feel that blogging is hard work and supplies are not cheap.  If someone wants to pay me to do it, why would I turn it down?   

________________________________________________________

I would love to hear your opinions on this.  If you have any ideas for another Frugal Friday post, just leave me a comment.  I love hearing from you.  

I really enjoyed doing this series, but it is a lot of work.  I do love sharing my experiences with you!

PS.  My Mom will most likely be coming home from the hospital today.  She's been there a week.  She's been diagnosed with chronic pneumonia and anemia.  Today is my birthday, so her coming home is a wonderful present.  

Read more...

Frugal Friday - Adhesive

Hello!  It's Frugal Friday!!!  If you are new to Frugal Friday, click here for the first post introducing the series.  So far we've covered PAPER, INK, STAMPS, EMBELLISHMENTS and TOOLS.  Today we are talking about ADHESIVE.  This post will be a lot shorter than most Frugal Friday posts since I pretty much only use two kinds of adhesive.


Tape Runner
When I started making cards I thought that you had to buy the adhesive (Tombow) from Stampin' Up.  Then I figured out you could get it from places like Michaels.  In a pinch one day I tried some cheap snail adhesive from Wal-mart.  Guess what?  It was just as good and so much cheaper.  When I starting buying it regularly, the brand was called "Ad-tech".  I'm not sure what happened but the product looks the same but now packaged using the "Elmer's Glue" brand.  It was quite confusing, but it's the same product.  At my local Wal-mart the initial tape runner is $3.50 and the you can buy a pack of two refills for $2.50.  I always get the permanent kind, but there is also re-positional kind as well.  Here's what the package looks like, although my dispenser is blue.

Dimensional Adhesive 

When I started making cards I fell in love with Stampin' Up's foam dimensionals.  They work great but I always ran out at the worst times.  I didn't want to pay for shipping on something so inexpensive so I started experimenting with other options.  I bought a whole roll of "Scotch Mounting Tape".  It's about 1/8" thick and the roll is about 1/2" wide.  It is double sided like SU's dimensionals.  I can get a roll of 75 feet for $5.  You can cut the foam tape to any size you like, but that is also a drawback.  I don't mind cutting each piece since I am saving so much money.  I think I buy a roll about every 8 months or so.  

I also use Glue Dots and Tombow's Liquid Mono Aqua Glue.  These are both pretty cheap and  I last an extremely long time since I don't use them very often.


That's it folks!  Pretty short and sweet today.  I did receive a request to see my stamping space and that'll be coming up towards the end of August (I hope).  It's nothing special really, just lots of space to create.  


Thanks to much for joining me today.  Enjoy your weekend!!!

Read more...

Frugal Friday - Tools

Hello!  It's Frugal Friday!!!  If you are new to Frugal Friday, click here for the first post introducing the series.  So far we've covered PAPER, INK, STAMPS, and EMBELLISHMENTS.  Today we are talking about TOOLS.  


Before we get started I wanted to share a comment I received regarding last week's embellishment post.  Frann shared:

"Dana, I love your Frugal Fridays. I have one suggestion regarding embellishments. I never buy paper flowers. I have many flower punches, which of course never get used up. I make my flowers from vellum, cardstock, printed papers and even from aluminum soda cans. It's easy to chalk, ink, layer and shape them--endless variety!"

Thanks so much Frann!  Great point.  I thought of this when I was writing the embellishment post but was thinking it might fit better with the TOOLS post.  So, we'll definitely be talking about that today.  By the way, I can't tell you how much I love getting comments!


Okay, let's talk about tools.  We all use tools to create our cards.  Whether its a pair of scissors or a fancy die cutting machine, tools can be dirt cheap to super expensive.  Today I'll share my "must-have" tools with you as well as a few items that I think are "good-to-have".  I've also bought a few items that I never use and I'll let you know about those too.  


My "Must-Have" Tools:

Paper Trimmer- I mentioned in an earlier post that I have a Tonic Paper Trimmer.  As paper trimmers go, this one is on the more expensive side BUT, I searched to find a good deal.  I think I ended up paying around $26 buying it online from JoAnn's using a 40% off coupon and received free shipping.  That was a good deal since the Fiskar's (or similar kind) one costs around $20 and you need to buy new blades every few months.  Since I make cards almost everyday this was a good investment.  The only drawback is that I still use my old Fiskar's paper trimmer to score my cards.  On a side note, to get the most out of my card stock, pretty much all of my cards are standard A2 (which is a piece of 5.5" x 8.5" card stock folded in half) or 4.25" square.  Using these two sizes you can get 2 cards out of one sheet of card stock.  Using the 4.25" size you will have a  strip of paper leftover to use to make embellishments.  

