My TOP 10 FAVORITE PRODUCTS!

Mornin' hens!

I had been wanting to do a "FAVORITES" post for awhile now, but when one of my subscribers wrote me a sweet email and asked if I would, I said "You bet!" Thanks for the incentive Carol!

Ok, so if you're like me, I've got a ton of craft supplies.  My daughter calls "the coop" Michaels!  Bwah-ha-ha-ha!  Uh, but now that I think about it, I suppose you could confuse the two!  {{{snort!}}} Anyway, I think I've bought and tried it all so I think this is a pretty good list for any paper crafter.  I've put links to each of the items listed at the bottom of this post.  Just click on the photo to be taken directly to the product.  Okee dokee, here we go!!

NUMBER ONE:  MY CANON PRINTER!!  Can't do without, wouldn't do without, hands down BEST supply I own...  Yep, I've owned other ink jets, and even a "fancy schmancy" laser ones, pfffft!  Nothing beats my Canon MG6220.  This printer pulls my 110lb coverstock without a hitch!  No jams, no funky smears, PERFECT every time!  There are newer models out there, but don't get the newer model, get this exact model.  Why?  Because it has a rear feeder tray, the newer models don't.  The rear tray is where you feed the heavy coverstock from.  I leave regular copy paper in the bottom tray for normal office printing.  I've owned this printer for about 18 months now and I just replaced the cartridges for the second time.   

I print the sentiment on the inside of all my cards. That way I can personalize them to say what I want.  Here's an example of the inside sentiment.  Yep, my printer did that!  I think it gives the card a professional, clean look, with a more personal touch!  Once I had the format like I wanted, I saved the files as "A2 vertical, A2 horizontal, etc." in MSWord and then just change the words and print each time.  And it prints on Kraft cardstock too!  Perfectly every time!  Oh and it's wireless and is an AirPrint printer too! See, now you know why I LOVEEE this printer.  "swoon"

NUMBER TWO:   BIG SHOT   I know-I know, I use to be a diehard Cuttlebug fan too, but finally took the plunge and asked for the Big Shot for Christmas.  Holy cow, what a difference!  Yes, it's a little larger, but I actually store my Big Shot in the same spot I had my Cuttlebug in, but I turn it on it's side.  I think the biggest PLUS about the Big Shot is the STABILITY.  I see videos all the time where the Cuttlebug is all wobbly as they crank the handle, well not the Big Shot.  Also, if you don't mind the aqua color, I think these are really cheap since they've just come out with the new white/grey Big Shot.  Might just be the push you need to make the change, huh?  

NUMBER THREE:   NEENAH CLASSIC CREST (SOLAR WHITE) & DESERT STORM (KRAFT) COVERSTOCK   The Neenah Classic Crest Solar White coverstock is 110lb.  This is some THICK, and I mean THICK paper.  I love it!!  I use this for everything!!  I can't stand a flimsy card, and I love the feel of this.  I use this for all my Copic coloring as well.  The Neenah Environmental Desert Storm coverstock is 100lb, and has that great brown paper bag look.  You know me, I love me some Kraft paper!!  Now I know, buying a ream may seem pricey at first, but it's WAY MORE ECONOMICAL this way then to buy 25 sheets at a time.  That's what I use to do too!  That's crazy!  I use way too much of this stuff and $8 or $9 for 25 sheets x 10 = $80 or $90 bucks.  So, buying it by the ream is a little more than half price!  

NUMBER FOUR:   COPICS  The "creme de la creme" of coloring....  They blend beautifully and last a looooooong time.  I started with like 6 main colors and purchased three markers in each color family.  Of course, my collection has expanded since then but they are EXCELLENT markers.  Well worth the investment.

