Sunday Haul #4

A fairly slow week acquisition wise. But I am saving up to making my big SU order next week. Plus I need to save for my June Stamp Club order. A quick trip to Michael's. I picked up some snail (the real reason I was there), white card stock, cream card stock, and the PL Wedding Kit (future gift).

I also received the June Take Ten Kit. I added on the sequins and enamel dots (for a great price!). I can't wait to incorporate the fun accessories. Some of the cards are pretty cute (blue one in particular), but I'm going to have to think about how to include some of them...

New Discoveries #4: New SU Products

Today's New Discoveries is highlighting some of my favorite new products from the Stampin' Up 2014-2015 Annual Catalog. The products featured are new this year and all available to order.

Fabulous Four Clear-Mount Stamp Set

$14.95

Documented Bundle

$17.50

Sea Street Clear-Mount Stamp Set

$16.95

Age Awareness Photopolymer Stamp Set

$15.95

Love Who You Are Wood-Mount Stamp Set

$7.95

Watercolor Thank You Wood-Mount Stamp Set

$8.95

Bordering Blooms Photopolymer Stamp Set

$15.95

Kinda Eclectic Clear-Mount Stamp Set

$19.95

Moonlight Designer Series Paper Stack

$6.95

Park Lane Designer Series Paper

$10.95

Playground Project Life Card Collection

$15.95

Hearts & Stars Decorative Masks

$2.95

Stars Framelits Die

$26.95

Table by StampinBuddy. Try it FREE.

Essential Products #2: Cutting Tools

Let’s dive in today with a huge essential product: Cutting tools!

Everyone needs to be able to cut paper (and ribbons and stickers and everything else). There are definitely lots of cutting tools out there to choose from. Here's my round-up of tools:

Product Description: Cutting tools come in all shapes and sizes. Most people start out simply with a pair of scissors. But as your crafting experience grows, so does your collection of tools.

Choices: As evidenced by the pictures above, I have multiple different types of cutting tools. They each have their own specific purpose.

Scissors -- A comfortable, sharp, and sturdy pair of scissors goes a long way in crafting. I picked up this pair of Fiskars scissors about three years ago and they are still going strong even with almost daily usage. I have a tool caddy sitting under my desk, but these stay front and center in my pen holder for easy access. Some people prefer short paper snips, but I love my big handled long scissors. I imagine that when they get dull, I will just got out and buy another pair.

Ribbon scissors -- You do not want to use the same scissors for ribbon cutting as for paper cutting. For ribbons cutting, I have a small, short pair of Fiskars scissors. They are marked on the other side with sharpie so I can remember to only use these for ribbons. I've seen others mark their ribbon scissors with a bow.

Patterned scissors -- After my regular scissors, this set (they are actually two more, but they are packed away for an upcoming class) was my next cutting tool purchase. I found this EK Success set at Target, but I've seen similar at most craft stores. Originally I used them to cut my pictures for traditional scrapbooking pages. Now, I mainly use them to add fun edges to my greeting cards. Very versatile set!

Paper trimmer -- The most expensive cutting tool purchase I've made is this paper trimmer. I realized eventually that I wanted to be able to quickly made straight measured cuts. This is the best way to do that. I bought my Fiskars trimmer at Michael's years before I became a Stampin' Up demo. This one is great with the easy to swing out extended ruler, but I've noticed that my lines are starting to wear off. It may be time to upgrade to Stampin' Up's version. I've heard really nice things about it. Plus, I can easily buy and switch out the blade for rotary trimmers. And it doubles as a scoring tool. As with all paper trimmer, you must buy replacement blades every once in while. The more you cut, the faster you need to replace. For this Fiskars trimmer, I buy a pack of twp replacement blades about every other month.

Exacto knife and paper piercer -- My last two cutting tools are nice to have but in way a necessity. Both my blade and pierce came from Michael's. The blades are replaceable, but I've never replaced them. I don't use these tools often, but they do come in handy. The blade can be used for small precise cuts (i.e. cutting out a stamped image). The pierce is most often used to pierce holes for brads. I also occasionally use to pick up small jewels, especially those that really stick to the plastic.