X-Acto Knife- This is one of those tools that I purchased and thought "How did I ever make cards without this?"  I mostly use the X-acto knife for applying rhinestones and pearls to cards.  I use the point to pick the jewel off the backing sheet and to then place it exactly where I want it.  I'm also a big fan of the pearls and rhinestones that come glued in a single line.  When I want to use those individually, I simply slice the glue with the knife and apply like normal.  As far as tools go, this one is dirt cheap.  I bought it for $2.50 at Wal-mart about a year ago and bought a pack of 5 refill blades about 3 months ago (about $2).  I've only had to replace the blade once, I don't even remember why, but I do know that card making was not involved! 

SU Mat Pack & Paper Piercer- If you are not familiar with the Mat Pack, it is pack of three 4" x 4" squares.  One is a paper piercing pad that protects your table when you are paper piercing, one is a template for creating perfectly spaced holes when you are paper piercing or positioning brads or eyelets, the last one is a hard mat to protect your table when you are hammering eyelets.  I very rarely use eyelets, so I don't have much use for the last one.  I will be honest with you.  The only reason I initially purchased the mat pack was because I wanted to be able to create faux stitching on my cards.   Now I use it all the time.  I use it a lot to space brads and rhinestones along with faux stitching.  I'm sure there are other piercing template out there, but I'm not aware of any by name.  But I do love the SU one. 

Fine/Micro Tip Scissors- This is another one of those "why in the world didn't I buy these sooner" kind of items.  I used general kitchen scissors for a while and then bought a pair of smaller, but not fine tip scissors.  Finally, this past Christmas I asked for a pair that had a fine tip.  Boy has that made all the difference cutting out images.  I'm no longer intimidated by cutting intricate shapes.  Don't ask me why I asked for these as a Christmas gift when they turned out to be only $7 (with a Michaels 40% off coupon).  

Stamp-A-Ma-Jig- This is a "must-have" item only if you use wood mounted or cling stamps.  A stamp-a-ma-jig is a tool that allows you to position a stamp exactly where you want it.  When I started out, I couldn't tell you how many cards I ruined because I put the sentiment stamp on last and crooked!  If you don't know how a stamp-a-ma-jig works, here is a great video from Kristina Werner.  

T-Square Ruler- When I finally broke down and bought a ruler (about $2) I found myself reaching for it all the time.  I use this in so many ways, trust me, you will too.


My "Good-to-Have" Tools:


Punches- You can absolutely make beautiful cards without using any punches, but they are a wonderful item to have.  I have made a few judgement errors when purchasing punches in the past.  I have a few punches that I have never used.  The ones I find that I use the most are of a heart, butterfly, snowflake, scallop edge, and circle.  I would not recommend buying any punches that are square since you can easily cut those on your paper trimmer.  I only have one flower punch, but those are great to have to make your own flower embellishments.  


Circle Cutting System- I have a Coluzzle, which I don't think is available any longer.  They have much nicer ones out now that cut from very small to very large circles in tiny increments.  This would replace any circle punch you have.  My Coluzzle works just fine (and it also cuts ovals) although the increments are not what I call tiny.  If I find a good deal on one of the newer circle cutting systems, I'm going to get one.

Die Cutting Machine & Dies-  I have a Cuttlebug and I love it.  I was able to get mine for around $40 and I contemplated buying it for quite some time.  I didn't use it a lot in the beginning, but when I discovered Spellbinder Nestabilities that all changed.  I love nestabilities dies, but they are quite expensive.  I only have three shapes.  However, they are a good investment since you can use them over and over for all eternity.  Stick with simple shapes that you know you will use often.  I really like the Cuttlebug, but any die cutting machine will do.  I'm also in love with embossing folders and thankfully those are relatively inexpensive.  I have been drooling over the Papertrey Ink flower dies.  Those would be great for making your own flower embellishments as well.  Those are definitely on my wish-list. 


On a side note, I have contemplated getting a Cricut or something similar.  I was finally able to use one in person not too long ago and feel that I wouldn't get enough use out of it to justify the cost, much less the cost of all those cartridges.  However, I am in love with what I've read and seen about the Silhouette.  If I ever get a personal cutting machine, that will be the one I get.  It is very expensive (like $300) so I'm not holding my breath.    

