My Mom turns 89 in a few weeks. She'd love to get some cards. Please email me for my address if you are so inclined. Thanks!
And, in response to 2 emails that I received recently I'm listing a few of my favorite products. These are products that I've used for a while and go back to again and again. Sadly, I have no connection to any of these companies (!!). The upside is that my thoughts are unbiased.
HINT: Don't buy a thing because I recommend it. User experience varies. Check around and see what others think!
1. Memento ink by Tsukineko -- a great ink for clear stamps, particularly solid ones, and it doesn't stain. Perfect for Copics. Wish they had more colors.
2. Reinkers -- worthy buying when you purchase ink pads you know you will like, particularly for light colors. Just reinked my Memento black and wow, what a difference.
3. Japanese Screw Punch -- punch a hole in various sizes anywhere on the page. I've had mine for years and have used it hundreds of times. Pricey but if you amortize over the length of its life, it is inexpensive.
4. Stampin Up Grid Paper -- One pad lasts months. Serves as a cushion for stamping. The ruled grid is perfect for lining up ribbon or placing paper. I always stamp first on this to make sure I have good coverage. Here's a video on how Kristina Werner uses this paper. Much better review than I can provide! The downside is that it is a consumable and I hate buying stuff that eventually gets thrown out, but I make an exception for this.
5. Ranger Heat-It Craft Tool -- It's QUIET. It takes longer to emboss and the air flow is lighter than other embossing guns so it doesn't blow around the powder. I get less warping. Did I say it is quiet? Perfect for my middle of the night work.
6. Ranger Non Stick Craft Sheet -- I put it over my Stampin Up grid paper or any pad of paper and heat emboss.
It is slippery, so it is perfect for sponging. Until I used this I didn't get a smooth swirl with my sponges. (I don't care for the Ranger Inkssentials Ink Blending Tool -- I can never get a smooth swirl.) Great for inks, paints or anything wet.
Cleans up quickly with water and a paper towel or regular towel.
I've read you can get something similar for less $$ that is made to line baking sheets. Why are craft items are often overpriced (in that similar items are marketed for other purposes and sell for less?)
There are lots of videos on you tube using this craft sheet and Ranger Distress inks or other products.
7. Ranger Distress Inks -- a dye ink that stays wet for about 30 seconds. Allows you to blend, blend, blend and if you move your booty quickly, emboss. They react to water so you can sprinkle water and get great effects. I'm just starting to use these and they are my new best friend. Check out Jennifer McGuire's videos on using these inks. She's a genius.
8. Spray bottle of water, paper towels and baby wipes. Now that I'm a neat freak, I use the baby wipes to clean my stamps as I stamp. I use the cheapest non scented ones I can find that don't leave lint behind. They are a generic brand sold in my local Shoppers Food Warehouse. Not environmentally friendly but I use one wipe for one card. If it isn't too inky, I use it to wipe down my table to get rid of glitter, embossing powder, or my paper cutter.
Spray bottle of water is just handy for a million things from misting cardstock prior to using an impression plate, water coloring, etc. Paper towels? Clean up the mess and essential for water colors.
9. A radio turned to C-Span. Amazing how much intelligent conversation, speeches, etc. are on this channel. I rarely listen to music (that's for another post) and this station is my stamping companion.
10. Versamark Pen -- Versamark ink in a marker with two tips, wide and narrow. Cover a colored image with the marker and then emboss with clear embossing powder. Perfect for embossing a small part of an image (think a flame on a candle, etc.) Since ink won't stick to an embossed image, this is great for embossing flowers and then stamping a background over the flowers. No masking needed. Great for touching up spots that you missed when embossing. Use with a ruler to draw a line and then emboss.
Lasts forever (I lost mine during the big clean over the holidays and just replaced it. I missed it!)
11. Labels. Why don't ink pads come with the name of the ink on the side? Every stamp set is labeled, paper files are labeled. I'm a label convert. Only way I can consistently put things away and then find them.
12. Scotch double sided temporary tape -- lots of uses. Die cut, put tape on top of the SU grid paper so the die cut is lined up straight, then stamp on the die cut. Use to keep a card partially closed when photographing, etc.
13. Stampin Up scissors. Use Craft and Paper for ribbon and fabric. Use Craft and Rubber to cut around images.