My Choice Brand(s):

Stampin' Up -- Of course SU has a great selection of various cutting tools.
Fiskars -- Any from Fiskars is guaranteed to be nice quality. They know their cutting tools.
EK Success -- My patterned scissors are EK Success, but I can tell they are aren't as sharp or well-constructed as my Fiskars supplies.

Where to Buy:

Stampin' Up
Michael's
Joann's

Sunday Haul #3

I took advantage of a Steals.com deal about a week ago and it finally came! I snapped up Captured, Official, Bewitched, and Harvest for extremely cheap. I'm planning on selling about half of each set on my FB group. I just don't really need hundreds of cards of the same design. I'd rather have a variety. I also picked up a package of PL Design 4 pages. I'm planning on using them for my Daily December album later this year.

New Discoveries #3: Peachy Cheap and Steals

I love finding deals on crafting supplies, don't you? A few months ago, I was searching on various supplies online (specifically Project Life supplies), when I came across two amazing websites of deals.

Peachy Cheap

Peachy Cheap offers one crafting supply deal per day Monday through Saturday. Typically these deals are for embellishments (die cuts, brads, enamel dots) or for ribbon or washi tape. Sometimes I have seen 6x6 paper packs. The great thing about this site is the quantity per price. I snapped up a deal a few months ago for a 6 pack of Basic Grey enamel dots for $6.99. With the $5.99 extra for shipping, I paid about $13.00 for six packs of enamel dots. This would have cost me probably $25 in a retail store. I also snapped up a huge lot of My Mind's Eye die cuts, stickers, and PL cards for $9.99. I had over 100 pieces include (probably closer to 200 pieces). To buy the equivalent in store, it would have cost me at least $50. Amazing deal!

Details:

One deal a day while supplies last
Shipping is through USPS, per item (no combined shipping), typically $5-6 in the US
Shipping usually takes around 10 days
Sometimes offer the same projects on another day, but no guarantees

Steals

Steals actually has four different sites: Scrap, She, Kid, and Baby. Each site has a new deal starting at 8am PST and 8pm PST. They usually offer multiple related projects for 25-80% retail price. Like Peachy Cheap, they are while supplies last. However they do keep the any remaining stock and sell it in their "shop" category. Occasionally they will run a warehouse sale with cheaper and/or combined shipping on anything that's left over in the shop. in the past, I have bought a few baby and kid related items, packs of WRMK Albums Made Easy cards ($3.99 when they retail for $9.99), and warehouse sale grab bags (entire 2 pound box of supplies for $20, probably retailed for at least $75). My only word of caution for this site is to watch out for shipping. Sometimes I find they offer great deals on a project, but when you factor in shipping, the price is higher than purchasing a similar product at Michael's or Joann's. (Case in point: American Crafts 6x6 paper pads for $2.99 each + $4.99 shipping. Only works out if you buy multiple pads. Buying only one pad pushed the price over the brick-and-mortar store regular prices).

Details:

New deals daily at 8am PST and 8pm PST
Can sell out quickly
Shipping varies with deal, typically $4-7 in US
Shipping usually takes around 10 days, can pay more to expedite
Any deal leftovers are sold in the "shop" category

Basic Techniques #1: Proper Stamping

Today let's discuss some tips for proper stamping. There is general rule and etiquette book when it comes to stamping.

First up: Different types of stamps

There are three main types of stamps that you can buy: 1. classic wooden mounted rubber stamps, 2. cling or clear stamps, 3. photopolymer clear stamps. Each of these types of stamps have their own uses and challenges.

Classic wooden stamps come either premounted (bought in a store) or unassembled (Stampin' Up). If they are unassembled, you need to mount the rubber stamp to the wooden block and adhere the picture on the other side. Pretty simple. I love wooden stamps for their ease of use. They are also nice for people with unsteady hands. The wooden block is nice and sturdy and gives you a good grip. Wood stamps are also nice for the ease of use. Once they are mounted, they are always ready to go. I see two major cons with wooden stamps: bulky storage and not being able to easily see where I'm stamping the image.