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, I think I've rambled enough for one day!  I would love to hear what tools you think are a "must-have".  Also, we only have one or two more weeks of Frugal Friday posts and I would love some input on what other topics you would like to discuss.  As always, I love hearing from you!

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

Read more...

Frugal Friday - Embellishments

Hi there!  Thanks for stopping by for another Frugal Friday.  I want to thank you all for all your support during this series.  I truly enjoy reading your comments and all the positive feedback. You guys are the best.  If you are new to Frugal Friday, click here for the first post introducing the series.  So far we've covered PAPER, INK, and STAMPS.  Today we are talking about EMBELLISHMENTS.  

I adore embellishments!  You can easily go into a store and drop a ton of money on all sorts of embellishments.  Today I'll show you all of the embellishments I have.

Like I said in the intro to Frugal Friday:

"Treat your supplies like you would your wardrobe. Invest in classic pieces that will never go out of style and accessorize with trendy items."

In this case, embellishments are the accessories.  Accessories add the finishing touch to an outfit, pulling the whole look together.  Well, it's the same with embellishments on a card.  Generally, embellishments are inexpensive, but you still don't want to buy one embellishment in every color or you will go broke.

Here's a look at all the embellishments I currently own.

Ribbon
Ribbon is quite possibly my favorite embellishment.  If I'm making a card that I'm just not happy with, adding  some ribbon changes everything.  I buy pretty much all of my ribbon at Wal-Mart.  The brand they carry is called "Offray".  The majority of the ribbon that I buy is grosgrain or satin.  You can usually get 18 feet of ribbon for $1.98.  I have found it very easy to match their colors with Papertrey Ink and Stampin' Up.  Plus, I don't have one of every color, but I do have a lot of neutrals.

I try not to buy any ribbon that has a design on it.  As you can see, I have some striped ribbon that I bought probably two years ago, that I've barely used.  Lesson learned. Some of the basic ribbon that I couldn't live without would be the sheer cream and white ribbon.  I also use the light blue and light green quite a bit.

I also keep a ziploc bag of scraps.  You just never know when you might need a small piece of ribbon.  Three or four of these spools were given to me by my sister-in-law when she was cleaning out her scrapping stuff.  

Something else she gave me was a whole ziploc bag of embroidery floss.  The bag on the right is the one she gave me.  SCORE!  The bag on the left is what I was previously using, leftover from my childhood when I used to make friendship bracelets.  

I love using floss on my cards and now I have a large variety of colors.  Although, I think these are pretty cheap, like $.60 a color.  They work well on masculine cards when it would be too girlie to use ribbon.

Jewels

Another embellishment that I love are jewels, especially rhinestones and pearls.  This is another inexpensive way to dress up your card.  My favorites are from Kaiser Craft (below on right).  They come in a full spectrum of colors.  I've been seeing these everywhere lately.  They even have them at my local Meijer grocery store.  I think these are usually around $1.99 for 100 rhinestones or 50 pearls.  Each package has 3-4 different sizes.   

I also like the pearls you can get from Micheals that are glued together in one line.  I use them a lot ofor underlining words on a card or I will cut them apart with my x-acto knife and use them individually.  Micheals also has silver pearls that are like this and I love them.  

I have seen a lot of people in the blogging world using really big flourish-y swirls of rhinestones.  While they look really cool, I think they are around $3 for one.  That is a lot of money to spend on something where you'll only get one use out of it.  

Buttons

I think I really fell in love with buttons when I purchased the Papertrey Ink set "Everyday Button Bits".  I think it gives cards that home-spun feel.  My button collection started out with an assortment package I bought at Wal-mart for about $2.  Then I bought a pack of buttons from Papertrey Ink, but wasn't very impressed.  They were lovely buttons, but with a hefty price tag of $6 for one color.  Then, my Mom mentioned that my grandma had a whole coffee tin of buttons that I could have.  SCORE again!  It was full of all kinds of unique and neutral buttons.  

Ask around.  Someone is bound to have a some buttons stashed that they would love to give you.  Also, if you have the right button, just not the right color, you can paint your buttons using nail polish.  I did a whole tutorial on it last year.  Click here to check it out.  Wet-n-Wild nail polish is usually about $.99 and they have a ton of colors to pick from.

Flowers

Another embellishment I have are flowers.  These are a tin of Prima flowers that I bought about two years ago.  That's pretty much the only flowers I have.  Right now, the flowers that are left are the ones I've had difficulty using because of the color or the design on them.  It was a mish mash of different bright colors.  