NUMBER FIVE:  ADHESIVES:   ATG TAPE RUNNER OR XYRON MEGA RUNNER, 3M FOAM TAPE, RANGER MULTI MATTE MEDIUM, GLOSSY ACCENTS   So the tape runner just depends on your personal preference.  I like both just the same and I feel they both have a very strong hold.  I suppose the ATG tape runner refills are probably more readily available for some people though.  The size of the ATG is it's only drawback for me, although the tape price is almost half that of the Xyron.  As for dimensional adhesive, don't even bother with all those dots and squares.  Just the get the BIGGY roll of foam tape and cut the size you need.  WAAAAY cheaper!  And boy does this stuff hold!  If you want to remove it, be prepared to rip your card in half because once it's down, it's down!  The Ranger Matte Medium is great for little objects (sequins, enamel dots, etc) and because of it's matte finish, if any glue oozes out, you can't see it when it dries.  Love that!  And of course, I can't live without Glossy Accents!  I mean I've GOTTA add shine to glasses and lips for goodness sake!! 

NUMBER SIX:   FISKARS PAPER TRIMMER   Oh yes, I've had multiples of these too!  I've even had rotary ones!  But the BEST one is definitely the Fiskars 12 inch SureCut Deluxe trimmer.  Now there are a dozen of these Fiskar trimmers so be sure to look for the right one.  What's so great about this one? It's 12 inches tall and 6 inches wide (without pulling out the arm).  So I can cut a 8.5x11 sheet of coverstock in half whether I'm creating a top fold card or a horizontal card.  It's the perfect trimmer for cardmakers!  I do NOT like having to pull out the arm, as I have trouble reading the measurements on the arm, so I wanted a trimmer that I could use for cards without having to use the arm.  The triple track also has a wire guide so you can see exactly where the blade will cut before you cut it.  Oh, and I've had no trouble with the wire fraying and I've owned this trimmer for over two years. AND the latest invention I found was a scoring blade for this trimmer that I just leave in the track and use it instead of a separate scoring board.  Smart huh?  I cut on the one end and score on the other.  Works great!  

NUMBER SEVEN:   INK   Helloooo? We are stampers, right!  Yep, I've got lots of these too!  But my favorites are: Momento Tuxedo Black without a doubt for all my Copic coloring.  Versafine Black Onyx for any sentiment stamping on the card front as it leaves such a perfectly crisp impression.  And last but not least, Ranger's line of Distress Inks.  Seriously, I use these distress inks for everything!  Solid backgrounds, stencils, and they're my favorite watercoloring medium as well.  I have lots of watercolors but I'm not sure any are better then these distress inks.  They really are multi-purpose inks.  Oh and then there's the Gelly Roll White pen for white accents, and Prismacolor Black .03 pen for line drawing.

NUMBER EIGHT:   PRISMACOLOR PENCILS   What can I say, I love to color!  I own several brands of colored pencils but Prismacolor is by far the best pencil in my opinion.  In addition to coloring images with them, I also use the pencils for shading my Copic colored images too.  And they are almost always what I use for the ground below my images.  I blend the pencils with a paper stump and Gamsol.  Really easy to do and makes even a beginner look like a pro!! 

NUMBER NINE:   CORNER CHOMPER   I know, you're laughing right?  But it's the truth!!  I LOVE this thing!  It's seriously a staple for me.  I use it all the time!  I don't know why but I think rounded corners adds that little bit of cuteness to any card.  Tee-hee!!  

NUMBER TEN:   SILHOUETTE CAMEO   Did you guess it?  LOL!  There is no way I could list my top ten crafting products and not list my Silhouette Cameo.  This machine has paid for itself time and time again.  It's not only great for card making but it can do so much more.  What's so awesome about it is, the images are bought individually on line!!  No cartridges!!  For .99 cents, you can buy just about any image you can imagine.  And if you purchase a Silhouette subscription you get 25 images for 9.99 per month!  That's like .40 cents each!  It cuts cardstock, vinyl, material, etc....  It's the best investment ever! 

Ok, well that's my TOP 10 PAPER CRAFTING FAVORITES!  I hope you've found this helpful and if you have any specific questions, please feel free to send me an email and I'll help you the best I can.  I hope you hens have a TERRIFIC Tuesday!!  {{{hen hugs}}}

TOP 10 FAVORITES:

(click on any picture to be taken directly to the item)

   

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