Cling or clear stamps aren't truly clear. They are usually made of the same rubber that that wooden stamps are. The difference is that they come unmounted. To use, you must have clear mounting blocks. You temporarily adhere the stamp to the clear block. Usually they "cling" on their own. However, I have a few stamp sets that don't like to stick to the clear blocks. For those, I usually put a small piece of Snail adhesive to the block and then adhere. Your stamps can get a little sticky, but it works. The main advantage of cling or clear stamps is that you can more accurately see where you are stamping the image. Plus, they are much less bulky for storage. Stampin' Up's clear stamps come in a standard size DVD case. I love the easy of storage! They are also usually cheaper than wood mounted stamps.

The third type of stamps are photopolymer stamps. These are truly clear stamps. They work the same way as cling stamps in that you need clear mounting blocks to use them. Photopolymer stamps truly adhere to the mounting block without any additional help. Being clear, it makes it very easy to layer various stamps or make patterned backgrounds. Storage is also a breeze. SU's photopolymer stamps also now come in a standard DVD case. For my non-SU clear stamps, I keep them in a tote bin, but I have seen many people create binders with page protectors. I might just have to work on that next. The biggest con with this type is that they can stain and yellow more easily than the others. The main rule of thumb is keep them out of sunlight.

Second: How to care for stamps

A general rule of thumb for keeping your stamps nice is to keep them out of the sunlight. Sunlight and heat will cause stamps to yellow (photopolymer) and crack (all stamps). A second suggestion is too always clean your stamps after usuage. This should prevent most staining (might have a little depending on brand and ink used) and kept the stamped images true to ink color. You can clean your stamps one of two ways: baby wipes or scrub pads. The baby wipe method is simply using a baby wipe to clean off the stamp. This is great for small stamp jobs or on-the-go stamping. If you are stamping a lot, you are going to go through a lot of baby wipes.

My preferred method is to use a stamp scrub pad. Stampin' Up sells this great pad in a nice hinged case. You also need to buy some stamp cleaning solution.

Spray the solution onto the "wet" side (SU's has handy labels).
Scrub the stamp on the wet side. (A few swipes should do)
Scrub the stamp on the dry side.
Repeat is necessary.

To clean the scrub pad, all you need to do is run is under water until water runs clear. Then air dry. I usually clean mine once every two weeks, but it all depends on how much you stamp.

Third: How to stamp

Stamping is easy, but can be tricky for first-timers. A good rule of thumb is to put the least amount of pressure on the stamp when pressing into an ink pad and the paper. Stampin' Up's new firm foam ink pads can be very juicy, but are awesome. All you need is a quick tap-tap of stamp to pad to get the stamp fully inked. You can also check by stamping onto scratch paper. To stamp, press stamp to paper firmly by without moving it around. Lift straight up quickly. Following these instructions should give you clear images. If you put too much pressure on the stamp to the ink pad, you will likely get ink all around your image. This can smudge the image or leave extra lines when stamping. On a wood block, if can leave ink stains. Putting too much pressure on the stamp to paper can also smudge your image. Try it a few times. You'll get the hang of it pretty quickly.

Sunday Haul #2

After the monstrous haul of last week, this post is going to be very brief. I put myself on a crafting supply ban until June. I have a miles long wish list for the new Stampin' Up catalog. I know I won't buy all the things on my list, but I do intend on putting in a larger order for June to get some build my cardstock supply and snap up a few new stamp sets. This week's acquisitions were two FB PL Swap and Shop buys. I grabbed 1/3 pack of WRMK Bloom. The combination of gray, saffron, and pink makes me happy. I'm glad a got a small pack to sprinkle into my spreads.

I also grabbed about 40 more cards from the Amy Tangerine Cut and Paste kit. I already have this mini kit, but completely forgot about it when I bought this set. Oops! Oh well. Now I have more cute cards.

New Discoveries #2: SU's Paper Pumpkin Kits

I'll admit it: I was not a fan of the paper pumpkin kits when SU debuted them last year. I thought "Why would I want such a limiting kit?" But since then, I have realized their value in the paper crafting world. Some people want all-in-one kits. Some people have only a few minutes to craft and would like to spend it on crafting instead of searching for supplies. Some people doubt their ability to think up their own designs (even though they are probably highly creative people). Paper Pumpkin kits are a great way to move behind these issues and get to crafting. Everything you need comes in the box. You have the option of following the example or striking out on your own. The choice is yours. This is a stress-free crafting kit.