The next time I buy flowers, I will stick to more neutral looking flowers.  Maybe some white or cream ones that I can sponge any color I want with ink.

Brads & Eyelets

To be honest, I have not used an eyelet in ages.  But, I still have them laying around just in case.  I do use brads all the time.  My favorite are the mini kind.   I have the basic colors everyone should have, which are silver, black, white, and gold.  But I also have a lime green and dark brown which I use quite a lot.  

I do have some jumbo brads with a design on them that I bought a long time ago and I still can't figure out how to use them.  They just don't go with anything.  Lesson learned.

Alphabet Stickers

I like using alpha stickers on my cards.  I don't use them a lot, but I have noticed that I always run out of the same letters.  Alpha stickers are pretty inexpensive, but even so, I don't have very many.  The mistake I made with these are that I bought them too big.  I think the size I bought are more for scrapbook pages and not for cards.  I still use them every now and then, but when I buy more, they will definitely be smaller. 

When I am buying something that comes in a ton of colors and I just can't make up my mind which one to get, I usually go with my favorite color, green.  Just like my wardrobe, I have a lot of green stuff.  I know I can't go wrong here.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, that's it for today.  I hope you all enjoyed a peek into my studio today.  I hope you were able to find something in here that related to you.  Next week we'll be talking about TOOLS.  

Thanks so much!  Have a great weekend!!!

Read more...

Frugal Friday - Stamps

Hello there!  Thanks for stopping by for another Frugal Friday.  If you are new to Frugal Friday, click here to read what it's all about.  So far we've covered PAPER and INK, and today we are going to be sharing some of my opinions on STAMPS.

I've been blogging for about two and a half years now and I don't think I've ever had more than 15 stamp sets at a time.  Here's a picture of the stamps I have right now:

Right now I have 11 Papertrey Ink sets, 2 Stampin' Up, and 2 Hero Arts sets.  I do have a few individual stamps that I didn't include in my total.  I also didn't include any stamps that I received for being on design teams, which are just a few.


My stamps fall into 3 basic categories: All Occasion, Must Have, and Special Occasion.  Let's go into the details of these categories, shall we?

All Occasion
This is pretty much the category that 95% of my stamp sets fall under.  These are sets that can be used for Birthdays, Babies, Thank Yous, Weddings, Anniversary, Sympathy, Hello, I love you, Congrats, etc. -all in one set! I gravitate toward these sets because I know I will get the biggest bang for my buck.  They are usually not trendy and most likely will not be going out of style anytime soon.  Here is one of my favorite all occasion sets:

Signature Greetings by Papertrey Ink

I've been able to use this stamp set for the obvious occasions, but also Father's Day, Mother's Day, and Graduation.  I don't ever really find myself not having the right stamp for the occasion.

Must Have
These are the sets that you see and instantly fall in love with.  Here is the one big piece of advice I have regarding buying stamp sets just because you like them.  Do not buy a set of stamps when you only truly LOVE one or two stamps.  Be realistic about how you are going to use each stamp.  I have been known to go to Michaels with a gift card and coupon, stare at the sets for half an hour, and walk away with NOTHING.  I have learned the hard lesson of buying a set of 10-15 stamps and only using one or two.  Here's one set that I love and had to have the moment I saw it:

Pocket Silhouettes by Stampin' Up

I think flowers are one of those all-occasion type of images that you can use on pretty much any card, except masculine ones, of course.  

Special Occasion
I only have two of these types of stamp sets right now.  They are sets I bought with a specific occasion in mind.  The first one is a Christmas Set that I was able to use for my 60+ holiday cards I made, plus I was able to use it from Sept-Dec.   The other set is below and I bought this when I had a group of pregnant friends the were expecting boys.  I bought this set with the idea of making baby boy cards, but it would also work to make baby girl cards as well.  This set makes a cute kid card as well.

Precious Baby Boy by Hero Arts

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

What do you do with your stamps after you've grown sick of them?  I sell them on Ebay.  Then, I use that money to buy new stamps.  It's kind of an endless cycle.  I know I'm not going to have the same 15 sets forever.  That would be so boring.  But, I know I'm also not going to be ordering the "I want it all" package on release night.  It's just not practical, even though I may want it all.  