I received a sample kit with my demonstrator starter order. I thought I would share it with you today.

Everything comes in this handy little box. Great for keeping your supplies together. And I can think of a million things to use it for afterwards.

Here's the inside:

This kit featured a bicycle themed greeting card kit. Each month varies in terms of the type of project. I've seen some 3D projects in past kits, but they seem to be overwhelmingly greeting cards.

Breakdown of supplies included (adhesive is not included):

4 Whisper White Envelopes
4 Precut and Prescored polka dotted card bases
2 Sheets of yellow honeycomb stickers
9 Triangle stickers
1 Bicycle Stamp
1 "Thank You" banner stamp
1 Bermuda Bay Stampin' Spot
1 Baked Brown Sugar Stampin' Spot
Instruction sheet (below)

My completed projects

Card #1: I followed the example card exactly. Clean and simple.

Card #2: I decided to flip the card on the horizontal, but one bike seemed too plain. So I added a second bike and got creative with the "flags."

Card #3: Back to the vertical orientation. And I decided to play with repeating patterns. I made sure to stamp my bicycles off the card to give it a continuous look.

Card #4: Finally, I was left with three stripes of yellow stickers and two flags to use. This is what came out.

Highlights:

Simple, easy to follow example designs and simple instruction sheets
Everything is included -- Although my kit did not come with a clear block, SU is now including a special thinner clear block in your first kit.
Only $19.95 a month plus tax (shipping is included)
SU now offers prepaid 3, 6, and 12 month subscriptions -- Perfect for gifts!
Can skip a month or cancel anytime, no penalities

How to Order:

Learn more at http://mypaperpumpkin.com
Order a one month, three month, six month, or twelve month prepaid subscription here
Be sure to use me, Tobe Buffenbarger, as your demonstrator
Enjoy!

Essential Products #1: Cardstock

I'm starting a new feature on The Craft Sea today: highlighting essential products. Everyone who crafts has their go-to items. The essential supplies that I buy over and over again (or sometimes once if it is a tool). I certainly have my own essential products. I thought it would be a good idea to share those with readers. I'll talk about the products, why I love them, and how to use them. I might even do a bit of comparison with other products or brands other than what I use. So, let's dive in today with a huge essential product: Cardstock!

We all need paper, so let's discuss the different types and what I love to use. For this post, we are only going to talk about solid colored cardstock and not printed or patterned cardstock.

Product Description: Paper of course. Specifically, I'm talking about solid paper used for paper crafting (scrapbooking, greeting cards, 3D projects, etc).

Choices:

Sizes -- Most paper stacks come in 12 x 12" or 8.5 x 11" options. You can also buy select stacks in 8 x 8", 6 x 6", and 4.5 x 6.5" options. I buy a variety of sizes for different products. 12 x 12" paper is great for traditional scrapbooking. 8.5 x 11" paper is perfect for cutting in half to use as greeting card bases. Other sizes can be used as great layering options or as traditional backgrounds for different size scrapbooks.
Texture options -- Most regular cardstock out there is sold in a smooth state. This is perfect for stamping or writing. You can find cardstock with various textures. Some will have a combination with one side smooth and one side textured. This paper is nice as the textured side can be great for layering or accents, while the smooth side is perfect for stamping and writing.
Core options -- You have two option when it comes to core. The paper can have a white core or the ink can be saturated throughout. White core paper is great for sanding techniques. If you want to create a jagged tear, solid core paper is probably your best bet.
Weights -- Regular computer paper is usually 20lb weight. It's flimsy and not great for paper crafting. Recollections brand (sold at Michael's and other places) is mostly 65lb weight. They also do have select solid cardstock in 80lb weight. 65lb paper is great for stamping and layering. On it's own, 65lb weight paper won't stand up well. For card bases, I prefer to buy 80lb weight paper. Stampin' Up's basic cardstock is 80lb. You can find heavier cardstock in 100 and 110lb weights, but those tend to bulk up projects once you start layering.
Color -- Each brand of cardstock will have it's own distinct color choices. I love using Stampin' Up's line as everything they make coordinates. I have found Recollections paper to have similar colors as SU, but there is a difference.