Since I submit a lot of cards to magazines, I can't use any stamps that are retired.  When I first started submitting my cards, I found that a lot of my Stampin' Up sets (I pretty much had only SU at the time) retired at the same time.  I was able to sell all of them and buy stamps from companies that don't retire their stamps.  Sometimes you can sell retired sets for more than you paid for them!!!

If you are on a tight budget like me, trade stamps with a friend for a few weeks.  My sister-in-law loves making cards (and Papertrey Ink) as much as I do and we borrow each others stamps quite a bit.  It's the best of both worlds. I get to use the stamps like but not have to pay for them.  

Digital stamps are also worth mentioning.  You can find a lot of FREE images out there.  You can resize and print them out as many times as you want.  I don't think all stamps will be digital in the future, but if they are FREE, you have nothing to lose.

If you like a particular brand of stamps, know all the places you can buy them.  Subscribe to newsletters so you know when they are on sale or when they are offering a coupon where you can get your stamps at a discount.  Combine your order with a friend to save on shipping.  Don't forget to use coupons at Michaels, JoAnn's and Hobby Lobby.  

Stamps are one of the most expensive parts of card making.  Spend your money wisely on stamps that will give you the most mileage, the most bang for your buck.  

Thanks so much for listening to all that!  I hope there were a few helpful tips in there for you.  Next week we'll be talking about EMBELLISHMENTS!


PS.  I would love to answer any questions you may have or share your suggestions!  Just leave them in the comments section.  Thanks!  I love hearing from you!!!

Read more...

Frugal Friday - Ink

Hello there!  Today is Frugal Friday.  If you missed my introduction about Frugal Friday, click here to find out what it's all about.  Last Friday I talked about PAPER, and today we are going to talk about INK.

Like I said last week, when I started blogging years ago I loved doing color challenges and of course, I wanted all the colors of ink to go along with all that paper.  Stampin' Up sells ink collections (that is 12 mini ink pads called Ink Spots) in their 4 color families.  Over the course of a year or so, I ended up with 3 sets.  I have Bold Brights, Earth Elements, and Soft Subtles.  I never really fell in love with Rich Regals so I never bought it.  I have been using these Ink Spots for years and have never felt that I didn't have the right color.  I really can't believe how long they've lasted.  It ended up being a great investment.

I realize that this is over $60 of ink.  I was able to spend practically none of my own money by asking for these as Christmas gifts as well as hosting a Stampin' Up party.

I use mostly Papertrey Ink card stock and I have found that I can easily find a similar shade in my Stampin' Up Ink Spots.  Pink Passion pairs well with Raspberry Fizz, Old Olive with Ripe Avocado and so on.  Here's a picture of all inks I need.

You can see my Stampin' Up Ink Spots at the top.  I have Basic Black because it is definitely a color you need.  Versamark for heat embossing.  Jet Black Stazon for permanent black.  I have Papertrey Ink's Vintage Cream and Fresh Snow, which I truly love.  I also have one Distress Ink that I use occasionally.

The only drawback to using Stampin' Up Ink Spots is that they are small.  If you are using a background stamp, it would be difficult to get an even coat of ink on the entire stamp.  For that reason, I have a few full size ink pads from Stampin' Up.

Since we are talking about ink, it's only appropriate to talk about ink cleaners.  I just recently started using a stamp scrub pad.  I used to have cleaner with a dauber tip that I would wipe on the stamp and then wipe off with a paper towel.  It worked fine, but now that I have scrubber, it's so much faster and my stamps look new again.

Also, I wanted to mention embossing powders since I mentioned Versamark earlier.  The only colors of embossing powder that I own is Gold, Clear, and Black.  This works fine for me.  If I ever want to emboss in a color like pink, I would just stamp it first with pink ink and then stamp it again in Versamark (using clear stamps or a stamp-a-ma-jig) and then clear emboss it.  You are left with what looks like pink embossing.

I have not joined the Copic band-wagon yet.  They are really too expensive to even think about.  For now, when I color, I just use good old Crayola markers.  I'm not really into cutesy images or images that require coloring, so I don't have that problem often.

I read recently that Stampin' Up is retiring a bunch of colors.  I have not seen the list yet, I hope it's not too many of the inks I have.  I will most likely replace them with a different brand of ink.   Like I said last week, I never buy the "in colors" from Stampin' Up since they retire so quickly.

Thanks so much for stopping by for the latest Frugal Friday topic.  I hope it was a little helpful for you!  I would love to her any feedback or answer any of your questions.  Thanks!

PS.  Next week's topic will be STAMPS!!!

Read more...

Frugal Friday - Paper

Hello everybody!!!  I'm so glad you are joining me today.  If you missed my introduction about Frugal Friday, click here to learn what it's all about.  Today we are diving right in with our first topic, PAPER.  I'll be talking about card stock and patterned paper in today's post.  

CARD STOCK 

Card stock is something that we all use.  It's a necessity in card making.  This is an area where quality really matters.  When I first started to make cards, I participated in a lot of challenges (still do!) and I wanted to have all the colors so I could do the color challenges.  What I didn't realize is that you didn't need to have every color of paper that SU carried.  You could simply supplement with ink and embellishments.  

Stampin Up carries 61 colors of paper (48 colors + 7 neutrals + 6 "in colors").  I learned very quickly that the "in colors" retire faster than I can use them.  When you are submitting your cards for publication, you cannot use any items that are not currently available.  So, I think I only made the mistake of buying "in colors" twice and getting stuck with paper I couldn't use.  I did want to have a wide variety of colors, but I was in no position to buy all those colors.  Here's what I did and I know it saved me a lot of money.  

About this time I discovered Papertrey Ink.    Papertrey Ink currently carries 26 colors, which is a lot more manageable to maintain and the quality matches (if not surpasses) Stampin Up.  I could not justify jumping in and buying a pack of all 26 colors.  So I bought the variety pack of colors, a pack of white, and a pack of kraft.  The variety pack comes with 2 sheets of every color (except kraft).  That way I was able to see what colors I gravitated to and which colors I shyed away from.  I quickly ran out of Raspberry Fizz and Ripe Avocado, so I ordered packs of those on my next order.  There are other colors I rarely use that I may never have to refill.  You can also order small quantities of paper (12 sheets for $3) so it is easy to stock up on a few colors without spending a ton.  I'm just using Papertrey Ink as an example.  I know Stampin Up also offers variety packs as well in each of their color families.  It's a great way to try out all the colors without blowing your budget.  

Another way to save money is to combine your order (wherever you are ordering from) with a friend.  My sister-in-law and I combine orders all the time to take advantage of free shipping.  If you like to buy your paper from Michaels or Hobby Lobby, buy packs of paper and use a 40% off coupon to save on the whole pack instead of buying your paper individually. 

Here's how I store my card stock.  I have a rolling hanging file cart that slides under my desk.  Each file holds a different color.  The rolling file cart was a Christmas gift (that I asked for) and I already had the files.  So, it's a great storage solution and it didn't cost me a thing.  

Patterned Paper

You can make cards without patterned paper, but where's the fun in that?  I love patterned paper and I'm sure you do too.  I try to only buy patterned paper in packs since that gives you the best value per sheet.  I've also found that 6" x 6" packs are more suited to making cards.  The patterns tend to be smaller on those packs where I think the 12" x 12" packs are more suited for scrap booking.  The 6" x 6" size is also a LOT cheaper.  Ideally you want to buy paper that you love every sheet and will use every sheet.  I know that probably will never happen, but it's something to think about before you make your purchase.  You also want to think about coordinating card stock that you already have.  Will you need to buy card stock to match the paper?  Embellishments?  You may change your mind and buy patterned paper that goes with supplies you already have.  I really love using papers that are double-sided.  If you don't like one side, chances are you will like the other side.  Don't forget to use coupons and look for sale prices.  Shop around.  Online stores are very competitive.

Do you have paper that you are having a hard time using?  It is sometimes hard for me to use papers that are really busy, so I use them in the background of my cards and cover them with solid shapes.  It helps drown out the busy-ness of the paper.  You can see an example of this here and here. 

Here's how I store my patterned paper.  I use a ziploc bag for each pack.  This way I can store the pack and the scraps in the same bag.  I love using scraps on my cards.  I love the mix and matching of it.  You can see examples here, here, and here. If you are using papers from the same pack, you already know they coordinate so it's easy to use up those scraps.

Since we are talking about paper today, I thought I would mention my paper trimmer.  This is an item I splurged on, but that's okay since I use it everyday and I love it.  I bought it from Joann and was able to use a 40% off coupon and get free shipping.  I think I paid about $26.  Worth every penny.

____________

If you got through all that, way to hang in there!  I hope it was worth the read.  I would love to answer any questions you may have.  Please feel free to leave them in the comments section.  Any feedback you have would be much appreciated.  Next week I'll be talking about Ink.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Read more...