My Choice Brand(s): I mainly buy my paper from one of two sources. Specifically, I buy paper for different uses from these two sources.

Stampin' Up -- Their basic cardstock is 80lb weight. Perfect for standing up on its own. You can feel the heft to this paper. I love their paper for consistent color between batches and heavy weight. I use SU paper for card bases and if I want to color coordinate my project.
Recollections -- Most of their basic cardstock is 65lb weight. And it's much cheaper per package than SU. However, the lower weight does limit this paper to layering pieces. And it can be hard to color coordinate with my SU inks and markers.

Where to Buy:

Stampin' Up -- SU paper can only be bought from SU through a demonstrator. You must choose a demonstrator (if you don't already have one) to complete an order. There is an option to not be contacted if you desire. If you are going to place an order, please use my name as a demonstrator: Tobe Buffenbarger Sunnyvale, CA
Michael's -- You can now order online or continue to frequent their brick and mortar stores.
Hobby Lobby
Joann's
Other craft stores

Sunday Haul #1

Warning: This post is incredibly long and picture heavy. I may have a bit of a crafting supply addiction...Every Sunday I will be highlighting the crafting products that I bought/received from the previous week. This first haul encompasses the craft purchases from the month of April and the first part of May.

Obligatory Michael's visit. I run in to get snail, and look at all the stuff I bought! (Not shown: Door prizes for my crafting open house a few weeks back). I grabbed a cute desktop organizer that fits some of my PL cards, snail, pack of Amy Tangerine designed cardstock (really good weight), and the Inspirational PL Theme Pack.

I also received two RAKs in the mail. I'm especially loving the alphabet stickers. Can never have too many of those.

I received my PL Rain partial that I ordered from the FB group. So pretty! Finally I have some cards with purple in them. And I finally picked up a partial Midnight kit.

This past month I became a Stampin' Up demonstrator. That also means that I had to order my starter kit. $125 worth of product for $99! I got my total down to having $0.25 left. I'd say that I spent my money wisely.

Island Indigo Ink Pad -- How do I not own this ink pad yet? I have the marker and adore the color.
Glue dots -- I use these a ton.
Glue sticks -- Bought for classes and workshops.
Embossing Buddy -- I have no idea where mine disappeared to...
Polka Dot 8" x 8" Album -- Thinking about making this my Daily December album for this coming year.
Green Dot 6" x 6" Album -- Not sure what to do with this one yet, but it was on clearance for a great price.

Letters to Santa DSP -- Clearance and retired, but such a cute pattern that I couldn't resist.
Epic Day This and That Stickers -- To go with the journal. I already own the washi tape.
Blender Pens -- Been wanting these for awhile. Figured I should finally buy them.
Basic Black Ink Pad -- My black ink pad is one of the old designs. I know they've reformulated the ink, so I thought it was time for a new one.
2013-2015 In Color DSP -- I really need to highlight these gorgeous colors more.

I also put in my April club order to snap up some retiring items. All the items from my April club order are retiring and all but the markers are now completely gone.

2012-2014 In Color 12x12 Cardstock
2012-2014 In Color 8.5x11 Cardstock
2012-2014 In Color Markers
Primrose Petals Reinker
Gumball Green Reinker
Summer Starfruit Reinker
Midnight Muse Reinker

I made another $150 order to get my 30% off in the first 45 days.

Birthday Cake Stamp (Retired)
Rich Razzleberry Ink
Calypso Coral Ink
Mosaic Madness Stamps
Mosaic Punch
Dimensionals
Daydream Medallions Stamps
Subtles 8.5x11 Cardstock (2 packs)
Project Life Card Collection -- not pictured
Project Life Accessory Pack -- not pictured
Project Life Stamps (both sets) -- not pictured

i stopped in at Big Lots randomly one day and snapped up some glue runner and paper packs. My total for three paper packs and glue runner was $10. Very cheap!